Rubbing noses

Dee’s swab result came back today and it’s good news – a negative result. What a relief. She is now back in the field. She is to have at least one more swab just to confirm the negative result. I am allowed to ride her in the arena, but not take her off the yard. The general quarantine is now lifted for everyone else. The geldings who had to be stabled for the full quarantine were a delight to see when they were released into their field this afternoon – playfully bucking, galloping and prancing about, enjoying the freedom.

Life should gradually return to normal now – apart from the fact of taking over full responsibility for Red again in two weeks’ time. Jayne – having given us notice that she no longer wants to have Red on loan – has bought herself a mare, so I look forward to meeting her soon. Red is going to go on full livery and we’ll keep Dee on DIY. It will be expensive, so we shall have to make sure we ride together often enough to make it worthwhile.

If we find it becomes too much, logically it would make more sense to sell Dee and keep Red. Red is big enough for us both to ride, is gentle and reliable for an inexperienced rider like ’ö-Dzin, and a horse who really is bomb-proof. He’ll ride past anything and nothing worries him. However the logic of the heart dictates that we shall never sell Dee. I made a commitment to Dee and I just love that mare so much. It is not logical, but nevertheless Dee is the horse I could never part with. Hopefully we shall be able to manage it though, and keep them both.

’ö-Dzin has been experimenting with taking photographs from unusual positions. Dee thought it most intriguing having him lying on the ground in her field. I think it has produced an interesting image even if her muzzle is a little out of focus.

A difficult decision

Dee is recovering very well - extremely quickly in fact. Cobs are so tough. Thank you to everyone who sent their wishes for her swift recovery. Sally - our yard manager - is putting Dee and Red out together during the day at the moment, so that Dee does not have to mix with the mare she fought with, but also does not have to be on her own. We have been walking her in hand everyday, and had intended to take her out for a short and quiet hack today, but as it is pouring with rain as I write, this may not happen.

Last week turned out to be quite momentous in several ways. We have been concerned that Red is not getting enough exercise. Lack of exercise makes him irritable and he has started to nip us. Despite all our good intentions we have not succeeded in riding out together more than twice a week consistently. 'ö-Dzin has quite a demanding job at Cardiff University and finds that going to the stables straight from work he has enough energy to ride or to do all the horse-related chores, but not really both. Doing both would generally mean that we were not home till at least 8 pm and still needing to have dinner. It was all becoming a bit too much and not good for the horses either. It is also quite a bit more expensive at Wyndham Livery, and realistically we were find it a bit of a stretch financially. So we came to the difficult decision to put Red out on loan. If we could find the right person, it would be better for us and better for Red.

I put an advertisement in the window of our local horsey shop and had had a response within a couple of hours. I was amazed. Jayne came with her daughter to see Red and rode him in the arena. She is an experienced and capable rider and has owned horses herself in the past, so she knows what she is doing. We were able to come to an agreement and signed the papers yesterday. In the morning she took him for a long ride - they were out for over three hours. Red behaved perfectly - apart from neighing the entire ride - and Jayne seems happy with him. I have asked her to keep an eye on his feet as he is barefoot and not used to such long rides - but I have full access to him anyway and can check he is doing okay. Initially we have a trial period of two weeks, with the full terms of the agreement clicking in on 1st July.

It has felt strange only mucking out and feeding Dee, but I will be glad to have more time to spend with her. Red will stay at Wyndham and we shall be able to have him to ride out together once a week. If it works out it will be ideal in the long term for us and for Red. I'll let you know how we are getting along in future blogs.