We have lift-off

We finally have it all settled. Admission 4.30 Sunday 15th, operation Monday 16th  morning, hopefully home on Friday, possibly Saturday. It's going to cost a fortune because we are not insured (too expensive for 2 old codgers and in any case A's condition would have been excluded as "pre-existing" when we lost his work BUPA cover) and the NHS waiting list is another 4 months. Allan could be dead in that time, and both of us would be out of our minds with stress! We have been saving for the ten years that we have known this would have to be done and I just thank my lucky stars that we were both in occupations that let us earn enough money to do it. I know how privileged we are. The valve alone is around £3,500 - it's a high tec piece of kit, but then we do want it to beat 60 times a minute for the next 30 years!!!

So, with a clearer head I have schooled Ac and Jazz. Jazz went a lot better than yesterday, though he is not very forward at the moment and I am having trouble keeping him up in front of me in all three paces. This can be a symptom of ulcers, so I am waiting to see if the omeprazole kicks in over the next couple of days. I made sure not to work him too hard, or for too long. But I am going to give up on the posh expensive bits and go back to my £30 pair. He is quieter in the mouth in those than he is in the Neue Schule £125 salox set which are supposedly more comfortable for thick tongued warmbloods. Well, when did Jazz ever read the manual, eh :-)??

Ace is having me on a bit, so I got a bit tougher with him today. He was swishy-tailed and reluctant to go forward when I got on, but I decided this was feistyfives behaviour, and to  just push through and get him working. A couple of truculent kick-backs later, he got going and did a decent bit of work. He spun on me a couple of times napping to the gate, for which he got a pony-club boot in the ribs and I made a mental note not to let him drop back behind my leg where he can get a spin in. I sent him forward each time he dropped back or flicked his head, and we finished on some really decent sideways movement in trot leg-yield.

Buttie is going to have to go on a diet. He is definitely fat. It's not affecting his feet but in all conscience I cannot allow him to get a bigger belly than he has right now. Heaven knows where his ribs are, I haven't seen hide nor hair of them for weeks. I'm reviewing the options. Working him would mean lunge/longrein and I find that a total bore. I've tried a muzzle before and it rubs him. For the moment I am thinking of keeping him in the barn with the boys during the day, and on his own on the yard at night. One thing's for sure, I have to do something.

C