Day at the races

I have spent the afternoon with Linda at Flagg races. It's the only point to point in the country run partly over stone walls. It was good fun, much nicer than "normal" racing because it's not nearly as high pressure and there aren't the same accidents. Obviously there are still some but you don't usually get the horse deaths that you get at National Hunt meetings. It is run at a much slower pace. Linda and I chose which horse in each race we thought would win, and which we would take home. They were never the same horse, interestingly.

Tetley is sound yet again today. And working fantastically in the WOW. I did sitting trot today and was sat so secure I was able to ask him for a bigger trot and get it without losing the rythmn or speeding up, or being bounced about. I really like it now too.

I'm not sure Tia does. She is making faces when it's put on. She never does that when I use the GP. I think she has a problem with any saddle that touches too high up her wither even if it fits. I don't know if it's just memory (racing saddles sit there, so did her too narrow saddle that they showed me her in) or if she actually finds it uncomfortable. I am going to try it with half a prolite tomorrow and see if it makes any difference. (My half prolite, by the way, is not the pad they sell. I don't like that one because it just "ends" somewhere halfway back under the saddle. This is one that I cut down and I have very carefully feathered the edge so that it gardually fades out and smooths out the pressure.) Otherwise, I will go back to my GP which she loves, and then borrow a WOW with a wider gullet to the panels, to see if that helps. Luckily, Linda has one and I hope she'll let me try it.

Tia wasn't sound until I put the boots on today. Same old foot, front right. Totally sound in a boot, so it has to be something like a bruise. She did have stones in her feet when she came in so unfortunately it looks like she has bruised it again, because she was certainly perfectly sound yesterday. The doubt for starting her eventing career is now looking as if it will be the dressage. She jumps fine and is sound in boots, but she can't do dressage in boots. If she is not sound enough to do a dressage test then we can't go. 3 weeks tomorrow. Fingers crossed everyone!

I know I am at the borderline of what is possible barefoot here. It is asking a big question to take the shoes off a thoroughbred and compete within three months. She has great soles and does not seem to mind concrete, but she does have some sensitivity issues with that one foot when anything packs up inside it. It's not as concave as the other three either, which would fit with the issues she has with it. I will obviously be keeping a very close eye on things and I won't risk her long term soundness in a rush to get her competing. But won't it be ironic if it's the dressage that stops us???

C.