Did someone say Nationals?

I'm sure you all remember me writing (freaking out) about qualifying Ziggy for the RC Nationals a couple of weeks ago in Show-Jumping and how thrilled I was that both him and Ceaser would be going together after the old boy collected his golden ticket for dressage too. Well...

At that point I was trying to figure out how I'd have a cat in hells chance of riding Ceaser in the senior team dressage test and making it to Ziggy's show jumping class on time, given that they both had basically the same start time. Never a dull moment at camp Lovatt!

Anyway, my first Nationals experience just got a whole lot more complicated, and don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely bloody thrilled to be writing this albeit wondering if I can clone myself at the same time.

At the qualifier Ziggy finished second in his arena meaning he narrowly missed out on a golden ticket to nationals as an individual, which I was gutted about at the time as it would've been lovely to have both boys going to compete in the dressage and at that point he hadn't qualified in show-jumping so I was unsure he'd even be going.

Well, someone upstairs must have thought I'd been good these last couple of weeks and yesterday I had an email to say the person that actually won in Ziggy's arena was ineligible to compete at Prelim, so technically my wonder boy won, meaning we HAVE got our place at nationals in dressage. Thus equating to (yes both boys representing our region in dressage) a rather manic day ahead.

I'm absolutely delighted, as I wanted nothing more than both the boys with me there, representing the region in something I take a great deal of pleasure from doing. I'm unsure where Ceaser's 'affiliated' career is going after this, so it could well be the last 'big' event I campaign him at (more info at a later date), which makes it all the more special to have both of them there with me, at Ziggy's first attempt too.

It all seems pretty surreal still at the moment. I never in my wildest dreams imagined Ziggy would pick the dressage up so quickly, and be so successful at an early age and all that know me can vouch for how absolutely shell shocked I was to bag a golden ticket in show-jumping. I'm the girl that never used to jump! Then Ceaser....where do I start? He went out to the qualifier having done very little competing for 12 months, after some time off with his eye and just won. I count my blessings with them both everyday.

Basically, what I'm saying is, if anyone is going to Lincoln and has a spare pair of hands then please yell - or if I look like I need a Vodka, please pass me one.

On that note, I'll leave it there - I just had to share my excitement. We're all allowed to blow our own trumpet every once in a while aren't we? :)

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When it all just goes okay - Our Petplan journey

I don't need to make any introduction to Ziggy if you're an avid follower of my facebook page, twitter, Instagram or if you were there from the beginning when this petrified young pony quite literally fell into my life with a bang. I'll post the first proper riding photo I have of him, just to show how far he's come!

For those who don't know, I'll give you a quick insight. At the time I was looking for a potential dressage pony that wouldn't cost the earth, and that would take me around a course of jumps safely as well. I didn't mind something that needed some work, but I didn't want something too green because of working full time.

...and along came Ziggy, a 3-year-old Irish Sports Pony. Advertised on Facebook for several months, I watched his price drop and drop because of his so called issues. Something about this boy caught my eye but I just don't know what and I made a stupid offer of very little, half thinking "Ahh they wont accept that, I'm fine - it doesn't matter I've never seen this pony in the flesh!", only to have an instant reply that he was mine and he'd arrive the following day!

This gangly looking pony arrived, petrified of everything; generally of life, and I was wondering what the heck I'd done. As were friends, family and all connections. No one quite knew then what he'd turn into. Apart from my friend Fiona who turned to me when she came to meet him and said "He's going to be a star, you'll never sell him!". "I will" I said, "He's not stopping- he's here to find a nice home and then I'm getting my dressage pony!"

The following weeks were testing to say the least. 6 weeks to get on a pony without it standing up on two legs and bolting was a little more greener than I had in mind, but hey! Then when we were on, we attempted our first jump and boy I realised this pony could jump...and the rest is history!

So, fast forward 2 and a bit years and our days haven't been plain sailing. Ziggy being petrified of people was the least of my worries when I realised it wasn't really people he was petrified of, it was everything, including butterflies!

