I know, I know. For the last year, pretty much the only thing I ever talk about is my poor excuses for not writing more blog posts. I am a let down. It's in my blood to be lazy, and my computer availability has lessened substantially since Spode became a teacher. It's the same old story. Sorry about that, old sports.
But enough about that. Here I am!
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| Hello, old sports! I'm here at last! |
The last time I wrote, I was feeling sick and had just been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. After a strong course of steroids and a diet change, I'm fully recovered from that. We think the culprit grain is oats and I now have a strict oat-less diet. But we also need to wait and see if the problem comes back in the fall to make sure it wasn't a seasonal plant that I ate that set me off. Hopefully it's just oats because that has been a lot easier to control and hasn't meant limited grazing!
Since my little (well, major) setback, things have been good. I started to get fit again and slowly put the pounds back on.
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| Still hungry though! You know what they say about green grass and fences... |
Other big news happened too: Spode and Oli got married. And I wasn't invited! The nerve of that man. I was jealous when he first met me. Now I see I was right to be. Most disappointing. Spode has promised me a special event for their first anniversary to appease me. I'm not sure it'll work yet, but I have forgiven Oli again. Only just.
Oli has been learning to ride a little but, so Spode and I are both playing teacher right now.
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| "Just ignore her, Oli. I know what you need to do. Just hold on and give me lots of pats and we'll be all good!" |
Other than that, there hasn't been much other news, old sports. It's the same old, same old. My eyes play up every now and then and my dressage knowledge is ever so slowly expanding. We celebrated Canada day in style as always. I do love being patriotic!
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| O Canada, how I miss thee! |
Oh! And I also celebrated my 7th birthday. I'm a real distinguished old gentleman now. Jay Gatsby indeed. A mature and successful man.
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| A day to be proud of. So mature, I'll even pose for your pictures! |
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| Um, excuse me? Is this really the hat that a distinguished 7 year old would wear? I think not. I'm done posting now thank you very much. |
The latest drama to face Spode and I is a sudden change in my hooves. But it's not my fault. It has not rained for WEEKS. WEEKS, old sports!
I know what you're thinking. "Hang on a sec, I thought Gatsby moved to the UK? Isn't that the country with all the rain?" Well, yes, I thought that as well. But no. It's been 30 degrees, blue skies, and not a drop of rain! I was promised all year grazing, but our grass is more like crispy hay now. And sparse, getting sparser all the time. It's lousy.
But grazing is only one problem. My exceptionally tough hooves that normally allow me to walk on gravel and stones without hesitation failed me. Spode has been fighting a losing battle moisturizing daily, avoiding roads, and trying her best to hydrate my hooves, but all to no avail. Great big chunks kept coming off and I finally started to feel a tad tender on my white front hoof. We had to give up for this summer after looking at the forecast and still seeing no sight of the rain that England is famous for.
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| Yup, the shoes are on. Alas. But you can see how dry my feet are even here! |
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| The classic Clyde stance: wide at the front, narrow at the back. I have my history of plowing to thank for that. Well, not my own personal history. Don't make me laugh! Nah, my ancestors are to thank for that. |
It was a very confusing experience getting shoes on. It was all fairly normal and calm up until the farrier came at me with a burning hot shoe. Are you crazy, old sport? You aren't burning my hooves!
I tell you, there are some elements of being a pet horse that I will just never understand. I hated it, but that's understandable, right? Imagine someone put something on your foot and you heard this awful singeing sound and suddenly there's smoke all around your face. It was unpleasant to say the least. I did get through it eventually though. But then when they were nailed on I had the second challenge of trying to walk. They felt so weird! I'm still not sure I'm sold on the idea...
Still, it beats sore feet I guess. It does mean Spode is back to riding me now so I'm back to my fitness training. Oh joys!
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| Ready to go! Let's get to it and work off this tummy. I need my summer bod back! |
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| Who am I kidding, I already look gorgeous. Even carrying a few extra pounds! |
It didn't take long to get tired in this heat, but this was exacerbated by the fact that I could not understand how to canter in these damned shoes. Trotting, no problem. But good grief, how do you canter?! Poor Spode was getting thrown out of the saddle. I turned into a rocking horse. Spode said I would have been doing a perfect pirouette with how much lift I was getting in my front end... if I had been actually turning rather than going straight that is!
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| Good grief... |
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| Working in these shoes is hard work, old sport! |
I did figure it out eventually. Then it was bath time. That's been the story of my life lately. Cold hose, scrape hot water off, cold hose, scrape off, cold hose, scrape off. It takes several rinses to get me cool again!
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| Boring! But it is refreshing I suppose! |
Ah well. I know I complain a lot, but it could be raining all the time and that makes Spode and I miserable since we're just not used to that. We Canadians know how to handle heat!
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| Plus, it's all worth it in the end when you get to this part of the day! My favourite dinner and my favourite mineral lick! |
Spode has exactly 12 more days of work left before the summer holiday. And then the fun really begins! I know Spode is excited. It's been a busy year and we're both ready for a little more quality time together!
Until later, old sports!
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| My summer safety message to youngsters: Keep your mask on and your legs limber! |
Jay.
