Its Londons turn to shine. Run up to the 2012 Olympics!

Thousands of people turned out in Skegness on Wednesday for what can only be described as a breathtaking once in a life time event.

The Olympic Torch Relay brought many people out on the streets, from young to old, when the torch arrived on the East Coast.

The Olympic Flame is one of the enduring symbols of the Olympic Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. As it is carried around the UK for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay it will bring the spirit of the Games to everyone.

Both residents and holiday makers made their way into Skegness to see the Olympic Torch pass through such an iconic and famous town that made every bit of effort to celebrate today.

Torchbearer Halley Starr, 15, brought the torch into Skegness shortly after midday. She was greeted by cheering members of the public that were all thrilled to have such a famous event happen in Skegness.
 

Suzy from Hundleby, Lincolnshire said: "It has made me emotional watching the torch pass through here.

"This is a once in a life time event and I think people need to realise this. I was at the Beijing Olympics and it is so fantastic to have it on home ground.

"I have been very lucky as one of the torchbearers, Jess from London allowed me to hold the torch whilst having a photo taken. I really cannot describe the affect seeing the torch pass by has had on me. What a fantastic day!"

Each torchbearer carries the torch for 300 meters and can choose to either run, walk or jog the distance. The next torchbearer was then ready and waiting to have their moment, with the torches required to 'kiss' in order to exchange the flames from one torch to another.

Following the torches arrival at the Clock Tower, a spectacular parade down Grand Parade and Lumley Avenue with a colourful explosion of confetti and ticker-tape was put on to celebrate.

The torch left Skegness shortly after 1.15pm and made its way to Wainfleet and Boston. A fantastic send off in the form of  flybys by a Dakota and a Typhoon fighter jet was given.

Tomorrow the torch will head to Nottingham, Derby and then on to Birmingham where it is slowly making its way to London for the start of the Games in just 30 days times.

The Olympics being held in our country is something that will never happen in our life time again and the nation are sure enough making the most of it.

*Keep coming back to http://sianlovatt.blogspot.co.uk or check my twitter page @FurryMane to find out more about the Olympics. I'll be posting live from the events that I have tickets for.*

(Please note: all pictures are my own)

View Post

"Give me that mud fever, mud fever! We know how to solve it!"

So, here I am again on the topic of mud fever. I have just returned from another weeks holiday in Malta (yes I am very brown!) but just before I went Ceaser once again was struck with mud fever.

I do not know what it is this year but he just seems to be suffering from bout after bout of it and quite frankly its becoming a bit of a pain. Luckily he is barely affected by it and doesn't become lame, but I know its there and it worries me.

Before I went away I sent out an appeal via Twitter and Facebook asking for help from various people who had or have had horses and ponies that suffer continuously with mud fever. I wanted to find out what others did to keep it at bay and how they got rid of it.

The amount of replies I received was fantastic and so many people wanted to offer me their support and advice.

A saviour came in the form of Lorraine Cooke from Pet food for thought, who kindly offered me her products to try in return for me keeping an online diary to record the progress of Ceaser's mud fever. After just a few days the products seem to already be working and the scabs are drying up and healing.

So, here goes. I will post regular picture updates throughout the next two months to show how his mud fever is getting on and if he gets a bout again, how the Aloe Vera helps. The first picture shows Ceaser's two front heels before I went away. I knew they were infected but was instructed by my vet, Helena who I am in regular contact with not to give Ceaser any antibiotics just yet and to try and treat it without.

This included bathing the area twice daily in hibiscrub and keeping it clean. As you can see from the picture, the cream that I was using was just causing dirt to stick to the hair around the affected area which is not what I wanted. The Aloe products I have noticed do not do this and keep the area much cleaner.


Week 1 - Day 1:

Both of these pictures show that the cream I was using seemed to be attracting the dirt and debris to the affected areas. Both heels were cleaned and then cream was applied. These pictures were then taken an hour later after Ceaser had just been stood in his stable. I knew then that I needed a cream that acted as a complete barrier and didn't attract any dirt as if it did then he was at risk of an infection.

