If nothing else, eventing is a sport of ups and downs. One of the “downs” that has been a frustratingly frequent part of my life with horses has been that bad news from the vet thing. It happens to everyone, and when it happens the best thing we can do is make sure to help our horses on the best road to recovery and hope for the best. EN guest blogger Holly Hudspeth and her fabulous little fireplug of a horse, Last Monarch aka “Stewie,” are well on the road to recovery with good weekends at Full Gallop and Pine Top to start off the season. For much more from Holly, check out her website and blog. Thank you very much for writing this Holly and thank you for reading.
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From Holly:
Last March, as I hung up the phone with Dr. Dean Richardson, I was hopeful, yet cautious. After Stewie’s fall at SPHT II, Dr. Richardson gave him a long and precise rehab program. He also said he was not sure about Stewie returning to the 4 star level. Horses, he said, will tell us what they can do. Being 7 months pregnant that was a lot to handle. I like to be very hands on with the daily care of this horse, and watch every detail closely. Yet this time I would not be able to be a huge part of the daily recovery program.
The recovery period consisted of two months stall rest, two months hand walking, then supervised turnout with little walking under tack. I have to give huge kudos to Maxine Preston who logged about 1000 miles on foot to help bring this little rascal back. She not only had to deal with my anxiety during the whole process, but walked Stewie twice a day, sometimes 40 minutes each time. Eliza Granger and Allie Mestnik also took a few spins. So when I was able to start walking him under tack, at least he had a small base of fitness. I did three events last October and November, dropping him to prelim and taking it easy. I did canter around the intermediate track at VA, but opted not to show jump. In hindsight I should have stayed with three prelims, as that was where he felt the strongest. So I decided all winter was a time where he and I would get ourselves back into the groove we left off in. We stayed home, trotted hills, did gridwork, hacked out, and spent a lot of time together. Maxine went home for a three week holiday, and being that December is very slow for riding and lessons, I was able to spend a lot quality time with Stewie.
That time paid off as Stewie came out this spring feeling as good as I have ever felt him. January 28th we headed to Aiken for two weeks, and I decided to start with a prelim at Full Gallop where he finished 2nd. Then it was off to Pine Top for the intermediate, and I was pleased to be 5th behind Becky Holder and 3 of Phillip’s horses. But more important than the ribbons, Stewie was back to his feisty self on the cross country. His confidence felt 100 percent, and he came out of the competitions looking excellent. All those awful months of worrying seem to be slowly leaving my brain. I know I am not in the clear yet, but so far things are looking good. Next for Stewie is the advanced at Pine Top February 24th. My goal for the weekend is to have a happy and confident horse!
Like anyone else who has a 4 star horse, I would LOVE to get to Rolex this April. But I am taking it one show at a time. After Pine Top I am planning on SPHT II and The Fork. I know by then I will have a solid assessment of how Stewie’s knee is feeling. I am grateful for Dr. Tom Daniels who has been instrumental in this recovery process. And so far the knee has looked, felt, and flexed great. Radiographs have looked solid too.
Although the road has been long to get where we are now, I cannot put into words how good it feels to jump that little spit fire again. I have never ridden a horse with as much heart as Stewie, and probably never will. Will he ever be in the top 10 after dressage at a four star? Most likely not. His dressage is not what makes him so special. Yet knowing this horse would jump off the Golden Gate Bridge if I asked him to feels amazing. Like my friend Nanki tells me, “Stewie looks like you are riding a Kawasaki with the governor off on the cross country”. And to be honest, that is exactly what it feels like.
