Birthday blog!

Rio is FIVE today! What a lovely, adorable, clever little man. I felt absolutely terrible this afternoon though, I had a tattoo on my foot last Wednesday and it's been swelling up on and off, and was very very warm this afternoon for a bit. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning to check all is ok, as the last thing I want is an infection! So it means that riding has been out of the question since... I'm sure Rio is enjoying his time off munching hay and sunbathing. Luckily I have wonderful friends and one of them very kindly poo picked for me this evening when she dropped his hay in for him! 

Here's the tattoo!

 It's in memory of Jazz, a pony who I was going to take on but sadly got very ill due to a foot abscess which would have cost thousands for the surgery required. He was a beautiful Haffy cross, always itchy and appreciative of a good scratch under the neck, on his shoulder, belly, or just about anywhere you could reach! He was cheeky and rude, and allowed to get away with whatever he wanted. He charged around outside the field when you tried to lead him to the barn, and would not let you catch him again unless you ganged up on him or used food to bribe him back to his field if you were alone. Despite all of this, he had the biggest heart, and I was so looking forward to working with him. In the end, he had to be PTS as it was the kindest thing we could do. In the two weeks he was at the vets, I was sure to visit several times to groom and talk to him so he knew he wasn't alone. It was a 40 minute drive each way, but I couldn't leave him in a box on his own wondering why he'd been left there. He deserved my time. Seeing him on his last day was heartbreaking, and the moment that we walked him from his stable to the box where it happened was awful. The first time he got to walk out of his box for 2 weeks and it was to go to that... So that's what this tattoo is for. 

To remember and to remind. Horses have given me back that quiet space, helping me to find myself on difficult days. Rio gives me something to work on, to give me focus, and to just lose myself in when I need it. 

Anyway, back to the happy occasion - HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIO! Here's to many more!

Ride safe x