Well, Milly is due to go to Oakham for her laser hobday and tie back operation.  It was a hard decision given her age, my new daughter and the cost.  Whilst although she is insured, 10 years ago £1500 for vets fees had more "buying power" than it does now.  When I realised this a few years ago and tried to up the value, the insurance company were not helpful and questioned my reasons!!  So thats a lesson learned!  Update your insurance regularly and check that  you have the right level of cover!

The endoscope was pretty obvious and there is no doubt that Milly has grade 3/4 paralysis, even I could see that.  We decided that although she is 17, I have at least 6 more years (based on family tree) and would never be happy just plodding or hacking about and neither would Milly.  I tested this theory and she had a lovely time in the woods, trying to audition for the spanish riding school!  I rode her home on the road because she is usually a tiny bit better behaved on the road but we HAD to trot so she roared all the way back.  Surgery is the best option all round, as although I am now a mummy, my daughter will be less and less dependant on me as time goes on allowing me to make more time for riding and Milly is not really ready for retirement.  So I will aim for the super star trainer's clinic in the new year to get her fit for.

My daughter is now 11 weeks old and is extremely strong.  Yesterday, everytime I put her on her front for tummy time she rolled onto her back!  My husband tried this morning and she was very happy to stay there and play with her toys(well he bounced them about in front of her rattleing or squeeking!).  I think we have alittle bruiser in the making as she has already kicked the dog, not that the dog noticed!

Well, sometimes things don't go according to plan!  I have managed to start riding Milly after giving birth to Jocelyn and other than being a tiny bit sore in the legs, I have had no issues.  My sharer is a lovely rider but doesn't quite give Milly the work out she needs, because she does need much more leg than you would imagine for TB!  Anyway, I have been working her quite hard, and she has been giving me everything I asked for, bit rusty on the downwards transistions but the walk to canter is perfect strangly!!  So working on those and she was doing well, until one hot sunny day.  I was finding her hard work, no impulsion, lazy to the leg but it was hot and she was changing her coat so the next time I rode I tried my spurs, just to sharpen her up a little (I certainly don't go around jabbing her with them before anyone gets concerned!) and help her understand what I wanted.  She was just the same, lethergic and lack luster.  Towards the end of a very sweaty ride (I was working quite hard!) she started to make this heavy breathing sound which stopped when she rested a little.  Strange, I thought.  So I tried riding differantly the next day, still this noise.....

Jocelyn was born on the 2nd of August weighing 7lbs 15oz and is already very long!  Managed to ride a few times since giving birth.  Milly feels great apart from dodgy downward transitions so now have to remember how to teach those again!  Probably muscle wastage, although her airs above ground are just the same!!  Back to balancing motherhood and horses!

Well other than all the snow over Christmas, which put an end to all my dressage training/dreams, I am now 5 months pregnant and completly unable to ride at all!!  Milly was quite depressed, because she likes being worked but with the warmer weather and being used for the odd lesson in the riding school she has perked up a bit.  Lunging wasn't really doing it for either of us!!  With all the other things that go on during a pregnancy, like the repeated stabbings from the midwife(do they really need all that blood!?) and coming to terms with the changes in my body (who would have thought collected canter would hurt so much!), it seemed sensible to stop. 

Milly was picking up on my nerves out hacking and was turning into a whirling dervish, whilst the traffic is not too frequent here, they are not exactly slow on these country lanes!  So I schooled for a bit but she is so easy, light and well schooled (if I do say so myself!) that it was getting a bit tedious and anything more advanced was uncomfortable for my already over stretched abs.  On the up side my baby is so far healthy and Milly is getting to do some jumping, which we had been avoiding.  So roll on August and eviction day, then back into the saddle as soon as possible!

