Is it just me or did the temperature just suddenly drop one day and just never rise again?! Welcome to autumn I guess 🙂

Poor Gerry is still lame. That’s been 17 weeks now since he did his check ligament, and 28 weeks since he went off initially. That’s more than half of 2019 now that he’s been out of work injured! Boy, what a long slog its been. He did seem to have been improving until a couple of different horses joined the herd and they clearly all had a run about, from that day he went back onto box rest. I didn’t know the horses were joining the herd, or I probably would have taken Gerry out of the field to avoid any (predictable!) antics, but never mind. He spent another 6 days inside on 2 danilon a day, and he did come sound. Once off the danilon he went back out and did remain sound for a further 6 days. Sadly, as usual it was too good to be true, soundness ending promptly as soon as another new horse joined the herd, even though I had made every effort to keep him away from the shenanigans. I was at the yard 9 times over the course of that Friday – Sunday period, bringing him in when I thought the new horse was going to join the herd then putting him out again when that never materialised. Finally, it joined the herd and after it’d had a few hours to socialise with the other geldings and they could have their run around, Gerry re-joined the herd and there were no further antics while I was present. But – the next day, down the field he came when I called, hobbling along again. It’s the head nod that gives it away first. That was a sad moment, there have been many of those this year, ha! He’d also pulled a nail out of his shoe and was standing on it… just to make things a little worse. People laugh that I turn him out with 4 overreach boots on – but he just constantly stands on his own hooves! You wouldn’t believe unless you’d seen what he’s like! Circus pony to be sure.

So, I’ve got him booked into the vet hospital for another lameness work up. He’ll go in on the 1^st November and hopefully we will get some answers, surely this cant just be his check ligament, there must be something else going on. There were questions raised around a splint that he has on the same leg, and whether it might be encroaching onto his suspensory ligament. But I guess it’s a bit of a waiting/guessing game until then. The vets were happy for him to stay out in the field, so he is happy and I’m a little less worried when he’s in the field as opposed to when he’s stuck in his stable, so for the moment all is calm.

One very exciting thing to happen this month was that we collected some awards from our side saddle association area AGM! Gerry and I took home the award for the most senior equitation points, best newcomer and we also took reserve champion overall! We were awarded a lovely sash and some stunning trophies. Thankfully we had built up enough points cracking on at the beginning of the year to still do well enough to win these trophies, its amazing, all those winter dressage outings in the side saddle paid off! I had been competing in the Side Saddle Associations performance points awards too for the first time, so had been working hard gaining points towards that, but there’s always next year! I just want Gerry to be fit & sound again! Fingers crossed.

Team Honeychop I’m coming for you! Counting down the days now until my trip south to Suffolk to catch up with the team at Honeychop HQ, then we’ll make the trip over to Your Horse LIVE. It’s a great show, amazing for Christmas shopping! Honestly if you need to buy anything for yourself or your horse this winter – you need to get down to Your Horse LIVE! We will see you there, our stand will be packed with samples, leaflets, money off vouchers and great advice…I’m secretly hoping we’re beside the chocolate fountain stand again – but my waistline’s not with me on that one! Keep an eye on our social media pages to find out where the stand is and what we’re up to – we’ll be running giveaways, so you want to keep in the know!

As Gerry is getting a little older now and I’m aware of his arthritis, I’ve changed him over onto the Honeychop senior. Honeychop Senior is the perfect fibre choice for your veteran. It is a blend of chopped oat straw with added alfalfa, mint, oil and a very low sugar dressing. The perfect fibre feed for the older horse, or pony. It is made with only the finest ingredients which all have known benefits to older horses and ponies. Being a short chop, it decreases the need to rely so much on the teeth for cutting, which is great for those who suffer from poor oral health. Alfalfa is higher in protein than grass and hay, making it ideal to improve condition. It is also a rich source of calcium and has a higher overall vitamin content than regular grass or hay. The inclusion of oil helps horses and ponies maintain strong hooves, glossy coats and better all-round condition. It is a great source of natural Omega 3 and an important aid to digestion. It is also known to have beneficial effects for horses with stiff joints, which is really what Gerry needs help with! Mint is germicidal and a breath freshener. It takes care of oral health by inhibiting harmful bacterial growth inside the mouth by cleaning the tongue and teeth. Mint is also a good digestive aid and an excellent appetiser making it very appealing to fussy feeders. Honeychop Senior also contains limestone flour, which is a calcium supplement for horses and vital for healthy growth, strong bones, teeth and hooves. He seems to be enjoying his Honeychop senior so far ..and who doesn’t love pink packaging!! 😊

So I guess there’s a few things to be looking forward to, getting some answers for Gerry, my trip down south and well.. lets be honest, its nearly time to start getting excited about Christmas!! 😉

Until next time,

Grace & Gerry x