We've had our days where I've broken down in tears sat on his back after feeling like we're getting nowhere, I've had the days where I feel on top of the world. This pony that was once petrified is now one of the most loving ponies I've ever come across. Going into a fence he has the heart of a lion and will jump most things you put him at - he just wants to please.

Without delving deeper into his issues, which I try to just forget and concentrate on the good bits, I decided after some good 70%+ scores in British Dressage, I should attempt the PetPlan Area Festivals. The rest they say is history!

We managed to get our qualifying scores in just two BD visits and at the same time be selected to represent the Northern Region in the Senior Inter Regionals, be picked to represent the local riding club, narrowly miss a place for RC nationals by coming 2nd (but to my gorgeous veteran, Ceaser whom I was also riding so I can't grumble!) and lots more.

With a couple of good scores under our belt I felt confident enough to go out and play with the big boys at the PetPlan 1st rounds. Stupidly I completely missed the Arena UK entry deadline - my head was in the clouds as always and I realised I'd have to wait until slightly later and do the Sheepgate class.

The week before Ziggy had been a total nightmare, in fact I didn't even get on him for 7 days because of the wind, and he was just being a complete tool. He was spooking everywhere at the slightest of things, and generally being uncooperative to say I had a big competition coming up - as if he new. To make matters worse, we were representing our riding club on the sunday at the area show jumping qualifier.

The Thursday leading up to the PetPlan class on the Saturday saw me send an SOS text to one of the local riding instructors that has taught us before and knows how spooky Zig can be. I told her I needed some help and quick, if we had any chance of getting to either competition at the weekend.

Friday evening and our lesson came and I hopped on Zig wondering what our lesson would bring. For those who are reading and own horses, you'll probably know what I'm about to say. He was an absolute star!! We did lots of transitions, shallow loops in both trot and canter and working on getting him to concentrate and not turn his mind elsewhere, which he's very good at. But he was fabulous and my instructor deemed his trot work worth lots of 7.5's and told us to go and kick ass!

Thankfully we've been to sheepgate a few times as its our local venue so I was confident but slightly apprehensive about the dressed up arenas - more for Zig to look and spook at. I was having a panic attack I'd not learnt my test and the warm up arena was absolutely buzzing, which always worries me slightly because I know Zig's spooks can come out of anywhere and if its busy, there's the risk of running into someone.

A couple of good friends came to support us and said his work in the warm up looked nice, which gave me some confidence. He was warming up like a dream and our terrors the week before seemed a distant memory (bloody horses!!!). Soon it was time for us to go into the arena and to enable him to have a quick look around I trotted half way around the arena, on one rein, changed the rein and did the same on the other rein. No excuses for him to spook as he'd seen things on both reins now and I was willing him to just do this for me.

Soon enough the buzzer rang and off we entered up the centre line. The judge at C was smiling at me as I entered and I couldn't help but beam back - I've never had that before, and I truly believe it set us off for a really nice test. We were entered into the Prelim 19 silver section and I love riding Prelim 19 as well, which helps.

Ziggy felt supple, and he was really listening to everything I asked. Our circles felt great, his trot work was super and his transitions were all where they should be and as soon as I asked. I don't think I've ever smiled so much through a test! Trotting back up the centre line I beamed at the judge at C, halted, saluted and literally fell into Ziggy hugging him.

We walked out the arena to my friends who all greeted us with huge smiles saying it was one of the best tests they'd seen us do, and Fiona who follows our journey said how Ziggy hadn't noticed the horse in the arena next to us almost doing cartwheels was beyond her. It just shows how much he's grown up!

I quickly popped him away and checked the live scoring online to see where we were lying in the scores. My ambition had initially been to just get a top 10 placing but inside I wanted a place on the podium, I wanted to be in the top 3. The first two scores were up and they'd scored over 67%. I lost hope then and stopped refreshing the page for a while, but when I did I couldn't believe my eyes - we had over 68% and in the lead with only 2 more horses to go!

