At the beginning of the month, Hampton came up mildly lame (grade 1) on his left front. I immediately called the vet out because I was suspecting his navicular was acting up. The vet disagreed, and said it was more likely a mild collateral ligament injury in his hoof.
We injected his coffin joint, and while still allowed to work my vet said no lateral work, tight circles or anything that could torque his foot for 2 weeks.
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| His body is looking like a snack these days. |
So we did that, although two days after the injection he was sound. So who knows. But he is back in full work now and feels great.
But I did decide to scrap the rest of show season. I may hit up a schooling show just to get ring time, but no more rated shows for us this year. Which I was totally ok about. Saves money, and it means we can have a little non-dressage fun to close out the year! :)
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Then my mom had to have back surgery. She's ok! But I did end up spending almost the whole week up there with her. She is a tough lady. So Hampton ended up with another 4 days off.
I did sneak away for a couple of hours to play with Liz and her kids' pony, Spot. (She lives not far from my mom) He is adorable but is somewhat of a SHIT which only made me laugh and almost fall off.
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| Spot's opinion on having me cowgirl him around bareback for a bit. |
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And then last Friday a friend very suddenly and unexpected died. She was only 57.
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| Kathy, on the left. Want a sobering fact? Out of the six of us in this photo taken in 2014, only myself, Liz, and Hampton are still alive. |
Our local horse community is in shock. She was a kind, wise friend to everyone. She was one of the first friends I made when I moved to KY. We went to a number of shows together, first with her young palomino cross and later with her Morgan/QH cross. She was a integral part of the local TB rehoming organization, Second Stride. She was a mentor and light to many, many people.
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| L-R: Kathy, Donna, myself, Kim at Rolex a few years ago |
I am still in disbelief that she is gone.
Her husband said that about a month ago, she had said "I have such a great life."
Devastated is such a weak word when it comes to this kind of loss for her family and friends. Life is so short and people can be taken so swiftly.
Kathy, you will be missed.
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| Kathy and Nichole following us back from the show ring. |
Life can be so very mixed. I'm sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about Kathy, she seemed like such a selfless and energetic woman. Glad Hamps is okay - let me know if you have a weekend day for trail riding before the weather gets bad! I'm up for any kind of adventure.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss. I didn't know Kathy personally, but I have seen the impact the loss of her has had on the community. September 2019 will, in many ways, go down as the worst month I have seen. It seemed like loss, setbacks, and pure chaos just ruled the entire month. Hopefully, October gives us all a change to grieve, breathe, and heal.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss - she sounds like she was such a beautiful woman.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Hampton is feeling better and that your mom is on the mend!
*hugs*
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so very sorry for your loss. It's hard to understand when things like this happen.
ReplyDeleteMany hugs to you, that is so sad. Glad to hear that Hampton is feeling better though so he can be a fully functioning therapist. <3
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