Week 2 - day 9:

As you can see the difference from week 1 to week 2 is tremendous. This is both Ceaser's front heels after just over a week of treatment. I have been washing his legs in the soap, thoroughly drying and then applying the spray and then gel. If he is in for the day then this is done once in the morning and once at night, but if he's out then I apply the barrier cream the vets gave me for him to go out in and then the Aloe products are used at night to wash and clean his legs. I must admit when I was first introduced to the Aloe products I was skeptical but the results so sudden speak for themselves. However, every time I ride his front left bleeds a little so I'm wondering what I can do to stop that. I think my next port of call will be to try over reach boots and see if he is over reaching and knocking the scabs off. Although saying that, there aren't any scabs left really and if some do appear, the aloe vera soap seems to soften them so that they fall off anyway. I am really impressed with these products so far and will hold my hands up and say they are working far better than I ever imagined. The puss and discharge from the wounds is already gone and as a whole it all just looks much more comfortable and less sore. 

**More pictures to follow in two days time**

Week 2: Day 10:

I know I said it would be a few days before I updated but today I noticed Ceasers heels were looking sore. They looked like they had been bleeding when I got him in from the field. As I said in the above post, I have a feeling he is over reaching and I saw him running around in his field today so that could be why they are bloody. I didn't get any photos of them as I was in the middle of bathing him (wouldn't be a good idea to get my phone wet!). I got him in, clipped his legs and then washed them with fairy liquid like I always do when he has a bath, dried them and then applied the Aloe Spray and then the Cream. I had already noticed this morning that the hair around the scabs was getting long and although I have been debating lately whether to leave the hair on as a protection barrier in its self, I have found that I cannot get the cream directly to where I need it to be; so off came his leg hair - again! I was told by Lorraine to only use the cream if he is really sore and stick to the jelly if its not so bad. As there was signs of bleeding I thought it best to put the cream on. I must say the smell of the Aloe products is amazing. Usually with products you find they have an awful smell and dread using them, but this is completely different.

Week 3 Day 23:

Someone said to me yesterday "I bet you're really struggling with this weather and Ceaser's mud fever." Right there and then I wanted to shout from the roof tops that in fact I'm not. There is no mud fever in sight. Despite the fact the ground is wet, muddy and awful I haven't had any dealings with mud fever since I started using this product on Ceaser. I am still applying the Aloe Cream on a daily basis and washing his legs everytime he comes in from the field with the Aloe Wash, but touch wood, so far I haven't had to use the oral product that you use if he is having a very bad attack of it. I cannot promise that come winter time we will not have a problem with mud fever, but so far we have been free from it for roughly 21 days now. I know I keep on saying it, but Aloe Products are simply amazing and have enabled me to turn Ceaser out and not worry whether or not he will come in with a dreaded scab. I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that we have finally found a product that not only works, but works well and keeps Ceaser's mud fever away. The picture I have included for this update is a picture of Ceaser's right front. As you can see it looks normal and not infected nor scabby at all. The slight bit of cream you can see is the Aloe Vera cream I apply at night for him to go to bed in.

Week 4:  Day 28

Whenever there is some good news, you can guarantee that some bad news or something bad will come along. This week it looks as some bad was to come my way when I got on Ceaser yesterday and felt him trotting up slightly short in front on one leg. As soon as I got on he didn't feel right and when I asked for a trot he definitely was sore on one leg. As always with mud fever I thought "Oh no, its a tendon" when he was slightly lame, but quickly told my self to stop being stupid, jumped off to check his legs and sure enough on my first glance there was a scab. It isn't huge but was obviously causing some discomfort to him so I took him in, clipped the affected area, cold hosed it, hibi-scrubbed it, then washed it in the Aloe Vera wash and then applied a stable bandage to prevent or take away any swelling (not covering the area). I don't even need to ring my vets now to check what to do before I do it, so I then put the heel barrier on I was given by my vets, gave him half a sachet of bute and put him in his stable, back on box rest, to sulk. Because there was a slight swelling, some heat, he was sore and some yellow discharge coming from the area I texted my vet to tell her what I had done and asked whether I needed to give him the antibiotics I had just in case he is struck with mud fever. Despite knowing now what I need to do I always like to check I am doing it right and get great comfort from being told by my vet that everything I am doing is correct and the right course of action to take. I am sure even they question themselves sometimes and I am sure it is just natural. I now know, after Ceaser's first initial bad attack of mud fever back a few months ago that it can turn to cellulitis should it be extremely bad. I feel like a text book reeling off all the symptoms of this and checking for it; about two weeks when a friends horse got ill I annoyingly asked that many questions to try and find the route of the problem that she asked when I suddenly became a textbook. I think with having Ceaser poorly a few months back due to cellulitis I am now more aware of common signs to look out for before calling a vet.

