Anyways, my prolonged hiatus has been due to a computer grounding. Ah, the joys of teenager-dom. Anyways, I'm updating from Claire's laptop because I was overwhelmed with the urge to blog.
So anyhow, I don't remember where I left off, but here's a recap:
Berky had a respiratory infection and two weeks off.
We had two weeks of good, solid training.
Berky managed to lose all four shoes one night (thoroughbred feet -.-) and got stone bruises. We booted him until...
The farrier came. He was still sore, of course.
So Berky had a little over three MORE weeks off while his feet recovered.
Now, we're back in business and trying to prepare for next weekend's hunter show at Wickham Park. YAY SHOW! We actually started getting ready last week, but then we were having so much fun being idiotic bareback that we kind of got sidetracked.
Oh, and I JUMPED 2'6" and LIVED!! We actually DID WELL!!! YAY! My confidence has improved so much, and I'm really amazed at what me'n Berky can do once I get up the guts. Claire has been helping me so much- she's such a good rider.
BTW,Claire rode him for me in a clinic with Denna Johnson of Full Partners Farm.
Denna has ridden with Beezie Madden and knows George Morris, and she is close with the barn manager. And guess what? Denna LOVED Berky and said he was "like a cat off the ground." She thinks she may know him, too, and if she does, he has training out the arse but will always have trouble keeping weight on. I can't wait to get the results from my research with Jockey Club- if his name's Springsteen, we're in business.
So that's basically what we've been up to. Claire's horse, Kay, has a haematoma on her side and is going in for an ultrasound, so she's been riding Berk for me when I can't come out. She really likes him, although it took a while for her to figure him out, and if Kay isn't ready for the show Friday, she's going to enter him in a few classes and I'm going to cut back on mine. Which is awesome, because Claire's an amazing rider and everyone benefits when we swap around.
Lastly, Berky's putting on weight, hallelujah! You can't see his ribs anymore and his butt kind of jiggles. I guess senior feed was the key- glad we found something that works. He's finally feeling good enough to carry himself nicely, too, and we had some KILLER long and low yesterday. Ok, that's it, I promise :)