Unfortunately (I say unfortunately, but I don't mean it like that) the last horse pipped us to the post with over 70% but I was absolutely beaming and over the moon to be second and get that elusive place on the podium, as well as a place at the finals later in the year. I honestly couldn't have been prouder.

*

The next day we were up at the crack of dawn to head to the area show jumping and again for those that know me, I HATE show jumping competitions. An accident aged 14, has left me petrified of spreads, but for some reason Ziggy makes me love show jumping and we've done a few ODE's, with our goal being a BE before the year end is out. Anyway, I only put my name down to help the team out and walking around the course I could've quite easily thrown up! (maybe the night out with the young farmers the evening before didn't help, but..)

"I'm not doing it!" I said to Fiona.... and you don't need to hear her reply, but it consisted of a few words I can't repeat, all you need to know is, she basically said I had no choice.

I'll fast forward my jabbering and get on with the fact that my once petrified of everything pony produced two super confident rounds, took me over things I'd said I wouldn't get him near and our team only went and won meaning we had qualified for the RC Nationals! Which when I was told, I nearly threw up again. "You mean I've got to go out and do ALL that again in a few weeks in a bigger class?!" were my words!

Overall, we had a super weekend and my worries the week before of whether I was good enough, whether Zig was good enough, whether I had what it takes to get him to where I think he deserves to be were all gone and we were on cloud 9.

Follow us on our journey now to the final PetPlan rounds in Autumn!

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Yet more rain!

Very muddy legs!

I don't know about you but I am fed up of the constant rainy weather. So far it hasn't managed to ruin any of my plans but I do feel sorry for the eventers who have paid entry fees and put so much time and hard work in to preparing for their season, only to find out venues have sadly had to cancel due to wet weather and unsuitable ground.

I almost feel lucky that most of my dressage competitions are held on a surface so we only have to contend with mucky legs rather than cancelled events. You may be thinking that the showing season should be well underway for me now, but I have made the very difficult decision to take a little break from showing and Veteran qualifiers whilst I concentrate on my dressage and affiliating Ceaser. That doesn't mean to say you won't find us showing at all this season, but I have decided to give Working-Hunter another pop this year, alongside dressage. This could very well change in a few weeks but for now I am looking forward to doing something different this season!

L-R: Me, Tom Whitaker, Louise, Paula, Megan and Laura.

I had a break from competing this weekend as it was Arena UK's Riding Club Presentation Evening and a few of us from the yard had some prizes to pick up! It was a fantastic night and lovely to catch up with friends I haven't seen since September since we were last out showing. Ceaser and I took overall ridden champion in both Ridden Veteran and Riding Pony, which I was thrilled with! To say our 2012 season started off how it did, I was absolutely over the moon. Louise, our yard manager took in-hand overall champion in the Ex-racehorse class with my dad's horse, Khalisa. Two other liveries also picked up four prizes between them, which was nice as we came home with our hands full of rosettes! We were thrilled to find out the one and only Tom Whitaker was handing out the prizes of the evening so of course I took the opportunity to have lots of photos with him. Thank you to Arena UK and Carole who runs the Riding Club for organising such a lovely evening.

Showing off our winnings!

It has been a very busy few weeks for both Ceaser and I. As I am sure you have read, we have had some good dressage scores from our latest two competitions. This has meant we have had a very successful and promising start to the 2013 season which has given me quite a lot of confidence to go and succeed. Ceaser is working lovely at home and has enjoyed hacking a lot more as part of our schooling.

He had a small reaction to his flu and tetanus last week, which we fully expected. However, we were initially worried about another anaphylactic shock so a mere cold was fine! I only noticed he'd had a small reaction when I was re-clipping him and he started to shiver when rug-less, which is quite unlike him! After a quick phone call to my vet, she assured me it was to be expected, told me to rug him up well, give him a sachet of bute and not to worry. As usual, she was right and the next day he was back to banging his door wanting breakfast! Typical coloured!

