Last week, I wasn’t able to get down to the vet with Oh So, but my dad kindly agreed to take him on Tuesday. According to the vet over the phone, Oh So lunged sound in trot and was mildly lame on his hocks during flexions and fine with stifle flexions. She felt that he was a little bit back sore, so decided to do some chiropractic adjustment and hock injections.

He didn’t feel 100 percent better when I tried some light flat work on Friday after having a few days off. He seemed to get gradually better over the weekend, so after talking with my trainers, we came to the conclusion that although it was a good idea to get hock injections in preparation for the upcoming season, he must have tweaked himself somewhere in his back. I can feel it behind the saddle, like he’s tight in his back, but he’s been working sound over the last few days, so I think he just needs some rest and stretching.

We’re having a forced hiatus from riding this week, as the temperatures have plummeted and highs are only in the 30s. I’m hoping to be able to get on a couple of times in preparation for a jump lesson on Saturday, but we’ll see.

I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety and unrest the last couple of weeks that this lameness has been going on. Oh So is really my only riding horse (Sam does his best, but I can’t ask a lot of him these days). It’s the typical amateur problem. I have to be as careful as I can with Oh So now that he’s about to cross into his teenage years. But with that, comes less riding. I tend to want to practice until perfect, but I really can’ t do that anymore. I feel like this past winter, I’ve fallen a little bit behind with my trainer being out of town and now this lameness. We really haven’t jumped prelim height since before Christmas and that’s what I need to practice the most. My jump trainer, Lisa, insists that both of us know our job, but I hate feeling out of practice.

In other news, I booked a trip to Ireland! I’m going on a Cosmos bus trip June 26-July 5. I added an extra day before the tour starts in Dublin so I can explore on my own. I’m a little nervous, since I’ve never traveled to a foreign country alone, but I’m excited to have a day to plan my own adventure.

I was also surprised and honored to win a couple of series end awards for VADAF’s schooling show series for first and second level.