Making me smile despite the weather...

After a wonderful day's hunting on Easter Saturday and a lovely ride with Nikki and Domino (newly clipped and frightfully smart) on Sunday, Monday deteriorated rather dramatically with gale force winds, inches and inches of rain and fog which put a stop to a rather less-than-usually-enjoyable morning with a very soggy pack of Exmoor Foxhounds.

All the horses put themselves back onto winter routine for the rest of the day, refusing to leave the yard and only too pleased to hole up in the barn and their boxes with haylage and rugs on.

Luckily, a lovely email arrived to cheer me up and put everything back into perspective.  Saffy is a gorgeous and very talented KWPN mare who came here a year ago after being diagnosed with collateral ligament damage on MRI.  Kate, her owner, has had a very busy year, not only continuing with Saffy's rehab but also having a baby!

[Now, read this carefully - this is the sort of owner-dedication that every rehab horse needs... ;-)]

"On her return home from you Saffy continued her build up of exercise through my pregnancy. The day I went into labour [!] her exercise routine consisted of 3 x hacks per week 1- 11/2 hours and 1-2 lunge sessions 15-20 mins.

The next 6 weeks following my cesarean Saffy had very light work. She was walked out on the road 2 x week to keep her toes trim.

Saffy is now in the most work she has EVER been in. She is fit healthy and happy. She hacks 3 x per week anything up to 2 hours and is perfectly happy and capable to gallop now.

She is now having 1 x schooling session with my instructor per week, and 2 x lunging with me.

Saffy's progress has astounded me. in the last 3 weeks in particular she is feeling amazing. She is forward and bouncy and eager to work for the first time in 3 years. We now have to over come the typical Saffy tantrums, when she decides that my instructor is making her work too hard.

My hope is to get her back out jumping this summer.

I have spent 3 years crying almost every day at the heart break of seeing my beautiful mare sat in a field doing nothing. I have now not smiled so much about her since the day I bought her. The horse I know and love is back with a vengence and I am so positive about our future."

As an added bonus, I also heard from Aileen that Lenny (also here last year) who was recently diagnosed with Cushings, is responding really well to his new medication:

"Lenny is allowed out on grass for an hour or so in the morning. When I put him out this morning he galloped down the field (beating his 4 year old companion hands down! ) He then went into a circle on the 
 left and did a fantastic floaty (and sound) trot before heading off at a gallop again. I think it is fair to say he is feeling better! "
There are lots of downs as well as ups in this job, but I was really glad that these emails arrived to enhance such an otherwise grim day(!).