She is no longer on pain killers and the vets are very happy with how well she is moving on it. She had having further tests done on Thursday and David tapped her knee joint again to see if she has managed to fight off the infection.......the results are showing good progress and he was happy for her to come home last Friday!! She's back where she belongs now, even if I've got months of bandaging ahead of me :) Roxie is very pleased to be home too and had a good catch up nose tickle and scratch with Milli! We have to go back to Bell Equine at the end of next week for a check up.....fingers crossed they're pleased with how it's looking and the progression is good!

Milli has been working incredibly well recently and thankfully before my bad fall on Roxie at Tweseldown, I had already completed the Novice on Milli. It was only mine and Milli's second Novice run of the season and she proved she's more than ready for the step up. I've been working really hard on her dressage at home as she can work very well but it's just been a case of persuading her to work well! She certainly worked well at Tweseldown and performed a lovely test to score 33.0 which put us in the top 15 after dressage! Next was the SJ and, as always at Tweseldown the course was up to height with lots of people having faults. Milli jumped a super round for me, picking up a very unlucky 4 faults at fence 6, which was an upright back towards all the tradestands and she just went a little babyish on me when we turned to face all the tradestands so just got a bit close and tapped it behind. On to the XC and she was an absolute star and jumped a super clear around what was a very tough track for that level and we only picked up 3.2 time faults which resulted in us finishing in 12th place in a big arena of 40+ competitors so I was incredibly pleased with her.

I had a few days off riding after my fall with Roxie as I was very sore, a bit battered and bruised! I had a dressage lesson on Milli and although I ached quite a lot after it was bearable so I decided to go ahead and still run Milli at Stratford Hills last weekend. It wasn't our finest run by any means but it did us good to go. My right hip is still sore from my fall and I think this is making me sit slightly lopsided and Milli is such a sensitive little mare she wasn't very happy with how I was sat in the dressage which resulted in us scoring 41.0. With a few pain killers taken, I change dour tack and we headed off to the SJ arena. The SJ course looked a really nice course on forward distances but it was causing chaos!! I went in and Milli started jumping very well but we did tap two poles and then she went to have two stops at the bogey fence, fence 8, which was very unlike her. The fence was causing many problems with other riders as well but Milli has never stopped before so she was obviously picking up slight nerves from me but she finished the course really well. I was unsure whether to take her XC or not as Roxie's fall had clearly knocked my confidence more than I had thought, probably mainly because poor Roxie got so badly injured. After talking to my mum I decided to take Milli XC but just to go steady. Milli was a star and gave me a super run, making nothing of the course which was a real confidence boost for me, especially after hearing the news of the deaths at Luhmuhlen  and Nunney, it really brought home how dangerous this sport we love so much actually is!

Milli and I had a SJ lesson on Wednesday and we had a great lesson. She jumped like a pro, so after this, and we have another lesson next week as well to make sure we're are fully prepared for our next run which is at Eridge Horse Trials at the end of the month :) Carly from WOW Saddles is coming out at the weekend to check the air in my saddles as we think I may need some asymmetric air in again after my fall with Roxie, so that I'm sitting evenly on Milli's back.......It really is magic how these saddles work!

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***Keep Calm & Canter On***
***Eventing 2014***

Milli was having her second Novice run this season and after not being to an event since Chilham at the end of April she was very pleased to be back out! She warmed up well and performed a super dressage test for 33 (a PB for us at this level!). She then had an unlucky 4 faults SJ around what was a very big track for us but I wasn't bothered by it as it was just a babyish mistake, as we turned to face all the tradestands which made her hesitate slightly meaning we were a bit too close to a big upright so she just tapped the front rail. However she topped up a good start by going XC like a pro and she jumped an awesome clear XC picking up just 3.2 time faults! The track was a very challenging course causing lots of problems even for more experienced horses!! We finished just out of the placings in 12th in what was a very big arena of 40+ competitors so I was very pleased with her!                         (More pictures and a video to follow shortly)

Roxie however isn't enjoying a nice relaxing day in the field unfortunately.....she did a super dressage test to score 36.4, and had a very unfortunate two down SJ but she jumped a super round putting into practice new techniques I've learnt in recent SJ lessons. On to XC and this is where it didn't quite go to plan!! She started off super, being very bold around what was another tough track causing multiple problems! We got towards the end of the course and approached the skinny house jump into the water, we were on a great stride to the first and just as we took off I looked over to the 'b' element......next I knew we were both lying next to each other in the water! Roxie got up and headed to the next fence, shortly followed by a very damp rider, me! The water went on to cause further falls and problems, so many that both fences were removed from the course so it was just canter through the puddle!

I set of towards the fence judge at the next fence who had caught Roxie for me and I could already see quite a lot of blood and as I got to her I could see she had badly cut her left knee. She didn't want to stop so I began the long walk back to the car park to meet the vet who began washing it all. She had a few other superficial scrapes but the knee was the major concern as it was clear she'd badly damaged it :( So many people came to help us get her untacked, studs out etc which was greatly appreciated, I can't thank them all enough. The vet advised we took her straight to Bell Equine for them to look at further so we got her bandaged up and comfortable and headed off to Bell. She travelled really well and on arrival it was all cleaned again and her knee was scanned as well as x-rays being taken. On the x-rays you could very easily see the amount of grit and dirt that was in the wound. She was being a first class patient and standing very quietly for the vets but the next thing to decide wasn't do they operate or not it was when do they operate. By this time it was late at night so the decision was made to let her recover slightly and operate  first thing this morning. The good news is that the operation went well and she came back round safely and is back up on her feet now but all three joints in her knee were quite badly infected with dirt and grit so the main focus now is to get the infection under control. To say I'm worried and scared would be a huge understatement but I know she's a fighter and will try her very best! I am off to see her this evening and take her some treats as she's not been eating much, I didn't think she would as when I had my car accident in 2010 she hardly ate at all whilst I was in hospital as the bond between us is so strong! The yard is very quiet without her but all my fingers and toes are tightly crossed that she stays strong and will be back home as soon as she can be so the long road to recovery can begin.........

I will of course keep you all update of her progress.....

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***Keep Calm & Canter On***
***Eventing 2014***