I haven’t said much about Thomas since my accident, mostly because I’ve only been able to see him a handful of times on the weekends, but also because I’ve had a lot of thoughts floating around in my ahead. Unfortunately I’m a chronic over-thinker, as evidenced by my last post, which is the worst thing I can be in this situation.
I’ve found that just not thinking about him is helpful, which sounds awful and is completely against my nature! I can’t control what’s going on with him, which is hard, so I just don’t even think about it. But I know he’s in good hands with Dustin and Michelle Craig at WestWind Farms in Upperville, learning all about the world.
He’s gone to a couple of local schooling facilities with a group of horses in the trailer and by all reports has been getting on the trailer fine and standing to wait his turn and when he’s done.
He did his first cross-country schooling a couple of weeks ago, and went up a bank, through water and over some little logs following another horse. He even left the group to go back to the trailers with no problem. Hopefully I can go watch him soon.
On the flat, Dustin’s been working on getting him to bend in all three gaits, and each time I’ve gone out he’s been more willing sooner to stretch downwards, first in trot and now a little bit in canter. He still wants to fall in on his left shoulder naturally, but it’s getting better.
He needs to learn to relax, so Dustin has been taking him for long hacks and working in the field a bit.
He did have one similar incident to mine with the mounting block where he started moving and felt the mounting block under his feet and got upset, so Dustin let him sleep with the mounting block in his stall for a few days, then had a helper move a short pole under his legs while he walked so he’d have to get used to having his legs get a little tangled up. He worked him over piles of random poles too, and when I saw him after that one weekend I was a little surprised to see him so sensitive to trotting over single rails and small jumps, but he had to take a step backwards to go forward as they say.
He’s going to stay through early August so I can get back in the saddle with Oh So first, then I’m hoping I can get on him at Dustin’s under supervision to see how it goes.
I was finally able to stand up close to him this week without my wheelchair, and he seemed friendly, but I wonder if he even remembers me? He definitely seems like a different horse, and it’s only been 7 weeks or so. I’m hoping as I get back to the office in the next week or two that I can visit him more often and start bonding again.
I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about him, so for now I’m going to keep him. He’s just overly sensitive and will need a lot of time, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted, but so it goes. Slow and steady wins the race. It has definitely become a new learning experience for me. Hopefully I can take some of the groundwork techniques from Dustin to use in the future.
As for my recovery, I was surprised to get permission to start fully weight bearing last week. My X-rays looked good, so I’m on the move with crutches and ankle braces that look like lace up high tops. I was also given permission to go to Rebecca Farm in July, so I’m super excited about that.
Great Meadow is first though, and I know I’ll probably be a bit lame, but there’s going to be less walking there. I’ve got a few weeks to get my endurance and strength up. I’m mostly just sore at the end of the day, and stiff in the morning. I’ve started outpatient physical therapy in Leesburg twice a week, so that should get my mobility back.
I’ve been able to groom Oh So a bit standing up, and we’ve both been enjoying that. Here’s some photos from the last few weeks!
Everything Eventing 