They loved her.

Mum and Dad and 16 year old and two younger sisters all piled out of a 4wd pickup with a crew cab (this is a really functional vehicle for horse owners , these people aren't for "show" they're for real :-). The girl rode Tia really well in the barn. I let her canter, which I wouldn't normally but I thought she rode well enough to cope, and I was right. She jumped her over a small fence - the first time Tia has ever jumped in the barn. And the first time she's jumped at all since November or late October. She took her down the road and while her parents were having the willies over it being a single track road and cars coming up and down, Tia, of course, tucked herself into the side, stationary, until they had passed. She cantered her up the field opposite the house too.

They loved her to bits, and asked if I would take her to my training place so that they could try her properly in a bigger space. I had no problem with that, but I explained that it meant turning away the other people who had asked me to do the same. They went away to think for a couple of hours and then rang me later in the evening to offer a non-refundable deposit to stop me selling her to the first lot. Actually, I don't need it, because I would much prefer her to go to this lovely family than to the previous people, because the Saturday lot would have her in livery and she would only get turned out for an hour or two a day even in the summer. All I wanted was for them to show enough commitment to offer, I won't take the deposit until they are happy with her. So we are waiting to hear what day they can arrange to go to Somerford.

I wish that Zippy would give Jazz some lessons in fortitude. He has a fat fetlock with a seeping wound in it, but he's not even lame and he couldn't care less! I know that sounds bad, a seeping wound, but with wounds like this there is stuff to die and slough off in the bottom and actually it's quite a good sign that it's draining freely. What you don't want is for it to seal at the top before it's healed at the bottom.

I'm watching like a hawk for signs of infection - hard swelling, swelling up the leg, lameness, depression, temperature but if I don't get any then he's doing just fine. The cut itself is much smaller already. I have to emphasize chaps, that my decision not to call the vet was taken because of the site and depth of the wound. It wasn't deep enough to have got to the bone. It wasn't anywhere near a joint, in fact it's equi-distant between the coronet and the fetlock. If it had been close to a joint, I'd have got antibiotics into him immediately, because a joint infection is normally fatal. I was sure enough that it was a cosmetic issue only, and stitching would have required him to be kept on box rest and he would have gone ape kept in on his own.

Jazz looks sound but I've been in court today so I haven't ridden. I am not going to poultice any more because he has a spongy lump on the coronet and any more could make it go to proud flesh and that would cause some problems. There's just about a big enough split in it now to get the nozzle of the hydrogen peroxide bottle down it. He's not keen on that action - he doesn't exactly stand there and offer his foot :-) !!

Tetley is going from strength to strength. He has regained a lot of width on his chest which he had lost. Presumably that's why his shoulder blades have sunk back into his body. He's a very happy boy. He's eating like a horse :-)

C.