Just when you think you have it all sorted.........

Well it has been an eventful couple of weeks and to be honest a bit of a roller coaster..........

Arabella the week before she got ill

Arabella was looking fighting fit and on top form until last Monday. Then she seemed a bit flat when I rode her and sweated up quite a bit, on taking her temperature it was slightly raised, by Tuesday she wasn't eating and her temperature was spiking, her respiratory rate was up and she appeared to be colicking, so the vet came out immediately. He put her on a drug to reduce her temperature and took some bloods. It showed she had a systemic infection but no idea where it was coming from. The vet came back and gave her IV antibiotics that night and we continued then IM for the next couple of days but she need to stay on the Fentamine to keep her temperature down. By Thursday she wasn't any better, her temp spiked again and they took her in to hospital with suspected Peritonitis. The first peritoneal tap was inconclusive and scan was clear, the 2nd one showed slightly raised levels, so they added in another antibiotic and treated her for that. Her second blood count showed no response and the inflammatory markers were still high. Vets were baffled. (In the meantime we were taking the temperatures and checking respiratory rates of the other horses to check they are all still well, they were). A week later since it started and she is still in hospital, but they might have got to the bottom of it. Last night a lump came up on her flank, they scanned the area and found a small pocket of fluid consistent with an abscess, really deep down. So fingers crossed.

Hector warming up beautifully!

Hector has been jumping out of his socks and his flat work at home has been fantastic. On Saturday I took him to Twesledown, he got so many compliments. He warmed up beautifully for the dressage but unfortunately decided to throw in the towel for the actual test. I think he heard the xc and thought he should be doing that as he actually tried to bolt off during his test. Hey ho not too worried about that becuase he can do a fantastic test, he will settle as he does more events. Then it was time for the showjumping. This has always been a challenge for Hector but he jumped such a beautiful clear round, he really has the hang of it now.He was a bit green xc, but nether the less did everything asked of him and we got another clear. Can't wait to take him to Borde Hill on Sunday.

Boo in her second ever test.

On Sunday we took Boo to her first ever one day event in Pachesham. It was her second ever dressage test. She literally turned heads and loved the attention! She is becoming more and more chilled and relaxing a lot more in her test, although she can still be sharp, I need to keep my wits about me. She was so well behaved in the lorry. She did a great round of show jumping, it was a very very spooky course and we had one refusal but she went over it second time. We pulled out of the cross country after walking it as the ground was shocking.

Bit of medium trot!

On Monday it was Danny's turn, we were moving up a notch and it was time to do our first ever intermediate dressage and jumping test as a combination. Shaun Lawson, Grandad and our  friend (and my boss) Carolyn Gorman came to watch. Sometimes everything just comes together at the right time and he did the most incredible dressage, in fact it is the best score he has ever got in his life. 26.8, such a clever boy. On to the showjumping, he had a blinding round, it was a full up intermediate course and tight in places, he flew it, we just knocked a plank but I was so pleased. In the pictures he makes the jumps look so small. Confidence riding high and one of the leaders after showjumping we went into the cross country. At the 5th jump disaster struck. It wasn't a difficult combination, 4 strides which we met but he somehow missed the jump and clonked it full force. I felt immediately there was something wrong and pulled him up. When we got back to the lorry, we iced it, pumped him full of arnica and put arnica gel on. When we arrived back home he was hosed again, we used laser therapy and gave him some bute. I hosed him again late evening and repeated late afternoons process in the morning. I have everything crossed it is just badly bruised but as I write this we have just seen the vet, he has been booked in for xrays tomorrow.

Jake and me at Badminton Grassroots

Then to top it all Mum had a call from the people that have her Jake (aged 23) on loan to say he hasn't been right, the vet has seen him and they think he has some internal tumours so Mum wants him home so she can care for him, he is our horse of a life time, he gave me the best start in British Eventing, took me to Badminton Grassroots and the least we can do is give him the very best of care in his twilight years.