Our yard is undergoing quite a few changes at the moment as well, which means I find myself not having a lot of time to update this blog as much as I would like. Between writing new livery contracts, doing freelance work, completing my masters, riding and helping on the yard I am absolutely shattered. The changes are all currently being announced on the yards facebook but they include new facilities, a name change and another new manager coming to work alongside our current manager!

My sponsor, Charles James Fox recently announced he wanted all of his sponsored riders to appear in his clothing catalogue so I took the opportunity to ask the lovely Gemma to come and take some photos of Ceaser and I wearing the Born & Bred clothing. The photos are gorgeous! If you want to check out the Born & Bred range then follow this link.  Charles James Fox offers some lovely competition clothing that is worth a look. I love my base layer which keeps me warm on the coldest of days, but also cool on the warmest of days - they are fabulous!

My next outing with Ceaser is hopefully going to another affiliated dressage outing. I am all set to join British Dressage now so we aren't just limited to Prelims when we're doing the affiliated competitions. I know I say it over and over again, but if it wasn't for Ceaser and my addicition to competing I'd be a very rich person! (well, not rich, but at least have money!). I would just like to say a huge thank you to my two very good friends, Sam and Louise for helping me complete my dressage wardrobe! Apparently I needed a nicer jacket to wear to dressage competitions than the one I had previously, so they very kindly purchased me one and some lovely white jodhpurs! I did say that surely it was better to turn up looking like you didn't know what you're doing and then go and win, but they wanted me to look professional! Thank you guys :)

I promise to try and update a little more from now. University work has slowed down as we are now close to finishing. Quite honestly I cannot believe how quickly my masters has gone. It doesn't seem two minutes ago I was starting.

Good Luck to all those competing this weekend and for all the eventers out there - I hope you get out soon!



Sian and Ceaser.

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Fantastic end of season results for the Hundleby girls!

Whilst I was on my way out on Friday evening I was sent a message to let me know the Riding Club results Ceaser and I were members off had been posted.

Throughout the past year we have attended their monthly shows and attempted to rack up points in order to aim for the big rosettes and trophies at their presentation evening in January.

I have been keeping a record of how we had done in all of our classes and was sure we had done well in the Riding Pony class but that was it. So I am sure you can imagine my delight when I opened the results to find we had got overall ridden champion in BOTH ridden veteran AND riding pony type.

Our season started off in a whirlwind as Ceaser was poorly early on in April and just as I thought my world was crashing down he pulled through and has never been better.

This made our triumphs throughout the season even more special and each 1st and 2nd place we gained was worked for and completely my own work. I am thrilled to say that we were never placed below 3rd place at any riding club show throughout the season and took 1st place in all of the riding pony type classes but one.

2013 is set to be fantastic year with new sponsorships and partnerships which I cannot wait to announce and talk more about.

(more on this soon)

**

BUT, it wasn't just me and Ceaser that did fantastic, two liveries on my yard are also set to receive the top rosettes.

Ceasers best friend, Rolo and his owner Paula did brilliantly and got both an overall In-hand champion in the cob class AND reserve champion in both the in-hand coloured and in-hand riding pony type! Rolo stands out in the crowd wherever he goes, with his long flowing mane and tail. I cannot wait to see him in the ridden classes next year. Him and Ceaser make a lovely double act so we are also hoping to do some pairs classes.

My dads horse, Khalisa behaved impeccably for his first ever season showing since being re-trained from a racehorse to riding horse and took overall in-hand champion in the ex-racehorse class! Our yard manager, Louise, shows Khalisa for my dad and I am also looking forward to their ridden debut next season! This stunning horse oozes presence wherever he goes and always turns heads.

A HUGE well done to team Hundleby is due I think - this season has been one of their best and none of us have once arrived back home without arm fulls of rosettes.

