So much to be thankful for...

Hello!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  I was mildly scolded by my friend Wanda that I hadn't written a blog post in too long.  It's true, I've been taking a break.  This past July, I was reading back through my posts and I noticed that it was such a roller coaster ride - things are improving!  Oh, wait, a setback... things are improving!  Oops, a setback.  And so on and so on.  However, much has happened since my last blog entry, so Thanksgiving seems like a good day to catch you all up.

After Nox was cleared by the vet and I started riding again, things were going well.  We made it all the way to August before I felt a change in him again.  Something wasn't quite right.  But I just couldn't bear to write yet another setback post!  I figured I would wait and see what happened.  I called in the massage therapist and she worked on his back and pelvis, which were both out and causing him a lot of discomfort.  He started moving better again and we continued working on getting back into shape.  Here is a video of him trotting and he looks really good!

He is still having some trouble at the canter.  He tends to crossfire in back (switching his legs) and seems uncomfortable.  It feels like he is still favoring the leg with the torn ligament.  Since we are heading into winter and I won't be able to ride much anyway, I've decided to back off the training and just do very light work (walking, stretching, and easy trotting) a few times a week.  On non-riding days, I turn Nox out in the ring and let him run around as he pleases.  Here he is, playing in the puddle last week:

Once Spring comes back around, if he is still favoring the leg, I'll call the vet in again for an evaluation.

In other exciting news: Best Husband Ever and I bought a new house.  It has eight and a half acres and a small barn.  As soon as winter is over, we plan to build horse stalls in the barn and put up pasture fencing on the property, and we will be able to bring Nox home!  This is my ultimate dream come true.  I'll be able to look out my kitchen and bedroom windows and see my horse in the yard.  Amazing!  We'll get him a companion, of course.  I'm thinking a mini donkey.  Nox loved the mini donkey we had at the barn he's at now, they are pretty easy to care for, and they are absolutely adorable.

I will have more exciting things to write about as that time approaches and more pictures to share as we build the stalls and pastures.  Hopefully it will be a mild winter and we can get to work as soon as possible!  Here are a few pictures from today, taken by Best Husband Ever.  Happy Thanksgiving!