It Aint Over Yet...

I would like to start by saying that I feel as though I owe everything to Dr. Ellison and Pathogenes, Inc. right about now. Scottie was retested at EMA on Monday for EPM and he was NEGATIVE! This horse went from being the strongest positive possible to a negative test in about six weeks. This is all thanks to Dr. Ellison's twenty years of EPM research and the resulting medication Oroquin-10. Oroquin-10 is a ten day prescription medication that kills off the parasite that causes EPM and carries a 96% success rate and it certainly worked for Scottie! I highly recommend that everyone visit her website and read her blog. It has tons of information about the disease, as well as Dr. Ellison's research and experience with it. Science has certainly come a long way... Pathogenes, Inc.

Now it is time to re-evaluate his walk work under saddle and see how he feels compared to when he was sick. Based on that and how he continues to jog we will then continue with diagnosing his stifle. Fingers crossed for a strong, sound pony!

Although my big dreams for the girls for the fall may not pan out after all, we are starting to make baby steps in the right direction and will see where we go from here. Perhaps the fall will be filled with learning opportunities and spring is always a new season. There is a cross country school at Feather Creek on the horizon at least! Horse trial or bust!!

 It seems as though things may be starting to look up, a least a little bit, for team UAC Eventing. Hopefully we can continue on THAT path! Eventers are very skilled at plan B, as well as plans C through Z, and that is what sets us apart. We always keep on. We always keep kicking. It ain't over 'till its over and it certainly ain't over yet. Scottie's career is not over, in fact I have faith that it is far from it, but Im sure his struggles aren't yet over either. My struggles aren't over. In the end, Im sure it will all be worth it and until then, keep kicking.

Time Heals All Wounds...

Oh, wow. So so so very much has been happening around here and I am just praying that following my gut won't get me in too deep! First off, Duelly was sent back to his owner after long collaboration between my trainers and myself. His heart just wasn't in his work and it is hard to build a relationship on that. Talent can only get you so far in this sport.

Moving on, I decided to take a chance on another horse and what a chance that is turning out to be!

Meet Scottie, otherwise known as Sir Prescott. Pictured above is just about all Scottie does as of right now: hand walk and eat. This is because he has a mildly strained suspensory in his right hind, but he was free so I figured I would give it a go. Why you might ask? Scottie is a seasoned training level packer that has evented all over area 4 and 5 with a few riders, most notably a junior in which he placed very respectively at some big competitions. Oh yeah, and he was free! Right about now you are probably thinking that I have lost my ever-loving mind. Well, jump on the bandwagon and know that I don't give a damn! Scottie has been given an 85% chance of full recovery and everyone that knows me knows that I do this sport on a shoestring budget. I don't have the financial means to go buy a $15,000 horse. Here's to hoping that a little time and TLC will get me there!

 

Cue more issues, as always. Upon Scottie's follow-up visit to EMA it was discovered that he has EPM. Luckily we caught the disease before it progressed to horrible proportions. His test results from before I got him (which I did not know about at the time) indicated an elevated inflammatory response and low titer but now his numbers were through the roof. He has been started on a cycle of Dr. Ellison's product Oroquin-10 and is wrapping up that round tomorrow. We know in 4-6 weeks, upon another retest, if the treatment worked. In the meantime, his lameness is getting better, his toe dragging has reduced, and his tripping is nearly eliminated. All good signs! If the treatment doesn't work, well... I just don't know but I cant think about that right now. Right now, I have to be strong for myself and for my horse who seems to have had a fairly rough life.

 

Riding is never an easy sport, for anyone. It comes with ups and downs of epic proportion. As of late I have been questioning myself and my dreams. Why do I do this? Why do I put myself through this? Is it really meant to be? Is it even &^*#!%@ worth it? But then I walk into the barn and hear that loving nicker and my heart melts. Instantly I know exactly why I do this. I do it not only for the love of the sport but for the love of the relationship between horse and rider. Scottie is a loving, sweet boy who really brings back memories of Stretch. I miss that horse more than anything and find myself staring at his pictures every night thinking "what might have been" but I know I made the right decision for him. Scottie is my chance to move on. With him, I get that familiar nicker when I walk in the barn. A knowing nuzzle when I have treats. A random lick across my arm or face just because. It touches my heart and I know this horse is what I need right now. This WAS meant to be. I need this horse and this bond just as much as he needs me. I am confident that it will all work out in the end and we will be unstoppable! Time heals all wounds, all doubts, all fears but you cant just sit and wait for things to fall in your lap. Take a chance. Take a risk. Make a change. Follow your heart.

 

More updates to come but until then, keep kicking!