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Exciting news of testing an app

At the beginning of this week I received a very exciting email that will benefit my journalism career. I have been chosen to test a brand new iPhone app that is only available in England and France so far.

I am very thrilled to have been asked to test this app and cannot wait to reveal more information to you all. I am testing and using the application already and am finding it brilliant for all horse owners.

The app enables you to keep track of various things to do with your horse, which include:

 - A health section. Users are able to set and view past and future appointments, set reminders, write notes, enter costs and also keep track of any medication given to their horse.
- The competitions section. Users are able to keep track of past and future events as well as enter results and earnings should they wish to. They are also able to set reminders on when to send their registration forms in for certain organisastions.
- The budget section. Users are able to record all their expenses and view reports on where their money is going. This is sorted by categories, months and years etc.
- The convenient checklist. This enables users to help make sure they do not forget anything when they go away.

 I am currently just starting to use this app to its full potential and will update this blog when I have used it for a little longer.

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"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!

 

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Golly Galoshes helps protect yet another horse

After mentioning on Twitter that Ceaser suffered with mud fever and I had yet to find any boot that protected his legs I was contacted by Golly Galoshes and asked whether I would try their equine gaiters out and write what I thought after using them for a few weeks. 


Golly Galoshes Gaiters are designed to help keep your horse or pony’s boots or bandages clean and dry
whatever the weather.

Golly Galoshes can be used to help keep boots and bandages clean and in great condition or your horses legs free from sand, dust, dirt, mud, debris and water.

They are both breathable and waterproof and feature a sturdy full zip, with a fleece lapel, secure hook and loop fastenings and an additional 2" reflective strip as standard.

I have tried various boots and chaps that are highly recommended for mud fever but honestly I had yet to find anything that suites Ceaser. 


All the boots I have tried still allowed the wet mud to get underneath the boot and onto Ceasers affected area. Everyday when I took his boots off I was still finding big pieces of mud down his legs. With the bad weather we have experienced lately and Ceasers ongoing problem with suffering from mud fever I knew I needed to find something that worked - and quick! 

I compete quite seriously in both showing and dressage so am very fussy about what type of boot I use on Ceasers legs and keeping them clean. I am forever having to wash his legs in the winter because he comes in covered in mud. Again, if I put his turnout chaps on they are only able to be used once and then they need a wash. Their material does not make them good for washing at night and then needing to be used the next day as I have found they do not dry in time. I not  needed something that could either protect his legs and stop the mud from getting to them or I needed something that protected his boots.
Washing his legs every night is not good for his skin but I wasn't prepared to let him stand all night with mud ridden legs.
I knew what type of boot I needed to prevent this but it wasn't until Golly Galoshes contacted me that I realised there was in fact something out there in market already!


Unfortunately the day I received my Golly Galoshes Ceasers mud fever had already got particularly worse and it was thought it could have developed into cellulitis. As a result my testing of Golly Galoshes got put on hold for 2 weeks whilst Ceaser was on antibiotics.

After his mud fever cleared up I was very apprehensive to turn him out again whilst the weather was so bad. Having a horse that suffers with mud fever is a huge worry as you do not know whether you're doing right or wrong in turning them out, keeping them in, washing and clipping legs or leaving them hairy. You have to decide what is best for your horse and stick to that routine.

I trawled through the Golly Galoshes website and their team on Twitter were a huge help in answering all of my questions.

If I use my normal turnout chaps on Ceasers legs and then put the Golly Galoshes over the top my problem is solved. The material they are made by enables me to hose them off at night and not worry if they will dry in time for use the next day. They are dry within the hour and I can even towel dry them if I need to use them again quick.

They are also waterproof so the mud and wet do not get anywhere near my turnout chaps and together they make a fantastic combination of protecting legs from mud fever but also keeping boots clean and dry!

