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Sproggie and family You gave Tess a beautiful life. Good night Tess

I wonder if that's what my French homework used to read like?

That's quite a list of Pendlewitch! Horses - so powerful yet so fragile! Great news about Super (calma) Wanda At least it's not worse news Clare but I know that doesn't help you at all and that you just want to know what to do for the best for Loki, and to get your beautiful boy back in his stride. Will be reading with lots of interest about the next physio visit and the results which I am quietly confident will be positive results I am very pleased Vet called tonight and Duke's arthritis is no worse His pedal bone is fine too. The change that was obvious is that his soles are a lot thinner than in his last xray, so confirms what she suspected. That the lameness is due to an original twist type of injury but because of his wonky pastern axis, the structural pressure has caused the laminae to tear away. So plastic shoes to support and re-balance as much as possible and to try to get some sole re-growth. She's going to call tomorrow with the plan after speaking to the farrier. Long-term she suggests keeping him shod to avoid wear of the sole, but at the moment there isn't enough sole available to put nails into without causing nail bind. I'm happy for him to be shod but the reason they were left off was because his feet kept cracking and everytime he lost a shoe/ripped one off, he lost great big chunks of his hoof wall with it. Plus when he had the lami another vet said it was better that he didn't have shoes because of the sensitivity of his foot so we're in the catch 22 club too Am very happy though

Thank you for posting on their behalf Alex! I wonder if now is a good time to tell Jack he needs a bath?

Just read this Sproggie and am so relieved Tess is improving Glad she's got Mr Croc with her as well. Very big hugs to you xx Keep pinking it up Tess

For some good news, C and I had a lovely canter in the park today Our trot to gallop transitions are still darn fine though

Thank you! We're joining the Monday club with Loki. Was in London today so again missed being there and might have to plea for Monday afternoon off when I get in on Monday morning! Vet is back Monday lunchtime to xray his foot to check for any internal damage, or worsening of the ringbone. His last xray was about 4/5 years ago when he was diagnosed so hope they've still got it. She ruled out Cushings based on his appearance and also didn't think it was lami. Her reason being was that she said lami in one foot normally only occurs if they've had repeat attacks and as last year's was the first time she didn't think it probable. I hate not being there to ask questions! She thinks it could be the ringbone but mostly suspects internal bruising and that the laminae has come away after something like twisting his foot in the field on hard ground. Because of his unbalanced feet, especially this white one, and thin soles, she thinks that's made it worse. (relaying what my Dad said!). More box rest to avoid further damage if it is that. Am really worried for him, I just have that horrible niggling feeling that it's not something simple or transitory. He's not badly lame, it's more the future prognosis that worries. He's my very precious baby. May Monday bring positive news all round!

Clare I can understand the worry! Will be thinking very good thoughts for Monday's visit and at least you can have the weekend to spend more (daylight)time with him in your sight. Duke seems sound and the lameness of the other week has cleared but there is still heat in his white foot, mainly around the coronet. This is after 2 butes and rest so I'm still thinking it must be the ringbone but trying (very hard) not to worry about it. Vet back tomorrow to reasses and then farrier. The foot was all hot before but now the very bottom of his foot is normal hence the focus on the coronet band. His foot would be completely hot before, even after the snow and frost. We'll be waiting and seeing with you Clare!

I'm finally getting round to emptying a few boxes and I have a Think!/Highways Agency Great Roads/Great Rides 2 DVD and bumf wanting a home. It's a freebie from work (2009 mind!) so if anyone would like please pm me an address to post to

I nearly did that with Cornish but as I was planning to ride I was a bad Mommy and baulked at the thought of a plastered wet mudded horse Bumble and Iz - definitley would have been a fabulous picture!! Sounds like Loki was a bit of star Clare, glad the other horse was safely collected, my heart would have been in my mouth. My worst horse accident was when I was leading them in from the field and they all spooked at a tractor in the next field and galloped off leaving me with a horse shoe in the face and quite literally broken and bent. Extra treats for him I think Obe at least his owner will be used to his many big little ways by now! Rode C both days this weekend and it was wonderful to be out in sunshine and with warm toes. Just need to find an arena and an instructor locally so we can start schooling properly. I had a bit of an outrage at one particularly idiotic driver on Saturday though. An older guy so lack of experience is no excuse, decided that he could not possibly wait all of a few minutes whilst I rode through the 'traffic calming' chicane on the road where the road is narrowed both sides to allow only one vehicle through at a time. Nope, he decided that it would be perfectly acceptable to PASS ME WHILST going through said narrow chicane. There was about one inch between my foot and his car with nowhere to go for either of us if anything happened. Even with me telling him not to pass he still tried to get through and looked in that 'man' way at me. Complete idiot driver. Then you get those who actually drive like life is valuable, and you wish they could all be like that. Anyway, had a fabulous weekend and I think Duke is improved and he seems content so keep fingers and hooves crossed please for the next few days. Oh and C of course has kept his vigil by the field gate as he can't possibly move more than 6 feet away from Duke's stable or even think about going down the field to eat, all on his own

A very big Hello to you Jamie, let the good times keep coming!!

