Worst Blogger Ever

Seriously! Even my return to blogging is failing. You guys will have to be patient with me...maybe eventually I will get back to multiple posts per week but for now every once in a while is gonna have to cut it.

I think I mentioned in my last post that we have been thinking about injections for Gats recently as he is now 16 (holy crap) and experiencing a bit of stiffness. He is never off and always works out of it but I do want him to be as comfortable as possible. Well, last week the vet came out and trotted, flexed him etc....Verdict: On a scale of 1-4 he is maybe a 1.5 so NO injections!!! I am super pleased with this as well as with the fact that my vet commented on how fit and healthy he looks. We did decide to move forward with an injectable supplement and will be starting him on Adequan as soon as it's back on the market.

Gats has had a couple easy weeks as I went to England to visit the in-laws and go to my brother-in-laws wedding. Super fun, amazing time. Hopefully pics will be up soon and I can share some!

Now I am working on healing myself:( I have an old shoulder injury that has been acting up lately so I am doing physical therapy twice a week and going in for a cortisone injection on Tuesday. With all that going on I am planning on ramping up to our normal workload a little slower than usual after a vacay. After all, we do have until November for Galway! And, before vacay, vet, shoulder, etc. we took Gats out on our little XC field to play and he was super fantastic so I am feeling good about being ready for an event.

xoxo,
Elena & Gatsby

Summer Lulls

Unfortunately it looks as though I picked a bad time to return to blogging as not much has happened in the last week. Work got crazy busy and I got a little sick so Gatsby got a few more days off than usual.

Let's see...we had a lesson with Terri on Saturday which I was very happy with. As he has aged over the last few years Gatsby has developed some stiffness which he usually works out of but is getting to the point where it needs to be proactively taken care of and I am deliberating about hock injections. I personally don't think he needs them quite yet so I want to see what other options we have before we go down that route. I recently put him on Cosequin ASU which I am loving but I think he still needs a little something to go along with that. So the goal of the lesson was really to discuss our options with Terri, have her watch him go and then have her get on him and see what she thinks. All in all I was happy with what we came up with, although she did seem to enjoy riding him so much that she took up most of the lesson:) We decided to start with an inject-able supplement, she recommended Pentaussie which, from what I can see, is similar to Pentosan, so we will be having the vet out soon to get a scrip! We both agreed that hock injections are in Gatsby's future but that he doesn't need them right away. It's his right hock that seems a little stiff but, like I said, he always works through it and never seems to be in any sort of pain. She also mentioned that (while I was riding him) he was MUCH straighter that he was the last time she saw us. I was really pleased to hear that as we have been working really hard on straightness. However, when she got on him she commented that it was difficult to get him straight...perhaps a case of "You're not my mother" Syndrome?? Gats has been known to not give his all for anyone but me (this has been noticed by pretty much anyone whose ever trained or ridden him).

After that was when work got busy and I started not feeling well so Gats ended up with Sunday and Monday off and just a quick lunge before work on Tuesday. I rode yesterday after work but didn't have a ton of time and still wasn't feeling 100% so it was just a lot of leg yields and stretchiness, trying to get us both back into the idea of doing some real work.

Today I won't be riding as I am going to get a tattoo(!!!) after work but I am hoping to do a little dressage school tomorrow and then a jump lesson and conditioning ride this weekend.

Xoxo,

Elena & Gatsby