First off, thanks everyone for all the wonderful comments and suggestions about Simon. After I wrote that post, things actually took a turn for the worse and he showed up lame with a fat leg. Naturally, I decided he blew his suspensory and called the vet… planning his retirement while I waited for a diagnosis.

After two days of cold hosing + mud wrapping, the minor amount of swelling originally present went way down. Today the vet came out, and told me the swelling was actually the Deep Digital Flexor tendon area instead of the suspensory. In her words, she ‘jammed and pinched’ the DDFT and got 0 reaction from Simon. She did however, find a mild digital pulse and got a positive response to hoof testors in both front feet… the right slightly worse. So we moved to lunge him to see what he looked like, and the sucker looked mostly sound (of course he did).

What mild, occasional lameness that did show up was actually coming from the hind end. After more talking and prodding, new vet decided that the move combined with loss of turnout has caused him to lose some fitness in his hind end, which long time readers will know is already pretty severely compromised by bad hocks and stifles. The plan is to ride him lightly walk/trot for a few days, make sure the DDFT doesn’t get angry again, and then focus on hind end fitness. Basically, I paid to hear that my horse has growing pains from moving to CA which is ironic because I was blue because I knew he was having growing pains from moving to CA.

The good news is that I have an excellent farrier who’s going to get his feet on the right path, and a knowledgeable trainer who speaks Thoroughbred and had already noticed the mild lameness in the hind. As long as there’s not some mystery injury lurking with soft tissue (vet did not think this was the case, but it’s always possible), we should be able to get him on the right track pretty soon. His extra energy has already subsided with the new diet plan, and his overall mood seems to be improving as well. Fingers crossed this was just a blip in his path to success in California.

Now I’d like to share some happier news! As of today, I’m joining The Plaid Horse as their new Blog Editor! I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been writing some equestrian freelance as a side hustle to supplement my meager graduate school income, and that relationship has developed into a part-time position with TPH.

When I initially talked with publisher Piper Klemm about the role, I told her that blogging is one of the loves of my life. That sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I think blogs are such a dynamic, engaging platform to bring people together and connect ideas. I’ve seen first hand how amazing the equestrian blogging community can be, and I am thrilled to use this new platform to continue to grow our voices — because they are important!

One of my goals with The Plaid Horse blog is to publish content that appeals to a wider equestrian audience, and have pieces that horse lovers can benefit from whether they regularly show on the A circuit or enjoy leisurely trail riding. The magazine has a huge focus on education, horsemanship and enrichment and I’m hoping to pull from the amazing equine blogging community I’ve grown to know over the years so we can work together on this vision.

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