An update on Grace... with photos

[_jetset_]

I got my husband to take some photos yesterday of me on the ginger monster... these are when she has still got her 'I'm going to spook with no warning' head on, whereas towards the end of the hour I am starting to feel as though I can actually ride her in the walk rather than being a mere passenger

How is she looking condition wise etc? I think she has a little muscle forming again, even though we are just walking, compared to when I first got back on...

She is now 12 weeks out of colic surgery and has been walked in hand for 7 weeks and has been ridden in walk (increasing it to 60 mins) for 4 weeks

This was four weeks ago when I rode her for the second time...

This was yesterday...

I think I make her look smaller than her 17.1hh... she looks like a pony

Sorry for the huge number of photos, I am trying to get as many as possible should they say she cannot be ridden and has to have the operation in the scan next week... The only positive thing is that she feels ready to do more and she feels as though she is striding out in the walk (after she has stopped being a coiled spring that is and doing silly little jogging steps).

 

[pepperandoran]

Iv been following your story and she looks very well considering what she has been through.
Fingers crossed that the scan goes well

 

[lisan]

Wow, she is looking fab!! finger x for tuesday xx

 

[Stoxx]

She looks much better now! And no she certainly doesn't look 17.1!

PS. Is she a warm horse? Only thinking that as she is fully clipped would she benefit from wearing an exercise rug to keep the chill off so that doesn't contribute towards the 'airs above the ground'

 

[Weezy]

She is looking in super condition B

Best of luck for Tuesday, my fingers are firmly Xed!

 

[Worried1]

Wow - I didn't realise she was 17.1hh either! I am starting to feel like a very short HHO user

We have been using an exercise rug with Diva and she has definitely been less explosive on the lunge.

She looks very well and calm in the pics. Hope everything is OK next week.

 

[H-J]

She looks great

Fingers crossed for the scan

 

[saskia295]

I'm afraid I don't really know the full story, but she looks lovely

I'll keep everything crossed for you!

 

[Tempi]

Fingers crossed for the scan hun x

 

[MrsMagoo]

Fingers crossed for the scan hun - im sure she will be fine

Shes looking good x

 

[Maesfen]

She's looking great Becki although I do wonder at having her fully clipped out when all she is doing is walking. Wouldn't she be better with a quarter sheet on to keep her muscles warm, that might also help curb the explosive attacks she's been having if she's doing it because she feels cold? I wouldn't like your cold winds up my bottom, think I'd explode too!

 

[zoesophie]

Just spotted your post!

Great pics of her I think she looks much better! Keep me posted on the scan - fingers firmly crossed for her!

 

[pinktiger]

OMG> shes 17'1!!! shes stunning but didnt think she was that big, she doesnt look it at all in the pics<<< mayb your quite tall!

 

[christine48]

[ QUOTE ]
She's looking great Becki although I do wonder at having her fully clipped out when all she is doing is walking. Wouldn't she be better with a quarter sheet on to keep her muscles warm, that might also help curb the explosive attacks she's been having if she's doing it because she feels cold? I wouldn't like your cold winds up my bottom, think I'd explode too!

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree, being clipped out and getting the wind up their tails makes any horse fresh. She didn't look as if she had enough coat to warrent clipping for the work you are doing.

 

[_jetset_]

She doesn't like the exercise sheet... she has never had one on before and when I put it on she was worse than ever

She seemed to hate the fillet string

I had her body clipped off because she gets a bad rash which the vet thinks is caused by the hair that is being moulted irritating the skin under the numnah. In summer she is completely fine, and clipped out completely fine. So it is something to do with the loose hairs that develop as the coat changes as she is the same when she losing her summer coat and getting her winter one.

 

[Halfstep]

I think she looks lovely! Love those ginger girlies. She's so pretty!

 

[not_with_it]

She looks really well. I wouldnt worry about her condition. Fingers crossed for tuesday.

 

[_jetset_]

Tonight we had 60 whole minutes of good behaviour!!!

I have been trying to keep her occupied by really getting her to walk forwards into the contact and this is helping me control the spooks much better... although she has a new one now she cannot bronc, she just leaps off the floor from all four feet

Much easier to sit to though

 

[not_with_it]

Bless, shes obviously showing you how excited she is to be working again

 

[Fiona]

Where's the neckstrap?? I thought you were going to get one.

FIona

 

[_jetset_]

I have been using an old leadrope looped on itself, but it has now disappeared off the face of the earth

(think the dog may have run away with it... he has a habit of that as I tend to lose gloves/hats etc etc)

If anyone has any old stirrup leathers they don't want... I would be eternally grateful! I had an old pair, but it's typical isn't it, I binned them just before Christmas because I would never need them again

 

[siennamiller]

Shes lovely

what about one of those poly pad numnah pads that is also an exercise sheet? Don't think they have a fillet string?

 

[_jetset_]

Do they not?

I'll look into that one... I have two Mark Todd ones, a waterproof one and a fleece one and they both need one because they start flapping around a lot if you leave it off.

 

[Lill]

Is the walking in hand and walking for an hour a day, because of her other injury or the colic surgery?

 

[_jetset_]

Both

Initially because of the colic surgery she had 8 weeks of walking in hand and on complete box rest other than this. Then, because of the ligament rather than being turned out for the following 8 weeks (as the colic surgery usually has) she started walking on board to strengthen the ligament...

 

[Lill]

[ QUOTE ]
Both

Initially because of the colic surgery she had 8 weeks of walking in hand and on complete box rest other than this. Then, because of the ligament rather than being turned out for the following 8 weeks (as the colic surgery usually has) she started walking on board to strengthen the ligament...

[/ QUOTE ]

I see...

was confused as one of ours had colic surgery a few years back now and i remember we put her out in a small paddock with her mum after a month or so! She's fine now, just as nutty as ever and had a baby too.

 

[_jetset_]

That would have been how I would have proceeded after the initial 8 weeks of box rest had it not been for the suspensory ligament

But because she had recovered well from the surgery by this stage, the specialist dealing with her ligament said rather than turnout (which would damage the ligament) we needed to do controlled exercise up to one hour...

 

[Lill]

Can you not hack her out for an hour?

Is it every day for an hour?

 

[_jetset_]

Yes, every day for one hour...

I wouldn't even think of risking hacking her out at the moment. I think she would kill me, she is very hot anyway, but she is even worse as she has not been out since November.