Spring, No Spring

February has been a very hard month and I can't wait for Spring! With the evenings getting lighter and the snow melting, there is light at the end of this winter tunnel.

New Job

February started with a great opportunity for me to move to a home based role for my part-time job which would mean more flexibility, more time at home and more time for photography. It's always stressful moving jobs and this was no different but as it turned out, it was such perfect timing given the awful month that followed. I don't know what I'd have done trying to do twice daily visits to the yard for exercise and wound care whilst commuting to the City, what a relief to no longer have to battle with the trains and travelling into London. 

The new view from my desk and my new workspace is far more peaceful than my previous open plan office (next to a building site) and I get to have the pup keep me company all day long which is just fab! What more could a girl ask for. I'm feeling very lucky indeed.

View from the new officeView from the new office WorkspaceWorkspace

Injury

Early February I got a phone call from my YM to let me know that the pony had had an accident in the field, he had cut his jaw open and blood was pouring down his chin. Luckily there was a vet already coming out on a clinic day and I rushed home from the City, worried about what I was going to find. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, he was in his stable and despite looking a little bit sorry for himself, he was happily munching hay while waiting to see the vet. A few staples later and all was fixed but he was confined to box rest for a while to try to prevent further injury or him accidentally pulling the staples out. He also had to endure twice daily penicillin injections for a few days and was fast dreading seeing us heading into his stable with the needle.

Fast forward a week and the wound had scabbed over and become infected so another emergency vet call out was required, the staples removed and the wound opened up and cleaned. More injections , more antibiotics and twice daily flushing of the wound were required. Pony was less than impressed with this development but we soldiered on with help from friends. Unfortunately as the wound was open, it meant more time on box rest to prevent infection. Luckily I was able to keep exercising him during this time but took the noseband off his bridle so as not to affect the wound. The vet was concerned about the swelling on the jaw and thought that an x-ray might be needed to see what was going on. The wound has now healed but the jaw still doesn't look quite right. Fingers crossed that it continues to heal and won't require any further treatment but time will tell.

Fresh Pony

So after 3 weeks with no turnout but twice daily exercise, I thought I would give the pony a little jump to cheer him up. It worked! Unfortunately there was a lot going on and it was a bitterly cold day so he was quite tense. Having jumped the first fence beautifully, the excitement took over and we bronked half way round the school! Each buck got bigger and bigger and I was starting to worry how much longer my balance would last - I'm definitely too old for these kind of shenanigans! Anyway, we kept working and tried to keep things calm and had a few more little jumps before calling it a day.

With the imminent snow and an almost healed jaw, there was some reprieve from pony prison and a couple of days of turnout in anticipation of the snow that was due. Another week of no turnout, due to the snow, certainly didn't help the energy levels either! Here's hoping that Spring will see a return of my chilled out little pony.

Snow

So the last week of February saw hideous weather forecast. The snow was due on Monday afternoon so I very smugly rode on Monday morning to try to get some exercise in before the snow came. The weather forecast wasn't quite accurate and I ended up riding in a blizzard! Poor pony was not impressed and I'm sure everyone thought we must be mad. The snow then seemed to disappear again and we had a non-snowy ride that evening. We squeezed in another ride on Tuesday morning before the snow really set in. The week that followed saw 2 or 3 trips a day to the yard to try to give the pony a leg stretch and to deliver water as everything had frozen at the yard. Winter with horses is hard, it's a good job we love them!

Products of the month

A massive shout out to Ariat for keeping my hands and feet warm through this freezing weather. My Ariat insulated tex grip gloves are the only gloves I've ever had that have kept me warm and dry and survived a whole winter of being on the yard - just amazing. They are thin enough to be able to ride in, not at all bulky but still incredibly warm and dry - an absolute lifesaver. And another amazing discovery this winter has been my Ariat Wythburn H2O insulated boots - stylish and warm. I couldn't have got through winter without them, thanks Ariat!

Snow Photoshoots

The one positive from the snow was that I was able to fit in some snow photoshoots which were absolutely stunning. The snow just makes everything look so peaceful and beautiful. Here's just a few of my favourites.