My friend suggested that I might like to try out her double bridle and improve on my recent success with my dressage.  I have to say that although the bits were too big (so we know to buy a 5" weymouth now!), Milly went brilliantly!!  She didn't mind the curb chain, which she is not usually too fond of with her showing pelham and seemed happy enough to do all the things I wanted without too much hassle in a single jointed snaffle.  So impressed was I that I have started bidding on a suitable weymouth and bradoon on ebay this very momment.  Whilst a pelham is acceptable for showing, the differance I have experienced with Milly in a double really marks the pelham out as the weymouth's poor relation and you are much better with a double reguardless of any paranoia or snobby you might feel or be inflicted on you! 

On that subject, I know that saying you do dressage is tatamount to declaring your father landed and titled and I used to cringe at my non-horsey husband answering that question for me when I hesitated, but it really isn't.  If dressage is what you enjoy then just get on with it and forget the inverted snobs who wish to label you as "getting above yourself", just because their milk cart pony needs three goes to get the correct canter lead.  A little effort, and any horse and rider can compete in dressage, it doesn't take that much, although teaching walk-canter is exciting on an ex-racehorse, it can still be done to some level of control.  So perhapes the equestrian community just needs a little more self-confidence and less of the very British back stabbing of anyone who has acheived something.

Still practising medium trot, not sure I am really getting it at the momment think I will get some help!!  Although she is willing and able to do pretty much everything else I ask her to!  Doesn't hurt that she is being ridden for nearly an hour a day in the school.  Got someone else to hop on so I could see what she was doing / looked like and she has a massive stride for such a small horse!!  There is no pretty mincing, just very active legs and actually very good paces, just wish she didn't look so awful under saddle!  Think she is getting bored with medium trot so tried sitting a collected trot which was fairly successful but didn't help with lengthening!

Probably doesn't help that Milly's shoe is loose, although not as loose as it could be, formaldehyde and hoof disinfectant are doing a wonderfull job!  Bought some Biotin to try and get her foot to grow a little quicker, might improve the horn but unlikely as it never has before!  I can date her foot because of a ridge that appeared, so i know that the foot her shoe is in contact with is 2 years old!!  How bad is that!?  Someone on the yard said "So the slowest part of a racehorse is the rate it feet grow!", sadly they are correct!!  Hey ho back to the drawing board, there are some local dressage bods with clinics coming up, must have a try at one of those perhapes?

Finally and after much research I have finally managed to get Milly to do both collected and medium trot!!  She has finally got the idea!!  So pleased!  Obviously I have acheived this two days running because lets be honest, flukes are common with thoroughbreds, so I am only mentioning this now because it has actually been established.  I have never seen Milly with a bigger bottom, this dressage lark is certainly paying off in terms of her muscular developement.  Still nothing actually behind the saddle but to be perfectly honest she has such a long back, you would never notice the muscle mass increasing there anyway.  Too much room to spread out! 

Next dressage competition on the 31st of October, so plenty of time to practise and build ourselves up to better transitions into and out of the medium.  Time to choose which test we actually want to do and if a double is appropriate at this stage, I think not but always worth considering the next steps.  Just have to hope that her feet don't let us down, think it is time to start Biotin again as these shoes are already clinging to life.  The formaldehyde has not prevented the rot this time, and it must be stopped.  Back to the drawing board!  Bloody horses!!

Yesterday's show was great!  Milly was a star and my wonderful husband managed to read all my tests for me!  So very proud of them both!  The only down side was Milly was not in season when we put her on the lorry but she was raging when we got her off.  She seems to enjoy flirting with Herman who belongs to my friend Sarah and he is a bit clingy so they never seem to settle when we go anywhere together!  Both of us managed to get them to calm a little and got some decent work out of them to start with.  Milly was still being a bit silly after the novice 28 test so I did loads of trot/canter transitions on a circle and that seemed to get her attention for her to complete the Elementary test in some style and get 65%!  Admitedly it was marked high because it is a Have a Go show but still the judge was very impressed with her and suggested we should do some more dressage, hinting at affliation which my friend has already suggested.  We shall see..

However, this morning my legs and arms hurt, especially with the lorry's new clutch but as I was so tired yesterday I have slept very well!!  Milly was quite bright this morning and tried to drag me to the field down the yard, she will be having the day off for certain!

