Mamma Said There'd Be Days Like This

We had a bit of a set back these past 5 weeks or so which was a bit of a bummer. Elvis needed to have his feet trimmed after we moved him but a new farrier got a bit over-zealous with his hoof knife and Elvis came up very foot sore the next day and stayed sore for just over 5 weeks. I had to keep a pair of Cavallo Simple boots on his front feet all the time just to keep him comfortable. And here's the problem. I was there, I told this guy not to take too much off, Elvis had enough problems with his hind end and I was willing to take a few trim cycles to get the angles right.

So what am I supposed to do? Call the guy and ask if he can come back and put all of those hoof trimmings back on? Sheesh. If anyone has any suggestions as to what a girl has to say to get her point across about her horse's feet, please let me know.

It was taking so long for Elvis to recover from this, I was starting to worry that his coffin bone had rotated or something crazier so I had the vet come out. She took x-rays which luckily showed that everything looked pretty good. She gave us some Equioxx pills to help with the inflammation and the pain. Here's a tip: these pills are for dogs but it's the same stuff and much cheaper than the paste!

Last week, a different farrier came out that did an incredible job correcting on one of Kim's horses so I had him take a look at Elvis. Steve took one look and quickly sorted out what needed to be done. He really took his time with Elvis and gave him a chance to rest his bad hind leg periodically. And he did a great job with Elvis' feet. I could tell the minute I walked him away. There was that familiar rhythm of his foot falls on the barn aisle and he kept it up as we walked outside, across the gravel drive and on to the grass. Yay!

So now we can finally get back to work and I got the go-ahead from my surgeon that I can get back in the saddle. It took me longer than I anticipated to get my strength back after my surgery. Power naps were an important part of my life for about 6 weeks. As my surgeon told me, there are only 5 small incisions on my stomach, but a lot happened underneath them. My body would let me know that on a regular basis...

I am so looking forward to sitting on Elvis again! It's been since late January since I've ridden him so I am keen to see how he feels. We'll start with long-reining again for a couple of weeks to get him back in shape and then put the saddle back on. Kim has also offered to let me get on some of her horses and hack them around the farm which will be a great way for me to get my riding legs back. I haven't sat on a Thoroughbred in a long time so it will be fun!

And, on Aug 28, Narelle Stubbs from the Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center will be coming to Leighton Farm for an interesting clinic. Narelle uses a physical therapist's approach to equine rehab and performance improvement. If you're interested in attending, go to www.leightonfarm.com and click on the events link for more details. I will post about how it went because of course Elvis will be one of the horses she will work on.