Not following doctors orders

The small pen idea lasted all of 4 days before I cracked. Getting enough hay and water to Flossy and Sofie was not sustainable. In any case Sofie was getting upset that she could see but not be with her friends and spent some time cantering up and down in small circles which entirely defeated the purpose of the pen.

I have since moved them to a small field at the back of the estate in the hope that Sofie will stay calm enough in the larger pen. Flossy and Sofie are not entirely happy with the arrangement, but don't seem to be charging about. There is evidence that they have been fence walking. A week of grazing and they have pretty much eaten everything. Their poo suggests they are running on empty now so I have asked for some hay to be taken to them.


Hungry Sof attacking the treat ball

I haven't really walked Sofie. She seems to be walking herself in the field and she is a bit lively when I take her out. Not naughty, but I do get dragged in and dragged back out again when I take her in for a groom.

I have also failed at getting her the daily bute. Getting to the field every day is also impractical.

So the only real bit of vet advise I have followed is her special shiny shoes and the only improvement I have achieved is getting Sof to shed a few pounds. Fingers crossed the shoes, rest and hap-hazard bute rations, and weight loss will be enough.

I have been looking at different yards, made my father come on a tour with me last Sunday to weigh up the options. Shamely green can provide everything my ponies need - but I still have reservations about cost and getting across town in rush hour. Going to try and cycle there this weekend to see if that puts my mind at ease. I am rubbish when it comes to decisions.

Frustration vent

I hate to sound mopey. But things are getting me down so thought this would be a good place to vent.

Just got off the phone from the vets. They are now saying 3 months in a small pen with in-hand walk work (which to be quite frank in unrealistic - Sof will never stay calm for that long and walk work will be pogo sticking). They are also not keen to refer us to Rockely - citing that Rockely is a place of false hope and the horses that come back are only sound in their owners deluded eyes.

:(

I wouldn't mind that much - expect they are also telling me that rest and farriery is unlikely to work as well. Feels a bit hypercritical. I am probably just frustrated by the whole situation.

I am also really struggling with keeping Sof in a pen. I am running hay and water to her pen daily - but I don't think I can get enough hay there, really she should be hayed twice a day. I asked on the barefoot forum only to have a barrage of - 'you are cruel restricting food and movement' comments. So difficult when I am trying to follow vet advise.

Sof is unhappy. I tried to take her out and she exploded on the end of the rope when I put her back in. I'm mega stressed - and we are only 3 days in!

I cracked at lunchtime. Texted a lady who runs a livery yard down in Shamley green to see if she can take Sof and Tonto. It is a bit more expensive - but they would provide hay, feed and water, meaning I could visit when I wanted to rather than because I had to. I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Tonto has also become utterly feral. I miss being able to love and fuss him. Whilst the place he is at is cheap and good for his legs it takes all enjoyment out of owning him.

I was going to use Tonto as Sofies pen companion. I'm not sure if this is entirely fair on Tonto. Restricted movement might not be in his best interest.

I could just about hold things together for 6 weeks until Sof went to Rockley and fingers crossed got fixed. Not sure I can stick this out for months on end.

Uphill battle

Trying to start Sofies rehab treatment is proving to be an uphill struggle. Endless nagging to get my farrier to contact my vet. Zero help from the livery yard in setting up restricted turn out (actually that is not entirely fair, they have said I can borrow one of their ponies to keep Sofie company and offered electric tape, though no one could find it when I went to ask). And friends and family who, whilst being sympathetic ultimately want me to walk away for my own good. I'm too afraid to even talk to Nick about it - and he as made it very clear he doesn't want me to in any case.

And to make matters a bit worse - if they were not already - Sofies owners have made it very clear they do not want her back, and will put her down if she is permanently out of action.

Rehoming her is nigh on impossible, and if I keep her I don't think Nick will ever forgive me.

So it looks like I am stuck with a lovely, if broken horse, and spinsterhood. I can't let someone shoot Sofie in the head just because she can't trot in circles!

But before I plummet into despair at my upcoming 'crazy spinster with horses' status I should at least try to get Sof better and/or rehomed.

I'm getting frustrated at the lack of progress with remedial farriery, but my farrier assures me today that he has finally talked to the vet and has the required shoes on order for us. In the mean time I have made progress on the restricted turn out front. I bought an 'eclectic fence starter kit' at great expense and have made a pen for Sofie and her friend Flossy in the corner of their current field. The corner is reasonably dry and they can still see their field buddies and chat up the boys next door so I hoped they would be reasonably happy. The pen is also near the yard for running up hay and water.

I was a bit worried about catching Flossy, who is notoriously skittish. Finally I have had some good fortune in that all the mares got nosey when I was unpacking and setting up my electric fencing, and were busy sifting though the cardboard box as soon as my back was turned (obviously this was started by Sof and then the others joined in). They were so busy with the box that I managed to set up the fencing around them and then just had to remove the ponies I didn't want from my pen.

Sof and Flossy were furious when they realised I had duped them and galloped around the enclosure - perhaps I should have made it smaller - however there mood soon changed when I presented their haynets and treatball. They looked fairly smug eating their hay whilst their companions looked on enviously from the other side of the new fence.

Hope for us yet

Sof has been booked in to see the vet on Wednesday... in the mean time I am doing that thing that we all do but shouldn't - consulting google.

The prognosis for recovery from collateral ligament injury is pretty poor. I am not optimistic.

However I tracked this down from the Rockley blog - project dexter Perhaps there is hope for us yet