Went a touch radio silent due to a lot of different factors all colliding at once, unfortunately:
Major stress at work/burnout
Bad flareup of my chronic disease, ruinining an entire week of my life again
Oats went lame and I had a total meltdown over it
Gidget had a really bad flare up of her reverse sneezing and went into dog-shock for a few days. It was really hard to see 😦
So yeah…It was a very challenging period of weeks for me, Oats and the family.
Some bright sides: Oats lameness was temporary! He had a small abscess (in the same spot as his 2018 big abscess that summer) and now he is good to go. We even had a working equitation lesson on Sunday and he was a champ though I definitely felt quite rusty.
Work is ok for now and I am counting down the days until I am off on holidays!
My disease is back in remission until the next flare-up, and Gidget has a vet appointment today to figure out our next plan of attack. I don’t really expect that they will have any answers but…We made it over 3 weeks ago when we desperately needed it, so I still am hoping for some kind of solution or treatment for her symptoms.
I guess even through the blackest days, there is still hope?!
Also a bummer, but one I really knew was going to happen: My jump trainer who I have been with for over a decade (?!!) is not travelling to coach us anymore. I totally get it, no issue from me but it’s also a bit sad to see the end of an era.
I’ve reassessed mine and Oats relationships after his serious injury and jumping for competitions just doesn’t seem that worth it anymore? We’ve shown for so many years and it’s not always about ‘higher/faster/stronger’ for me– it’s about enjoying the journey and our relationship these days. I still love horse showing, but it’s not all what it’s cracked up to be, you know?
The adventures of Mr. Oats 