New Year Edition!

Er, so old sports. A whole holiday has gone by and I only managed to write one blog post. I am a terrible equine. So lazy. No motivation (hey, nobody gives me a carrot for writing one of these. Maybe if they did I would be more inclined to type). I'll work on it. It'll be my new year's resolution. I need to get back into the swing of keeping regular updates on my (mis)adventures with Spode.

And regular updates on future achievements! Next step, training level!

As far as holidays go, we didn't do anything too thrilling. Just the usual things. Plenty of hacks, plenty of schooling, plenty of dressage, and many bareback rides doing nothing in particular. Those are some of my favourite rides. Just goofing around and not working on anything.

Lots of hacking!

Of course, I also did some goofing around as well!

I really enjoyed having Spode around every day again, though I didn't always get to spend a lot of time with her since she was working a lot. I don't mind. She only works to keep me in treats (well, and in drugs. Vet bills, you know). She never fails to at least give me a treat and a pat on her busy days, so I can't complain.

And when she's working, Spode is the one who delivers my breakfast. Yum! 

Santa was nice to me as well. I got myself a mega bag of treats, stud muffins, AND a likit! Whoa baby!

The Motherload!!! Yum. Thanks, Santa

The best part of the holiday was having my auntie Breanna over for a visit. She only gets to see me once a year, so her visit is always very special and Spode is just over the moon, which always makes me happy too.

The only downside to Breanna visiting is that I'm forced to work correctly! 

As with every holiday, Spode realizes what a push over she is when it comes to her animals. That also means that I have a lot of ground work "tutorials" where Spode cracks down on my more "annoying" habits as she calls them. Pawing, being mouthy, pulling towards the hay, chewing on cross ties... all my favourite things. It will probably always be her New Year's resolution to be "more strict with Gatsby". It usually lasts for the month of January and that's it. I was very good today knowing it was her last day of holidays to put her in a good mood. That was all part of my plan. She'll be extra soft with me when she next comes home now. I know it. I can play Spode with my eyes closed (actually, closing my eyes is the BEST way to play Spode. You should see how fast she drops everything and ignores whatever the hell I'm doing if I squint an eye slightly. Spode goes from being firm to being hyper focused on "poor me" in less than a second)

Or being kicked in the teeth, as the case may be. Hey, can't have a Christmas break without some kind of health scare. 

Speaking of eyes, it's going to be a nerve-wracking spring for us since the surgery will officially be at the 2 year mark, which is when my cyclosporine implants are likely to lose their effectiveness. We'll be crossing hooves and fingers that I get lucky and the acute uveitis stays at bay, while the insidious one continues to be, well, insidious. My eyes continue to show signs of inflammation damage without showing any signs of inflammation. My own little mystery (maybe we should get Spode's Sherlock Holmes on the case? Does he deal with equine mysteries?). Unfortunately, that damage and my cataracts means no second surgery for me. We're just hoping, and that's all there is to it.

Look, I'm cold. Can I have some treats now? 

We also had a picture day over the holidays, and Spode's brother in law got to try his hand at riding. Silly Spode forgot to take photos of that though! 

Quite a good start to the new year. Let's hope 2016 is my year of good health! (And also Spode's year to get employed so she can afford the inevitable future vet bills I'll get for her! Sorry Spode)

Until later, old sports.

Jay.