Whilst the weather was bad I also found Ceasers exercise bandages were getting covered in sand from our arena and also wet. With the use of my Golly Galoshes on top of the bandages it stopped the sand from sticking to them and the rain wetting them through.

These are just two uses of the Golly Galoshes but with the reflective stripe down the middle they are also brilliant for hacking out in, enabling drivers to see you much sooner than they would without them on.

My set of Golly Galoshes have made life much easier and without them I am very sure Ceaser would have to be on limited turn out in bad weather. With this not being ideal I am so glad I have now found a product I can rely on to help protect his legs and stop mud from covering his legs when out in a wet field.

Also recommending this product are Natasha Baker, a Para Olympic star and Eventer, Victoria Bax. Both use Golly Galoshes either for everyday use or to warm up in at a competition.
 
 For more information on Golly Galoshes see their website: http://gollygaloshes.com/ or tweet them at @GollyGaloshes

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We're movin' on up

This blog post comes following my decision to give showing another go after I declared I was never doing it again.

I am a huge believer in when you achieve something then don't try again, but go for a bigger achievement. Reach further and aim for a bigger goal.

It is not uncommon to see the same competitors attending every riding club show year after year. Often at the end of the year at the annual presentation evening they will also be the ones who collect the most trophies and it becomes a competition in itself for who has the biggest table of prizes.

So, why do they do it? Why don't people move up a level when they have achieved something special that year? Is competing at one level deemed comfortable enough for certain individuals or is the prospect of moving up to be competing against different combinations a scary one?

Is it fair to be competing against someone that always wins the classes they enter? Are you one of those people that see a certain person is entering the same competition as you, know they are going to win and so don't bother entering?

Last year, every Prelim and Novice dressage test I was entering on Ceaser he was winning and If he wasn't winning he was coming a very close second. On one particular day I arrived at a dressage competition and someone said "Oh not you again, you'll win".

Most people would love to be deemed a threat to someone and whilst I found it very flattering it did make me think; what was I doing at that level still? So we moved up to Elementary. Then when he started to get high percentages in the Elementary tests I started to affiliate. I didn't need to but I thought it would be humiliating to stay at that level, come away with red ribbons all the time and go home. I want to come away feeling I have achieved something and I have worked hard all week to get that placing or percentage.

In dressage I am often faced with seeing competitors names down in the Prelim class when they are working at more of a Medium level at home. So, we need to ask, is it fair?

Just last week at a local level show I saw two producers entering clients horses to "give them experience". Need I even say that they either won or were placed second. Although shows need to be fair to everyone and not stop anyone from competing with them, surely there should be some line that cannot be crossed?

Last year I attended a show that isn't 'Novice' level but then on the other hand isn't HOYS level. Upon walking around with a friend I was told "That has been to HOYS". The worst was "That horse won HOYS a few years back but for the past couple of years its been sat in a field doing nothing so its here now".

Should this be allowed? I do feel show organisers should have more rules of who can and who cannot attend their shows. A decision needs to be made on what type of audience this show is wanting to attract and stick to that. I hate going to a show that has been advertised as being for Amateurs yet when you get there its for HOYS ticket hungry competitors that are there using it as a warm up for their qualifiers.

On the other hand though competitors could be sticking at that level because they do not feel they possibly can move up a level or simply don't want to add to the stresses of competing in such a rosette hungry environment. Could the thought of competing against different combinations at a more difficult level be a nail-biting thought?

I know in both my head and heart (although I can dream) that Ceaser and I will end up at HOYS. I also know that we will not go much further than Medium level dressage so we physically wont be able to move up anymore.

So, where do you draw the line? Is it up to competitors to say enough is enough and let other people have a chance of winning the rosettes? Do you just carry on because you enjoy winning the reds? Or is it up to the show organisers to put a stop to horses competing below the level that they actually are?

Please get in touch and let me know - I really would love to do a bigger blog on the opinions and results that come from this.


Contact me below or on twitter @FurryMane

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