khalswitz
Well-Known Member
So, Geoff has done his period of box rest and anti-inflamatories, and vet came out to check him yesterday. He was originally 6/10 lame in trot and noticeably off in walk, but he is now sound in a straight line and only very slightly off when turned or lunged (and considering he escaped his box and went galloping up and down a main road on Thursday I am surprised). Vet is very pleased with the improvement, and whilst she does say he may well go lame again, for now she is optimistic it was a just a strain.
He is now on paddock rest for a week, before I get on again. Since he isn't lame enough for nerve blocks, the vet says that as long as he isn't worse she wants me riding him again, as he needs to be lamer in order to investigate. :S. We'll see how he gets on, but I think I maybe need to rethink our training to do less schooling and competing, and more hacking - with a tightness for time the last part of the summer has only seen us hacking to comps, and really he needs the higher fitness and hardened tendons he gets when doing lots of roadwork.
Regarding my new job on an event yard - it's going fab. Have ridden loads of different horses (including one who has competed at 3* and qualified for 4*, and done teams, another international event horse who is a proper schoolmaster, a HUGE 18hh heavyweight hunter, and a proper turbo-cob), and really settling into the routine and enjoying it lots. Everyone is very lovely, yard is very chilled and learning lots!
They have now offered for me to bring Geoff up there to livery, and I am a bit torn. It is LOVELY, with hacking for miles and miles off road on quiet forestry tracks, with jumps, a school, and enough horses to be busy but very relaxed. They also turn out in pairs which would suit Geoff to the ground - plus we'd get training and get taken out to local events! they also have a livery who wants to do riding club stuff, so we could end up doing RC comps and training together
However, it would mean stopping BD as I would no longer be able to hack to a venue, and have no transport myself. It would also mean having no indoor, and where I am now I can easily hack to my RC's field as well as a comp venue nearby. Geoff is also pretty settled there in general, although we are having difficulty getting winter fields sorted out (Geoff is not very happy by himself, but every time he goes back in with the herd he gets picked on and gets injured ).
My farrier doesn't go up there, as I asked today, but he also said I would be daft not to go as eventing is obviously want to do. Plus, Geoff's yard is about a 30min drive from the event yard, which I am now doing every day (was twice a day whilst on box rest!) and both are around half an hour from home, so my petrol costs are pretty high. However, also, on the event yard I will have a lot less control over him and it is full livery so I will need to find out how much they will take off my pay for it (and take into account my own livery and petrol costs), but also means I don't need to bully my mother into looking after him when I am away or tight for time with work.
So head is in a spin! The loss of freedom and going back to relying on lifts, and not being able to do our dressage and relying on lifts to RC stuff will be a pain, but will being able to event (and having fab training and support to do it) and lots of hacking rather than endless schooling for Geoff's legs (especially when bringing him back into work) make up for it?
Opinions much appreciated!!!
He is now on paddock rest for a week, before I get on again. Since he isn't lame enough for nerve blocks, the vet says that as long as he isn't worse she wants me riding him again, as he needs to be lamer in order to investigate. :S. We'll see how he gets on, but I think I maybe need to rethink our training to do less schooling and competing, and more hacking - with a tightness for time the last part of the summer has only seen us hacking to comps, and really he needs the higher fitness and hardened tendons he gets when doing lots of roadwork.
Regarding my new job on an event yard - it's going fab. Have ridden loads of different horses (including one who has competed at 3* and qualified for 4*, and done teams, another international event horse who is a proper schoolmaster, a HUGE 18hh heavyweight hunter, and a proper turbo-cob), and really settling into the routine and enjoying it lots. Everyone is very lovely, yard is very chilled and learning lots!
They have now offered for me to bring Geoff up there to livery, and I am a bit torn. It is LOVELY, with hacking for miles and miles off road on quiet forestry tracks, with jumps, a school, and enough horses to be busy but very relaxed. They also turn out in pairs which would suit Geoff to the ground - plus we'd get training and get taken out to local events! they also have a livery who wants to do riding club stuff, so we could end up doing RC comps and training together
However, it would mean stopping BD as I would no longer be able to hack to a venue, and have no transport myself. It would also mean having no indoor, and where I am now I can easily hack to my RC's field as well as a comp venue nearby. Geoff is also pretty settled there in general, although we are having difficulty getting winter fields sorted out (Geoff is not very happy by himself, but every time he goes back in with the herd he gets picked on and gets injured ).
My farrier doesn't go up there, as I asked today, but he also said I would be daft not to go as eventing is obviously want to do. Plus, Geoff's yard is about a 30min drive from the event yard, which I am now doing every day (was twice a day whilst on box rest!) and both are around half an hour from home, so my petrol costs are pretty high. However, also, on the event yard I will have a lot less control over him and it is full livery so I will need to find out how much they will take off my pay for it (and take into account my own livery and petrol costs), but also means I don't need to bully my mother into looking after him when I am away or tight for time with work.
So head is in a spin! The loss of freedom and going back to relying on lifts, and not being able to do our dressage and relying on lifts to RC stuff will be a pain, but will being able to event (and having fab training and support to do it) and lots of hacking rather than endless schooling for Geoff's legs (especially when bringing him back into work) make up for it?
Opinions much appreciated!!!