Save your vet valuable time by checking your horses pulse, breaths per minute, colour of his gums, digital pulse and temperature, plus more. It can all save time should your horse become poorly and will save your vet having to do it once they get there so they can get down to treating your horse quicker.

Anyway, today, after starting a course of antibiotics yesterday, Ceaser seems to be absolutely fine again. He isn't trotting up short on the affected leg, there is no heat and the swelling has now completely gone. He should be fine to be ridden again tomorrow and competing on Sunday is still on! I am really thrilled that I have had conformation today that my vet is happy with everything I am doing to treat Ceaser's mud fever. It is the first time she has seen him in about 2/3 months now and said the way I am managing his mud fever and the routine I have in place for him is brilliant. She also commented on the improvement in both legs since she last saw him and said it is fantastic. Although to some this may seem like nothing it is lovely for me to be told I am doing everything right.

I am putting the Aloe Vera Spray and cream on at night to soothe the area in which he has mud fever and tonight it seems to already be clearing up!


Well, what a week!

Week 6:



I haven't updated in a long time due to there being nothing to say. Fingers crossed since our last episode of mud fever we aren't struggling too much at the moment.  Ceaser has the odd scab that occasionally bleeds when the scabs are knocked off but that is about it. There is a new method that my vet and I are trying so I'm really happy to report this is working really well along side the Aloe vera products. The more people I tell about these products the more comments I get on how fantastic the stuff is and how well it works. Why didn't people tell me about it before? I have taken some photos of how much Aloe Vera wash I have to use when I rinse Ceaser's leg after he comes in from the fields. Its really not much and it definitely goes a long way. The photos show just how clean the wash makes his legs, which ensures they are completely dirt free. It really lathers up and you only need a tiny amount to do one leg. I have found that not only does it clean the area well but it also leaves the leg looking as well as feeling smooth. In fact, so much so that I occasionally wash the whole of Ceaser's legs in it without having to worry what harmful chemicals I am putting on to his legs and whether it could be harming them. Overall I am finding all of these products fantastic and definitely great value for money. So far it is the only product on the market to help Ceaser's mud fever as well as keep it at bay.










 23 August 2012:

Before (On Sunday 19th August)

We are roughly two months in now since I have been using Aloe Vera products on Ceaser and I must say I am so impressed. I have stopped using the cream so much, simply because I'm running out and don't want to before winter! Lately though I have found him to be very lethargic and like he isn't enjoying work. I thought about whether it was the heat and the fact I'd let him live out quite a lot over the past few weeks but deep down I was not sure. The vet had suggested giving him an immune system boost as to be fair he has had a lot of antibiotics over the past few months, as well as endless mud fever and we just wondered if his immune system was still slightly low from him being poorly in March after the anaphylactic shock.

I then got in touch with a friend of mine on twitter who also sells Aloe Vera products and she recommended using the Aloe Vera gel I had rather than spending lots of money on a branded product as it was proven to work to give horses immune systems a boost. It is so difficult to notice that your horse is feeling slightly under the weather but I knew something wasn't quite right with Ceaser so after our intense competition on Sunday he had four days off and I started him on the Aloe Vera gel, slowly introducing it in to his feed.