Well, Milly is plaited up, clean (for now!) and I have done my tack and my husband has polished my boots (bless!) so I think baring all other things outside of my control, we are ready!  HaveAGo dressage tomorrow and our first elementary, hopefully all will go well!  Bit nervious but putting the lack of sleep down to the heating spontaineously coming on in the night and boiling us in bed, just that annoying time of year, do you put in on or not?!  Anyway, my husband, who is now my dressage armchair expert, says we have been getting better and better each time her has come up to help so doesn't think it will be a disaster tomorrow.  Our walk to canter is, I have to say something to be proud of.  Returning to working canter after the medium is still a potential source of concern and so I must control the lengthening and bring the canter back under control firmly!!  Hopefully some pictures but we shall see!  Off to bed!

My fantastic husband offered to come and help me with my dressage tests for the HaveAGo Show Sunday the 5th, so on monday we went through them all (doing prelim 4, Novice 28, Elementary 42) and Milly was great.  He then said I can some up again if you like!!  So he helped me again today and has promised to come up on friday!  How lucky is that!  It does just mean that when i do my medium steps if he can see a differance he says so and I know I have suceeded as the school has no mirrors.  I think I might have cracked the lengthening, well enough for sunday anyway!!

Today Milly was brilliant, having my husband about has helped no end, so I am more relaxed and riding much better, therefore Milly is going brilliantly!!  Her lateral work is always our warm up of choice and the circle shortening and lengthening is working a treat.  She even did walk to canter straight away and was so surprized she nearly broke back to trot!  Poor horse is absolutly shattered when we finish!  I think it is time to do quite a bit more work to get her a tiny bit fitter, not that we have ever had to worry before but she is obviously feeling the effects of shorter hacks and fewer hills!  Will have a good long hack tomorrow with lots of walk and canters when I can, which might tire her out physically will help refresh her brain after being in the school so much recently.  My friends suggested that I did the elementary test first to get it out of the way but Milly needs to be quite heavily worked in before I attempt it as she is a smidge too opinionated when I first get on.  Great idea but doesn't work for Mills.

Today has been a good day for Milly and I!  After Mondays rain off, we were able to get back in the school tuesday and all that hard work sunday paid off.  We managed trot-halt and halt-trot transisions which were actually passable, our walk to canter was pretty good to!  I was very pleased with her, especially when she did a lovely canter to trot in an outline without loosing her balance!  She then did pretty much the same level of work today, although we focused on lateral work in trot and canter together with lengthening and shortening on the left leg in canter.  I think aiming for elementary has given us a new goal, which by working at a higher level means she has improved massivly so I am extremely pleased with her!  Thoroughbreds, particularly raced ones struggle with downwards transisions because it is, to them, a retrograde step.  Milly in particular struggles with waiting for cars and at junctions, I have never been able to "coffee house" as my friend puts it, she can only be stationary for 5 seconds before she looses her temper!  Backwards is going to be a nightmare!!

Don't know how long she will be rug less overnight but it has been very chilly, so the fleece might be on in a few weeks. Unless of course, it does what it did last year and get hotter again just as I am growing her winter coat (because I love clipping!).  Must send my blades off to be sharpened ready!  Might even do her feathers this year, don't know what she will be like, probably fine but you never know!

Saturday is Milly's day off, so back to work today!  Rode in the school in our dressage gear because it helps me get a better position and snaffles are dressage legal.  Rode Milly very hard, think I got some good work out of her but she was trying to savage our school companion Herman whenever possible!  Which is a bit much for the poor boy as she tried to rape him when she was last in season!!  But we got a lovely collected canter on the right rein but too distracted on the left, will carry on tomorrow with that one! 

