Remi profile pictures

Remi - 30th November

These pictures represent progress in him building up muscle over his loins / SI area, from whatever injury he did to this area in September / October. I hope that he will keep building up more muscle, but am pleased he seems to be going in the right direction and getting stronger, and is generally back to being relaxed and happy.

 

Beautiful boy :-)

Ponies, lessons, haylage . . .

Saturday

farrier for both

Mac

Normal shoes not eponas in front as needs better grip in mud. Hinds back on as wearing them wonky (hinds high inside wearing outside). Farrier said strong feet - coping barefoot, but the wonkiness is a problem so needs shoes back on. Now I know I could get boots, boot him to reduce wear, etc, and keep trying, but with the winter sporadic hacking, etc. I chose not to.

Remi

Eponas back on (I wanted normal shoes as better grip in mud - but he has bruising still coming out of right fore) and eponas will protect him. Normal behind as before. Said has grown lots of foot. Said is growing inside foot but not outside foot. Says has slightly over corrected this by trimming more so is more normal over course next 5 weeks. Was a bit - how does that fit with vet saying do bare minimum and leave alone, but equally can see farriers logic in the balancing he is doing. I dont have the brain power . . .

Had nice long sunny hack with new sharer N who seems very nice. Had too laugh, she sat very nicely on Remi - but didnt seem very in charge of him (Remi has slightly learnt that I let him go when his feet feel good and when he wants to go). He is very stoppable but does try his luck occasionally which is my fault really for teaching him this. I have had to say to both sharers - only let him canter WHEN you tell him. TELL him no. And he is then fine. My fault for hacking him alone lots and being a speed freak!

Back and N helped me move lots of pallets for hay delivery.

Made hay bags, tidied up stables, put up water bucket holders, manger holder, rug rack, plaque outside Mac's stable

Sunday

Good lessons

Me on Mac. Working on M61 - sitting trot - dont grip with legs Mac hates it. And the trot IS more forward than I think it is. Insist on right bend but dont hang on to rein, ask release, repeat. Need outside left to stop him falling. Soften my right shoulder - sink it to seatbone (both reins, makes big difference). Carry hands and imagine balancing drinks in them.

Funny bit - on circle preparing for canter HP in corner. Trainer says more jump, more canter, imagine you are building canter to go over big fence. Mac leapt in the air, shook his head between his knees and did a series of plunges with very expressive front leg flinging. Me shouting at him "MACKINGTOSH - BEHAVE" and he subsides. Horse lunging leaps too, and Jo stops warming Remi up. Jn stiches as she says she thinks he refused the fence. I pick canter back up and carry on. Not entirely sure what that was about - me driving too hard and asking for more. Something he saw? Joys of winter? He did a funny warming up - he tripped and used it as an excuse to speed off. He mostly worked really well and tried really hard, so bit out of the blue. He carried on, did another right canter half pass, three on the left and finished, quite happy.

We are still a long way off being credible at M61, however when is good, is really good. Just such a lot to remember and it comes up fast. However, it will be good for us, and give us new challenges.

J had her first lesson Remi. She is crooked opposite way to me - which is fab She and Remi are generally a good pari. They had fun, more lessons planned, all good. I came in at end and Remi was all inflated in a good way, and looking very pleased with himself. So fab

Monday
Remi had second (final) steriod injection. Who knew his skin and muscle was so tough and the needle was so thick. However we achieved it, and he was angelic. Mac got schooled.

Tuesday morning, I put extra liners on ponies and gave them an extra large breakfast. Then scrubbed out water trough in winter field. Day off for both horses.

Have 30 small haylage bales stacked on pallets at top new winter field. Have agreed to buy a small daily amount from yard big bale for stabling / travelling. So hopefully no more battling with wheelbarrowing hay through mud.

new small bale haylage is:

8.9% protein (compared to 5-7% old stuff)
5.7% sugar (compared to 7-8-9%)
dry matter 65% (compared to 60%)
DE 9.1 (compared to 8.3)

Made from meadow grass (not rye which other was based on)

So hopefully will be better value, easier to handle, Remi wont be a bit runny behind, and I wont need to supplement as much extra protein in their diet.