Much more willing to work after four days on Aloe Vera gel.

Monday he had just one cap full and over the four days I have built it up to three a day. Next week I will reduce it back down to two a day after he has had the quick boost he needs. I will post a before and after picture for you to see the huge difference in Ceaser in just four days.

Here is the article explaining how Aloe Vera can give a horse a boost: http://www.taranet.co.uk/Aloe-vera-extracts-in-equine-clinical-practice.pdf

After just four days on the Aloe Vera Gel in his feed.

I will continue to give Ceaser the Aloe Vera gel now until I run out as we think this is just what he needed. If he continues to react well to it before I finish the tub then I am more then prepared to buy more and keep him on it as a supplement rather than spend lots of money on branded products. I am definitely all for the natural products and prefer to use them if possible. Although saying that I have used lots of other supplements over the past few years and have never had any problems with any of them. I think it is just about finding something that is right for both you and your horse.

Thank you again to Lorraine at Pet Food For Thought for proving me with these products to try. You are a star and a savior to both Ceaser and I.


Update after 3 months of using the Aloe Vera gel. 

 I am thrilled to say Ceaser has now been clear from mud fever for 2 months now, which is fantastic. His last episode with it was quite bad and I was at my wits end with what to do. Above are three photos showing just how bad his leg was at the beginning of September. The worrying part was, that the whole of his heel was like one open wound, it almost looked as if something was eating him and it was very distressing to see. Despite this the leg didn't swell and he didn't seem to be in pain as he was running around his field still! I know a lot will say "why was he out still, he should have been stabled" - but NO, I will not keep him on box rest anymore, even though he has mud fever. I tried that and to be honest unless you're there to keep your stable, dropping and urine free then its absolutely pointless. Wet, dirty bedding can be just as bad as mud with horses that suffer from mud fever.
I sent photos of his heel to my vet and we also tested for mites just in-case - which came back negative. So, all we could do was try something we hadn't before and hope it got rid of the sores that were there. What made it worse is the place they were in, whenever he walked around it would open the scabs up again!
After endless discussions with my vet, friends, a dermatologist and a lot of reading up on the internet we decided to forgot all the expensive products on the market that claimed to work yet I wasn't seeing any results in and think of a more natural approach - very much like Aloe Vera. Instead I simply used salt water to rinse his heel in, thoroughly dried it and then applied Betnovate cream. Every three days I would then wash his heel in Iodine. Both clearly hurt him and would sting, but within just a few days I was finally beginning to see improvements. However, I started to worry about not putting anything on the wounds when he went out into the field, so now I spray any scab he has in Iodine before he goes out in to the field and am just very vigilant in which field he goes in.
When your horse suffers from mud fever you have to be careful about grazing and paddock care. I have fenced my field off into smaller paddocks, so now whilst most horses are stood in mud - Ceaser is coming in without even a patch on his hooves! Here's to a long, horrible winter without mud fever; I will keep updating to let you know!

Should you need anymore tips or help on mud fever, please feel free to ask me by leaving a comment below. I like to think I am like a text book now when it comes to mud fever, having spent endless hours trawling the internet and speaking to vets and dermatologists about what it is and what actually causes it!

 

View Post

"Oh not you again, we'll be last then!"

I'm not going to lie, when someone said that to me yesterday I didn't know what to think. It is nice to arrive at a showground and be a 'threat' to someone, but then at the same time is that what I want to be? Do I want to be like one of those people I dread seeing at a show and thinking to myself  "Well, I may as well go home".

Yesterday the pressure was on me and Ceaser big time. When he was about 4 years old he had a lovely girl who had him on loan for a few years and up until yesterday she hadn't seen him for roughly 10 years. It was so nice to see her and her mum again after such a long time and even better still that they obviously cared for him when they had him as upon seeing him shed a few tears. I had never realised when I was younger that they thought so much of him and it was amazing to hear of the stories they had to tell about him that I can't remember because I was so young.

