Despondent 21/08/24

I promise this whole blog isn’t going to be a woe me situation but I am going to start it feeling at least a little bit sorry for myself.

As you know, I’ve not been happy with Chip this summer and even went as far as to test him for Cushing’s last month. I guess I wasn’t really expecting that he would be tested positive but it felt like a ‘get out of jail free’ card for avoiding the idea that perhaps his arthritis was catching up with him.

Obviously, his results came back negative and so this led me to begin my extensive review of joint supplement ingredients and which ones might actually make a difference and at what level. So, on this point – positive – I have now pretty much concluded that piece of work which took hours and hours of my life. You can access it here.

So proactively I now know which ingredients and supplements I am actually going to purchase and try and I have relative confidence that they are actually going to support him better. I am just waiting to get paid (which is only next week) to splash out on that purchase. However, fundamentally I do believe that he is struggling on this hard ground and so I’m also keen to get the loafing area expansion project done ASAP so that I can provide them all with a large, soft area to lay down and get off the baked ground in the field if they choose.

On that note, my boyfriend and I made big progress over the weekend with more hedge clearing and getting ready for more astroturf to be laid down as the base. I’m unfortunately going to have pay someone with a machine to move the rolls as they weigh a ridiculous 400kg each and whilst I am strong, I’m not that strong! More expense but I know it will be worth it for now and of course in the long term. Most especially over the winter when it will provide all the horses with a mud-free turnout area if the fields do become too excessively wet. Last year Raine and Zest used the loafing area overnight whilst Chip and Fern had the yard and an open stable to share.

Depending on the progress of the loafing area expansion and how quickly I can source the materials to build the shelter that I have dreamed of for two years will influence whether we stick to last year’s overnight routine or if all four of the horses live in the loafing area overnight together. TBC nearer the time I guess!

Anyway, I digress. Chip and Fern both had physio at the start of this week and as expected Chip is slightly bilaterally lame behind ☹ Most notable is that his RH is sneaking back onto the midline which is so disappointing. My glimmer of hope is that the osteopath is supposed to be back out this month at some point and hopefully he will be able to help him some more.

However, the crux of the situation is that Chip really does need some medical intervention i.e. anti-inflammatory medication injecting into his joints. I did speak to my physio about using Cartrofen but she felt that it’s more effective in the acute phase of arthritic changes rather than the chronic phase that Chip is in now.

For now, I need to pay off my nearly £700 vet bill that has wracked up on Fern’s latest four sarcoids for which we used the Aldara cream on. They have completely done the job and I am very pleased on the limited scaring and non-invasive way we have got them to go however the cost isn’t that far off the laser treatment once you account for all the extra vet visits!

The last visit we were also supposed to start Raine’s sarcoid treatment for her eyelid but there were so many flies around we agreed to wait until the autumn. All my horses are having to wear fly masks daily and we felt putting this on and off everyday combined with putting the cream on could be all too much so we will wait.

I am also tempted to use the time to try some Thuja cream as it’s very inexpensive and a lot of people have recommended it to me. I can also use positive reinforcement training to get Raine really good for having the cream applied to her eye without the pressure of formal treatment or vet involvement. Hopefully then if it doesn’t work and we do have to use the Aldara cream, we can do it without needing sedation and extra vet visits.

But back to Fern. She’s gone quite foot sore on the hard ground. Two trims ago I was supposed to be buying her some turnout hoof boots but again the cost of them put me off making the purchase. But now I have no choice and I have managed to buy a pair of second-hand Equine Fusions to turn her out in on the front. She’s also reverted back to bringing her LH to midline which is another thing that the osteopath Christophe had previously been able to correct.

It's so frustrating that Fern is once again not quite right as she just got signed off from the vet with all her sarcoid treatment and should be ready to get going again.

She is looking quite good on the soft in the arena but I don’t feel she is strong enough to do much work in the arena and I would definitely prefer to be getting her out on straight lines and building up her stamina with long walk rides interspersed with short trots on hacks.

All being well, the hoof boots will be here today or tomorrow and by next week she’ll be much more comfy again to get back into a more consistent work.

For Chip, Siobhan recommended that I do keep riding him to keep him mobile and to ensure that he doesn’t lose anymore topline. Which as you know is also a constant worry of mine.

Anyway, for now the only two horses that are looking good and well are the two babies in the field who aren’t due to do anything for while. However, on that note, I have decided I’d really like to have a mini-autumn campaign with Raine and would love to aim to get her to a pleasure ride at Christmas.

In order for this to happen though I need to lose some weight as I do feel that I am too big for her ☹ She’s now 15hh and I haven’t had her on the weigh bridge to know her exact weight to work out her max carrying capacity but even assuming she weighs 450kg (which is generous) carrying 15% is only 67.5kg. I know that if she’s to make it to FEI3* level, which is the goal, she’ll have to carry 75kg in the end but it would be nice at the start of her career if I can help her out with being lighter.

The challenge is I am 178cm (5’10) tall and so to weigh as light as I’d want to be is going to put me at the very bottom of the BMI scale and I know from past experience that being super light is not great for my immune system or my energy levels – and even more practically how much I feel the cold!

Anyway, I’m on a pretty intense diet schedule maximising my protein intake whilst ensuring I’m on a calorie deficit everyday. The goal is to lose 5kg in 8 weeks so that we are ready to start some consistent work in October.

I’ve probably waffled on long enough so I’ll wrap up the blog now. In short, Zest is my perfect child, Raine is an exciting prospect, Fern’s continues with her everlasting sick note and poor Chippy needs some extra support.

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