Fingers firmly crossed.Will see how new haylage goes, how long 30 bales last. Am thinking I need to get it analysed from a point of view of copper / zinc / selenium, but will see if can make it last long enough to be cost effective.

Remi update

He seems to really like the Eponas. He initially still stuck to soft verges like he had a memory of sore feet, and now is confidently striding out.

He is sound and building muscle back up, am just taking each day as it comes at the moment.

He has got a lot more spark. He is looking happy. Despite the muddy fields and driving wind and rain. I think he was flat most of September and October.

Interestingly his front leg and shoulder movement has really improved with shoes back on, as has his hind leg action, but the front was always were problems showed up barefoot. Now he is about 80% as good as he was behind, and 120% in front if that makes any sense. And the behind I think will come, and is a reflection of the lack of quarters and SI area muscle. Which is what needs building up.

Farrier is due on Saturday. Am thinking will probably put normal shoes on in front as the Eponas are a bit more slippery in the mud and lack toe clips. And our fields are like bogs. And I think most of the soreness / bruising in front has come out, so normal should be okay. He seems to be coping re thrush and mudfever though (famous last words). Holding weight after being clipped and gaining a bit more power behind and movement generally.

And he is building good relationship with his new sharer. She is mainly interested in gently playing in the school and building the work up together as they gain fitness, having odd lesson on him, and quietly hacking him. I think they are going to be a good team.

Is still early days (he tucked up on Saturday being left out alone, in dark and mud, with fireworks starting – owing to a communication failure, and no one noticing him).

Overall he is looking more solid, and less up and down, and much cheekier and happier. Which seems to be the right thing at the moment.

I am hoping to start doing more muscle building stuff with him now he is stronger – gallops / hill work / raised pole work etc.

Havent ruled out needing to medicate his SI but hoping we wont need to.

 

Mac on the other hand seems to be doing well with his hinds off. Feet have opened and frogs are bigger.

Ponies clipped and shiny

Ponies clipped and shiny

Starting at 6.30am, D clipped them before work. They were both angels to clip. Mac likes being clipped nearly as much as Remi. They were so good – standing peacefully.

Both boys are sporting very smart blanket clips and look gorgeous. Got hot clothed, and look beautiful.

Mac got lunged whilst Remi was being clipped and he was not bothered by his exposed areas (saving his expressiveness for the windy warm up arena tomorrow. Both have gone back out in their Red PE trios with necks,and with 100gm liners underneath.

Strangely they aren't eating as much haylage all of a sudden, had loadsleft this morning, and where half way up hill under tree when I arrived with wheelbarrow of more, and not interested. Odd have been "starving" for haylage since mid September and now aren't as bothered.

Have 16.00pm dressage time tomorrow – hope can find lorry internal and external lights!! Hate driving in dark, my night vision isn't good.

Taken tack home to clean tonight.

Maiden lorry trip

Saturday Remi had his first steriod injection to help him build up muscle. Vet said his back and quarter muscles still looking v soft and loose :-)

E and I took ponies to Godstone sand tracks, as first lorry outing in new lorry. It was also Remi’s first lorry outing since end of August. I had a practise drive first in the morning. The gears, clutch and turbo are going to take some getting used to. Reverse is where I normally expect first to be, and there is no lift / press down, just goes straight in!

 

 

 

 

Both ponies very good. Remi was a bit worried about lorry, but was he polite. We had nice hack doing two laps of the route. Remi felt good, and showed his big trot at time (Mac cantering to keep up). Bit wet and slippy in places. Sadly heavens opened and got very wet on second lap. Was some very quick packing up and reloading!

Both ponies got a bit warm on way back. E kindly put wicking rugs on both, and gave them a towel rub down, whilst I reverse parked lorry etc. It is a fab little lorry to use. V compact, very well designed, lots of space for two horses, and 2.5 tonnes of payload for horses, people and stuff. :-)

 

Both ponies skipped off in field, and both had a good roll. Only Remi is caught on camera.

 

 

There is more grass in the field from the rain and wet weather, but ponies are much more interested in haylage. Here they are hoping for some dinner on Sunday (which was a day off for both, and for me! And E was on feeding duty).

 

 

Hoping to carefully up Remi’s work again and build some more supportive muscle over his back and loins and SI area. He seems to be steadily improving and already looks a lot stronger over his back. Fingers crossed.