Three months on...

I have been a little poor updating my blogs recently as things have been very hectic with Christmas coming up and changing my job… but I promise to update this regularly in future as it would be nice to have something to look back on in the future.

I am actually on holiday at the moment, sunning myself on the beautiful island of Barbados… it is glorious sunshine, white sandy beaches and turquoise water; what more could you want!

Grace has been gradually improving, although we have had a huge milestone to contend with: mud rash! It suddenly flared up and got worse and worse in a very short space of time. The vets kept coming to look, putting her on antibiotics and still it would not go. We finally got a grip on it a few weeks ago and it has been gradually improving, although she had a small relapse this week while I have been away. I called the vet out from here because I know how quickly it can flare up, and they have taken a sample of scab (lovely!) to send to be cultured. If this does not show much up she will have to go into the vets and have a small biopsy of the leg it has affected the most to finally get to the bottom of what is going on!

Apart from her mud rash Grace and I have lots to tell you…

We have been hacking out with a friend of mine on her chestnut Thoroughbred (two gingers together) and so far Grace has behaved very well. She gets a bit worried by bigger vehicles such as coaches, skips and so on, but she tried plunging forwards and as soon as you put the pressure on she will stop and just shake while it goes past. This is just baby behaviour and the more she sees the better she will become.

We have also been doing a lot of work in the school on her balance. When she first came she found it difficult to canter (although not down the field squealing I may add) and her trot was very choppy and wobbly. But behind this you could see she had a natural ability for dressage. So we started from the very beginning once she had been rebacked and have worked our way up.

Grace is now working consistently well in trot and walk and I have started asking her for a more advanced outline which she is finding difficult but is doing with a lot of success. Her left bend is becoming much easier and elastic, but when I had the saddle fitter out she felt that she had a twinge in the right hand side of her back so the physio is booked for Monday morning when I get back!

Before I came away on holiday I was absolutely frantic trying to get organised for Christmas, so I have to admit the number of times rode diminished a little. However, my gorgeous husband said he would come and muck out on Christmas Eve so I could ride Grace one last time before I came away.

The saddle fitter also felt the dressage saddle I have been using is now too wide because Grace has lost a lot of weight and has a lot of muscle now to build up. She tried Hannah’s Albion SLK Ultima on her and it fitted perfectly, it just needed lifting a little at the wither. Until it was being stuffed (the lady was taking it away while I was on holiday) I used a front lifter polypad… What a difference!

Grace has always been on the forehand in the canter and it has been difficult to get her to stretch over her back. However on Christmas Eve she just glided, lifted her back and we were cantering the most beautiful canter. I just could not believe it… I cannot wait to get back and get back on!

I will get Andrew to take some photographs over the next few weeks and show you how much she has changed in the past three months. I look back at the photographs of her when she first came and she now looks like a different horse. She is fit, starting to tone up and looking much finer in her build.

Grace and I were booked in on the Spencer Wilton lessons at Arkenfield this month, but as luck has it they are while I am still away. So I’ll have to wait until next month now which is a shame. I am also planning on getting involved the Northern Dressage Group when I get home as they hold a lot of clinics that would be fantastic for a young horse. We should be looking to do our first few Prelims in the next few months, but I have a feeling she will move up to Novice quite quickly!