And So It Goes

Today marks one week since Gatsby's injury. Also the start of our first week of hand-walking. His leg still had a little bit of edema yesterday when I went out to ice so I am opting to give him today off and start hand-walking tomorrow. Probably didn't help that he came galloping over to see me when I got there yesterday:( Our vet said he would prefer for him to stay in turnout so he has room to move which I'm glad to do as he is SUPER miserable when boxed up but it does worry me that he won't let himself recover.

In other news, got a text yesterday that the TB I looked at at the track is still available. Trying to see if I can coordinate logistics to bring him home and get him gelded. Waiting to hear if I'll be able to vet him right now. I will keep you guys informed!

Puppy and husband are happy and healthy so that's wonderful. Still enjoying lots of love and snuggles from Gatsby.

xoxo,

Elena

Barn Mornings

Been spending all my mornings at the barn this week. As sad as it is to see Gatsby injured I have really enjoyed the quiet time with him to start my day off. He has been a dream and is so sweet and happy to see me in the mornings, he literally just wants to cuddle. Even when his bucket of grain is right in front of him.

We ice for two more days and then Monday we start hand walking. I always enjoy walks with him and I think this will be a good period for us to just connect and not worry about any goals or competitions, etc. The most important thing right now is the time we still get to spend together.

If any of you feel like following along with our morning adventures I usually post pictures on Instagram, username NauticalCowgirl. I will definitely continue with blogging as well but there probably won't be much to talk about for a while. You never know though!

Also, I am withdrawing from the 2-Point Challenge since I won't be riding for the remainder of October, we start tack walking the 2nd week of November. Good luck to everyone who is still in it!

xoxo,
Elena and Gatsby

Not the Best News...

Well, he looked way better this morning and I had my fingers crossed for a clean ultrasound but alas, it was not to be. He has a small tear in the superficial digital flexor tendon. Not the worst news we could have gotten but also not the best.

We will continue with icing and bute for a week and handwalking for three weeks and then gradually bring him back to work. Honestly, I am obviously very sad that he is hurt at all but at least it's going to be during the Winter when he wouldn't be able to run and play as much as he wants anyway.

I'm just so glad it's not any worse. Love that boy with all my heart.

xoxo,
Elena

More waiting

So our vet came out today and said (thank goodness) that he doesn't think it's a tendon injury! I wasn't there but was informed that Gatsby didn't seem very reactive to palpation. There is still a chance that it is a soft tissue injury though so we do need to ultrasound. Right now there is too much edema to get a good visual so we will be moving him to a smaller turnout and icing twice a day along with administrating bute and dex. Dr. Goss will be back Wednesday afternoon to ultrasound so keep your fingers crossed please!

Thank you all for your sweet messages on my last post. If there had to be just one reason to be glad I started blogging again it would be the sense of community and support from all of you.

I've also scratched from the Fresno HT. It's disappointing as we were on a great roll and I felt a good comeback in action but obviously something wasn't right. Luckily the season is winding down so we have plenty of time to put a plan together and get back in action for the spring!

xoxo,
Elena & Gatsby

The Waiting Game

This morning I got the dreaded phone call from my BM "I think Gatsby's done a tendon". She says he is off about 3 on a 1 to 5 scale and it is visible at the walk. I've gone through a few mood swings of bad to worse and back to bad. Our vet is coming out in about an hour so I will know more by the end of the day. We did some XC prep for the horse trials yesterday and the footing was a little hard. He also had a weird moment where he stumbled through a ditch instead of jumping it. Either one could have hurt him or it could have been something totally different. I will update as soon as I have more info.

I also went to look at that colt at the track last weekend. Super cute and such a sweetie but unfortunately someone else had already put down a deposit. They are going to call me if that falls through.

Not too worried about that at the moment, just want to make sure my main man is ok.

xoxo,
Elena

In other news...

I am seriously considering buying this horse http://www.equineracers.com/db/Classifieds_view.php?editid1=342.

I am totally not looking for a new horse right now but I was browsing CANTER CA (always) and stumbled upon him and fell in love. He's really young so my hope would be that (if I did end up buying him) I would just keep him in our pasture at home for a while, let him finish growing, do basic work with him and then move him to the barn in a few years and bring Gatsby home to chill out.

Who knows. Probably a stupid idea but I am obsessed and when I suggested it to George he said I should go for it. Hah! Best and worst answer.

My friend and I are probably going to go see him this weekend, I will let you know how it goes!

xoxo,
Elena

Prep, prep, prep

Well, as Fresno seems to be rapidly approaching I have to say, I am getting less and less nervous and more and more excited! I'm sure that will change at some point but right now I am just stoked to be able to compete with Gatsby again. That horse is such a beast on XC, it's a huge privilege to get around with him.

I really want to be competitive at this show and make my money well-spent, not going for blue or anything but I want to make sure we perform the best that we are capable of. In doing so I have managed to spend even more money by signing up for some extra lessons and a dressage schooling show as well as buying some new show gear. I have to say, I am more than incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful supportive husband who totally understands that this is my passion and is fine with the time and money I spend on it.

Last weekend we had a really good jump school, worked some more on a grid and then did a serpentine exercise. Gatsby is jumping really well and I am feeling more confident on him. That's not to say that we don't have our issues though! I definitely ride better in the grid than I do to single fences and we have a really tough time getting a good spot to an airy vertical. This weekend we are going to do some XC schooling and then next week we will work on some courses to prep for the show.

On Sunday we had a dressage lesson with Ludgar. I always love riding with him, he is just so in tune to Gatsby. Unfortunately his lessons are pretty pricey so they don't happen often. We ran through my test and he gave me some really good information to get the most out of Gatsby. He said for the trot I really need to keep him moving VERY forward or else he has a tendency to look like he is not moving over his back. Also with the lengthened canter on the circle, always tough, he suggested I ride as if there's a jump on the opposite side of the circle to make sure I really keep the impulsion, this helped loads! If I get him in front of my leg during the regular canter circle and then do this for the lengthening he is spectacular. Ludgar said that his canter work is just as good as any of the horses out there which really pleased me as I have done a lot lately to get that gait to where it is. Unfortunately the same is not true of his trot work, he does go nicely but there is always going to be those warmbloods that outshine him in that area. Because of this it is really important that I not leave any points on the table with our canter and also with geometry.

Overall I think things are definitely going in a good direction! This week has been really busy for me at work so I won't get a chance to ride until tomorrow. He lives outside 24/7 now so a few days off here and there doesn't effect him like it used to which is great. We'll do some more dressage schools and a probably a conditioning day as well as an XC schooling this week.Then next week we will school courses and we have the dressage schooling show on Sunday. Really hoping that helps out with both of our nerves heading to the sandbox at the event.

xoxo,

Elena