Since Ceaser was poorly a few weeks back now, I haven't done much jumping with him as I had wanted to take everything slowly, but after putting a cross pole up earlier on in the week and him flying over it with no bother I decided I had to stop panicking and worrying whether or not he was fit enough and start jumping him again.

So, off I went to walk the Novice Pony working hunter class at Arena UK show on Sunday. I must admit I had a slight panic as my phobia of spreads arose again and sure enough, the first jump was a spread. Although, I don't know why I worried though as Ceaser flew over the first and went on to produce a lovely clear round over planks, fillers, brush fences and more spreads. I always think with Working-Hunter that if you go clear you're in with a good chance of getting placed, but after I saw how many went clear I knew I had to pull out all the stops in the second phase, the ridden show and prove that Ceaser deserved that top spot.

As soon as I asked for trot in our ridden show it all just felt amazing. He wasn't strong, stuffy and felt right on form. After one loop of a figure of eight in canter I decided to go for it and ask for a walk to canter for the change of rein. Although I had perfected this in the school at home I have found that Ceaser is reluctant to do it anywhere else because his mind is often focused elsewhere but because of how well he had been going I decided to push my luck and go for it. I admit, as I sat deep and put my outside leg back I tensed in hope he would hop in to canter and sure enough my boy didn't let me down and proceeded to canter and then show a lovely gallop down the long side to finish our show.

I was thrilled to be pulled in first against some lovely moving and stunning ponies. Ceaser never fails to amaze me and it really feels like whatever show we attend he tries his damned hardest to please, which is what makes him even more special.

After posing for lots of photos for the photographer I trotted off to the Riding Club pony class which was waiting for me. Again, Ceaser pulled out all the stops, produced a lovely show piece and again we were pulled in 1st place.

Next was Ridden Veteran but after a mix up I found myself in the Style & Appearance class up against some beautifully turned out horses and ponies. It didn't initially click to me that when I heard a child telling the judge her ponies age she had said 7. At the time I thought "Ah she must be wrong, this is the veteran class" but low and behold I was in the wrong class. After beckoning the steward over she kindly explained this was Style & Appearance and what did I want to do. I thought that I was in there so I may as well stay but didn't have much hope. Once again though I was more than surprised when the judge pulled us in 3rd, in front of some stunning horses and ponies.

In the ridden veteran we were initially pulled in 5th after the go-round, but with me being the type of person I am, I aimed to produce a lovely show piece which resulted in us being pulled in at 3rd for the final result. Ceaser was the only pony to pulled in within the top 6 so I was really pleased.

Despite not being pulled in for any of the championships I was still really happy with how the day had gone. All classes we entered all had lots in and the competition was very tough.

Ceaser is now having a weeks holiday and only some light lunging work whilst I go away and also soak up the sun in Malta! I think we both deserve a short holiday after his great performances over the past couple of weeks. 

Although I don't like being the person people dread turning up at competitions, I am so proud to be able to hold my head up high and say all work done is my own and I rarely ask for help.

View Post

Weird and wonderful few weeks

With showing being my main taste during summer months I find myself sat in the lorry at silly o clock most weekends and think to myself "why do I do it?". Dressage is much simpler. You get given a time for your test, if you're me you arrive an hour before, you do your tests and the pressures immediately off.

Showing is a whole different ball game. I often enter at least two, maybe three classes if I am out showing and usually that means being at the venue for at least 9am in the morning. Living in the middle of no where makes this ridiculously tricky and often I find that my alarm is going off at 4/5am most Sundays.

Before I went away for the week I attended another qualifier for Equifest. Although we gained our qualification at the beginning of the season I knew I needed to get Ceaser out a lot more after being put on hold for 3 weeks earlier on in the season due to him being poorly. So, off we set to a show not too far from us but still a good 50 minute drive in the lorry.

I find it frustrating that wherever you go they are always running behind schedule. I understand venues can't predict how many horses will turn up for each class, but running roughly two hours behind time is a little silly.