BRILLIANT!!!! After seeing Sirius's pic though I have to say I am extremely impressed and more than a tad envious

Oooooo, oooo, Ooooooooooo! I've managed to get a last-minute ticket for the World Cup Obedience, which is, on SUNDAY!!! Think I'll be getting the train though, a tenner just to park is a bit too rich for me Whereabouts will you be?

Just read this on AOL and couldn't believe what I was reading. A Conservative government would crack down on waste and excessive bureaucracy from "day one", David Cameron said. In a speech to the Welsh Conservative conference in Llandudno, the Tory leader attacked Labour's "spendaholic culture" and repeatedly said he wanted to deliver "more for less". He said reducing demands on the state and reforming public services would have "a profound impact" on how much the government spent. Erm, isn't this EXACTLY what the New Labour Government said back in 1997? Modernisation agenda -reform of public services, efficiency, value for money agenda........ All hail the party who actually say what they think ought to be done, as opposed to what they think will win votes. End of broadcast.

Gooster, hope they can find an affordable solution, they must be angry that it went undiagnosed for so long Thank you for Duke, I'll treat it like lami and ask the farrier to come and have a look. Vet out again next week for a re-visit.

Vet came today and am none the wiser really, wish I'd been there. Confirmed heat, increased dig. pulse and lameness, and doube bute dose: and box rest for 4 days - in the best weather of the year so far, poor boy Suggested bruised sole as she said his soles are thin, or possibly a bit of the arthriticy (sp?) bone changes has broken away. Not convinced by the sole explanation as it's been brewing for a couple of months now plus the farrier, who always spots things no-one else has, mentioned no sign of bruising and he'll always say if he sees anything. Why would he go so much more lame after just one night out? They normally come in about 9pm so it wasn't a great deal of extra time His white foot has always been weak and, as yet, I'm no less worried.

Newt!!! All grown up Squeaky was as dappley as Newt as a baby No 'trying' with the photographer though Sarah - MAKE them go Sounds like very good news Clare and you must be so looking forward to have an arena again. I'm having a phase where I start to wonder if the vets think I have some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder where I am obsessed with calling the vet out! For the last couple of months Duke has regularly had heat in his front white foot and he's bbeen lame when turning in a tight circle like when coming through the gate, but fine on the straight. I put it down to the ringbone and the white foot was always the sensitive one. They've been in at night since December except for the very occasional night out when it's dry. I left them out last night though as C had stopped eating his hay overnight so whilst it was 'dry' (i.e. not raining!) I let them stay out. This evening Duke was obviously lame and was favouring the leg He's been on one bute a day for the last few years and now he's getting, dare I say it, 'old' at 27, I dread the prognosis if it is the ringbone.

Please don't shoot me but I have only just realised I've double booked . I'd promised to make up numbers in a club obedience match on 21st and as it wasn't on the calendar I use I completely forgot as it was arranged so long ago! I did try and get out of it but to no avail. Call me a spanner

Alex Thank you for telling us, says it all

Just back from work congress where this viral was shown, apparently it has been one of the fastest virals to spread globally on the internet. The reason the road safety world is so much behind it is because, unlike traditional 'hard-hitting' adverts, there is no blood and no gore. The director of the video lost his partner in a car crash, in which she was not wearing a seatbelt: she was also pregnant See what you think:

Bit of a pointless article really; nothing other than a headline. An animal was reared at a school and slaughtered for meat and people were upset about it - and what exactly? Isn't that pretty normal? At our secondary school (early '90's) cows and geese were kept for the rural studies class. The children (3rd year and above) actually slaughtered the geese themselves. I can still see the scenes now where blood was poured out of buckets as the rest of us pupils walked past on our way to our own classes. Not an especially rural area but a few farming families. The rural studies teacher responsible for this was one of the most respected teachers in the whole school and very popular. The don't do it any longer - because the field the animals lived in is now a sports centre and car park If I was a parent I would object if I had not been informed that this was going to happen - so that I could explain to my child in the way I felt it should be explained. But I would welcome the children understanding how exactly 'lamb' or 'pork' comes to be on the table, and what animals 'lamb' and 'pork' come from, i.e. what it means to eat meat. Funnily enough the first animal I stopped eating was lamb - aaged about 12 years. It was because of a school trip to Wales where we, obviously, saw lots of lambs in the field, and as Sproggie, it 'clicked' what the lamb on my plate actually was and it was the start of a whole new consciousness. An ill-considered article that completely misses the real stories - like hate campaigns, and the challenges of being a teacher in the modern-day world.

Very very special, nice to look into Milly's eyes again

I could just be very suspicious but reads like the vets are on a publicity drive given that they only opened 2 months ago and are asking people to call them! Most vets have cases of parvo, it's sadly not that uncommon to warrant phoning the paper about it in an act of good citizenry!

Course you can Anne Ted looks forward to comparing notes with Barty!

Drats. Two is good though so just say when Alex We can have a part 1 and a part 2 This was one of the possible routes today, the sun came out right at the end so I managed to walk in the darkest part of the day