Decided to have a go at an elementary test for our next competition, whilst we are no where near ready, working towards one will hopefully help with our novice scores and help Milly get the engagement she needs for more direct transitions, without my interferance!  Must get to grips with the left rein asap but my ankle hurts so much when i do but there is really nothing for it, I must try harder!  Gave Milly a wash today after she sweated up so much, so she was pristine going out to the field, obviously not now but we are on sandy soil so a quick brush and she will be clean again.  Wish I could say the same for the poo stains but you can't have everything, so I make sure all my rugs are a nice brown colour!

Her hind fetlock was completely normal this morning, so her leg is absolutly fine again.  I have been riding her in boots to try and protect that bit of her leg, especially since I won some NEW fleece lined boots on ebay.  They were supposed to be for her fronts but even as a medium they are too big but they fit nicely on the hind and cover the back of her fetlock, hopfully no more injuries there! Just need to find some fronts to match and we are all sorted!

Today the horses are all in because of the awful weather, it has not stopped raining all night and there were a couple of heavy showers while I was lunging.  Milly, like most ex-racehorses does not lunge particularly well but using a pessoa or side reins helps to keep her mind on the job.  Well, today we didn't even get that far because she was (again) full of herself and couldn't keep her mind on the job.  I was using trotting poles and did manage to raise them on both reins before giving it up as a bad job!  What with the cat dashing about trying to find somewhere warm and dry to spend her day and the bushes being battered about by the wind, it was never going to be easy.  My only relief is Milly didn't fall over again, which she has done a few times whilst being silly on the lunge.  Wouldn't have been any more enjoyable riding so didn't bother!

Her leg is still a bit puffy but definatly going down.  Was worried I was going to have to poultice more but the iodine is working its magic!

Today, Milly was ridden by the RAF Saddleclub in their competition between Conningsby and Lynham.  She was ridden twice in the dressage and twice over the fences.  I was very proud of her for being such a good girl, she went very well in the dressage and although a bit keen over the fences did go clear until her pilot missed a fence as he was going too fast!!  The girl who hadn't ridden her before was a bit nervious in the dressage but said she thought she was lovely and would do the jumps on her, which was nice as it wasn't compulsory!  They provided food so Milly's mummy was happy! 

Her leg looks heaps better and iodine solves so many problems, has taken care of this cut as well!  Will check it again in the morning but definate improvement.  I used to poultice like a crazy person for 3-4days on cuts like this but I am a little more relaxed now and they clear up a lot faster.  I have bought her some new boots to try and help when I ride out, as I had reduced the times they were used but I think she definatly needs something after this and that spot does seem to end up a bit scabby.  Hopefully they will be ok, she does the ministry of funny walks anyway with hind boots.  You would have thought that after 9 years she would have gotten used to them?!  But no! 

Milly has managed to cut the very back of her fetlock some how.  Didn't notice until her leg blew up overnight.  This is the trouble with throughbreds, their immune system is just not as effective as other breeds.  I have, in the past had to pick the scab off a small abrasion(that took 2 days to find) before I can poultice and make the swelling go down.  As "punishment" I always make sure that the poultice is as hot as we can stand because it won't do any good otherwise and really she should be old enough by now not to go cutting obscure parts of her body!! 

She has been doing very good dressage work recently and I was running out of things to do with her.  But using my new book "101 schooling excersizes" we have started on a new path.  I have always had trouble with extension for Novice tests because although she can do it, you can't add an extra circle on a test for that 1 out of 3 times chance.  My new excersize is on a circle and counting the strides on each half, increasing and decreasing the quantity until we can get 8 canter strides on one side and 11 strides on the other half.  Now I just have to get her to do it in trot but she has taken to it so well I am sure it will be only a few sessions.  Planning on having a go at a novice and elementary test next month, just for fun, so we shall see how much better our marks are then.

Her feet are a source of irritation again but purely because the weather has turned wetter and that always messes up my hoof care routine.  Farrier due next week so hopefully he will tidy them up again and not worry too much about the big holes!

Milly is due to be used for the RAF saddleclub tomorrow.  It is their competition day so I will be plaiting her up for them.  I hope she is a good girl!