So, the time came around for Bob’s tooth removal, and the days leading up to it, I was a bag of nerves for him. I made sure I squeezed in every ride I could, knowing he will be out of work for two to three or even four weeks. To my surprise, the morning of the operation it was very dark as we were leaving early for the journey, but Bob had no hesitation on loading into the horsebox. As it was so dark, I kept the light on to help reassure him and allowed for us to see him on the camera. He travelled brilliantly and we arrived earlier than expected and to my amazement, he happily stood on the box with me sitting in the back with him. He had a listen when some horses were led by but never once freaked - he just peeped out the window at them. When the vet nurse arrived, we unloaded him and put him in one of the day stables and again, he was lovely and calm which I didn’t expect. The girls in the reception were fabulous, making us hot drinks and providing lots of biscuits whilst we awaited the vet arrival.
Not long after, we went for a wander as Bob was being prepped and taken straight in for the procedure, so I had to be distracted. My vets are located on an equestrian complex that holds a lot of shows, so we had the chance to have a look around the arenas, including the newly built outdoor and seating area which looked amazing! I cannot wait to get Bo there to compete. The next couple of hours were spent doing puzzle books in the horse box until the vet came out to talk about the procedure, and as soon as I could see Bob, I was at his stable in a flash. I was advised he reacted to the anaesthetic that only two out of ten horses experience, where it caused a very droopy eye (which did look a bit gross) but I was given eye drops for him and within 24 hours it was back to normal. They managed to get the tooth out and pack the hole with swabs, and other than the droopy eye he seemed happy. On arrival at home the sedation had worn off and he had some grass and a nice bowl of mash as he had to be on soft food for a while. I was shocked at how ‘normal’ he seemed but think it must have been the painkillers! The vets advised me to keep an eye out for colic signs as he had been sedated for a few hours, so I made sure he had a good intake of fluids from a few more mashes. It was a long day starting around 3.30 am for me as I had a bad shoulder that woke me up, then got home at 6 pm only to go back to the yard and check him and give him another mash around 7.30 pm. He needed to have antibiotics twice a day and it was the same foul liquid Aria had last year which she wouldn’t eat so I was given a syringe to get it in his mouth – the first few times he wasn’t great either spitting it out or moving his head, so it shot past him, but by day three he accepted that it was being done. He had a vet check-up at the end of the week to see how the wound was healing and the vet was pleased, he’s got his second one later this week which will be a bit more intense as they want to do a thorough check as it will have been over a week. He seems fine in himself and is eating normally, even back to eating soaked hay which is great, so fingers crossed he’s on the mend!
While Bob’s out of action the girls are taking up the work with me riding and lunging Autumn and working with Aria. Aria had her first lesson with my instructor last week, and she finally got to see what I meant by Aria’s attitude. The session was spent with Aria tacked up (which I had zero issues doing – a major achievement!) and lunging her. We had a few explosive moments and a bit of rushing around but surprisingly as the session progressed Aria did get better and remembered what I taught her. We were given homework to get her working around the arena on the lunge calmly with no explosive behaviour and make sure she was listening to me before the next session where I hopefully get aboard. The practice is going well, she’s better each time so fingers crossed it won't be long till we have some ridden lessons
We have also been hard at work reseeding and muck spreading on one of the summer paddocks for next year – we bought some old chain harrows and got to try them out. All I can say is I love them, done the field so quickly and spread the muck brilliantly – one field down and one to go next week! (and yes, I have had to supply the other half with countless cakes and biscuits for his assistance)!
With things getting off to a rocky start – I think I read this is the worst rainfall in over 50 years! – what better pick-me-up than the “Fred & Rowena Cook: A Life After Racing” rehoming service contacting me about the most precious four-year-old gelding, who was looking for a new home straight from the British Racing School (BRS)?
The trio have been keeping me busy these past few weeks: Freya has had a saddle fitting, Bob’s had a lesson and Autumn’s been out with a new friend exploring lanes not too far from our yard.
Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) usually gets her summer coat quite early compared to other horses and ponies, but this year she has been holding onto hers for a lot longer.
Is it spring yet? It’s been teasing us the last few days, going from a few dry days when I could walk across most of the field and it felt like spring, to heavy downpours, including hail, which reverted the field back to a quagmire. I didn’t let it put me off too much, though, and I’ve now managed to get all three horses back into work! Eek!