So...

...over a month since my last update, oops!

I made it home at the end of July, elated to see my pony, and what a transformation! I was bowled over with the change in him, physically, mentally and emotionally. I spent the first fifteen minutes just standing back, regarding him, almost wanting to pinch myself as I couldn't quite believe my eyes. Then I rode him and I grinned so much my face ached :D Lifting through his back, setting off nice and relaxed from the off. And despite having seven weeks off the riding bit, I didn't forget anything and we had a great session. Kate really worked wonders, I couldn't have been more pleased!

Progress was positive and steady from there, I caught up on what Kate had been doing in terms of groundwork. Quadi was going so well without the Pessoa that we have progressed to just a bungee aid in front which only comes into play when he really moves outwith the range we like him to be in. It was even more encouraging to see him stretching himself on the lunge, a sort of self-physio session.

We were almost at the point of a saddle fitting, since he'd bulked out to a more consistent shape...and then he went lame.

As I've previously documented, it's been a little more of a chore to obtain right bend and there was the historical issue of lameness in his off-fore which I was told to work through unless it came to something. I assumed it was just another piece that would fall into place with time and remediation. Well, it came to something!

First stop was our lovely physio. She was actually already scheduled before Quadi went lame, and we (Kate and I) were all prepped to show him off. Sadly the appointment became a lameness investigation. The good news, it wasn't his back and it wasn't soft tissue in the shoulder. Bad news is we were none the wiser, and he wasn't weighting that leg very much. So we had a lameness work-up from the vet and eventually settled on front foot x-rays, to include the lower joints and specifically looking for navicular. They couldn't see too much wrong but the x-rays were sent to Glasgow Vet School because the vet here didn't feel experienced enough to sign off on the images.

It's a very good thing that he sent them off, along with the x-rays from April, because bony changes can be seen in the coffin joint. They mentioned early osteoarthritis. Although they said there was extra bone growth and I'm not sure whether that means arthritis, it could just be irritation in the joint.

The latest is that we are heading off to a local veterinary hospital next Friday to have that joint medicated and then we can crack on. I was initially despondent but he's already putting weight on the leg. Poor lad's been on paddock rest for a couple of weeks now. But at least it's not a tendon and we have an answer!

We are due to move yards soon. It was supposed to be this weekend but we're putting that off until after horsepital now. But Fin and Quadi will soon be masters of their domain as we sub-let part of a yard all to ourselves! We have our own wheelbarrow and everything, very exciting!

He had a massage today but I'll write about that tomorrow. It's almost bedtime!