Anyway, so by this point Ceaser was bored, but he still behaved impeccably in the Family Horse class, did an immaculate show piece and was by far the best turned out pony in the class. Needless to say the only one who worked in a outline as well. He also took my child rider who I had picked (you needed both an adult and child rider) round super and gave her a lovely ride. Anyway, we were placed 2nd. I was a little annoyed as the child and adult placed 1st were not turned out correctly and the pony went round with his nose in the air. BUT, the lovely child riding the pony was so pleased to get that 1st place trophy that it brought a smile to my face knowing a little girl had just been made the happiest little girl on that show ground.

Next was ridden Veteran; again Ceaser went round lovely, producing a lovely show piece and showed that despite being 16 he really did not act like it. With 20 people in the class there was a lot of waiting around and it was lovely to see such a strong veteran class. All went super and showed no signs of stiffness to me. It was clear the judge had a tough decision, but why she decided to place a pony 1st that struck off on the wrong leg twice in canter is beyond me? 2nd place I strongly agreed with and we were 3rd. Again, I felt the lead-rein pony that came 2nd should have won, and we should have been 2nd. As I was walking out the ring I heard a lot of complaints coming from onlookers who also agreed the 1st placed shouldn't have won it and we should have been higher up. Ahh well, that's showing for you!

**

Once I returned from my week away I decided to go showing on bank holiday Monday.
As soon as we arrived at the show I knew Ceaser was full of it. You can usually tell when it comes to tying him up and he is constantly whinnying and neighing at other horses. This comes with him spinning around and pawing at the ground. Then came the rain...
Despite having an hour to go until my class I thought it best to tack up and get in the indoor arena quickly because it was rapidly filling up. Needless to say I had a few bucks in the warm up but apart from that he was going quite nicely.
My class arrived (only half an hour later than scheduled) and the show piece felt good. He showed a lovely gallop and came back to a collected canter quite easily and quickly when asked. I do look at other horses when they're galloping and see how much of a struggle they are to bring back, so I am always thankful Ceaser is relatively easy. This must have shown as I was thrilled to win the class.

Next was Ridden Veteran straight after my first class. Despite usually doing very well in this class my forever-springing-surprises on me pony decided he would rear and nap when leaving the line up. Probably in objection to doing something straight after one class! I was told by the judge after doing my show piece he had gone the best and was turned out the best but unfortunately the rear cost him 1st place. I totally agreed with this and if we had have been placed higher up, would have been willing to hand it down to someone. I don't feel he deserved a higher place than 4th in this class and really do feel its refreshing to see judges judging the class PROPERLY and taking in to account manners as well as everything else.

Luckily in the ridden coloured I had had more time to warm up and he had had time to have a drink and some hay. This, again I feel showed and we were awarded 1st place. The 2nd placed pony looked very strong and it was lovely to be placed higher than someone that had been told "Trot and canter him around for half an hour to knacker him out before you go in the class so he behaves" by her dad in the warm up.It really amazes me how riders get away with this. I was told by a friend that at a show she had recently attended she had overheard a girl say "Put his curb chain really tight so he looks light to ride."
Show riders never fail to amaze me and I am lucky enough to be able to hold my hands up and say that all the work I do with Ceaser is my own work. I do not have to "put his curb really tight" to make him win a class and nor do I feel the need to "knacker him out" before a class so he wins.

To top the brilliant day off we were awarded Ridden Champions which I am absolutely thrilled with. It really showed that Ceaser had redeemed himself after his little 'episode' and makes all the hard work I put in seem worthwhile.

Whilst on this topic I would like to thank my lovely sponsors Global Herbs who are supplying me with the PollenEx supplement as part of their reward scheme I am on. Ceaser suffers during these summer months with the pollen and rape seed and Global Herbs are currently helping me a tremendous amount by providing me with PollenEx to stop Ceaser from head shaking. I really do recommend Global Herbs to anyone needing any time of supplement for their horses. Results are visible in  just days of using their products.



Anyway, next week we have another showing show, so we shall see how that goes. I am hoping to get our and do some dressage very soon in the run up for the Petplan Area Festival finals I have qualified for.

View Post