No Stiches, No Shoes, No Stall Rest

Long time, no post!

Kwik had his sutures removed at the end of August and that meant NO MORE STALL REST!!! I honestly thought two weeks of stall rest would drive him absolutely bananas, but he handled it pretty well. The first couple of days he seemed on edge during the hand walks, but he figured out the new routine quickly and settled in just fine. I decided to put him on Ulcerguard to protect his tummy throughout his bute regimen, and (knock on wood) he didn't have any problems. He was also due for new shoes and my vet and farrier decided the best thing to do would be to pull his shoes and allow him to go barefoot during his layup. He's doing quite well without shoes, and the extra week of stall rest gave him some time to adjust before turnout. After two weeks of turnout in our small medical paddock, he will go back out in his pasture with Sky tonight. Hopefully any residual foot soreness with deter him from running around like an idiot!

I've definitely been a busy lady in the meantime. Adam and I joined three friends for a backpacking trip on Cumberland Island, GA. It was my very first backpacking trip, and it was amazing! We hiked 4 miles to a back country campsite the first day and spent the afternoon on the most incredible, pristine beach. The next day we hiked 4.5 miles to Plum Orchard Mansion, built by the Carnegie family circa 1900. The mansion was absolutely incredible- it even had an indoor heated swimming pool! After picnicking on the side porch of Plum Orchard we hiked 6.5 miles to the island's Sea Camp. The next morning we hiked up to the Dungeness Ruins to catch a glimpse of the island's main attraction- wild horses!! They weren't phased in the least by our presence, and I was able to get close enough to snap some great pictures!

On the boat in St. Mary's- we're ready for our adventure!

Beautiful salt marshes

Horseshoe crabs

Reindeer moss

Plum Orchard Mansion

Indoor heated swimming pool

Dungeness Ruins

Curious stallion!

Spanish moss everywhere- beautiful!

Gulfstream Park

Seems like everyone's been dealing with non-stop rain this past week, and it was no different in the ATL. Kwik and I had to get creative about when and where we rode, but I ended up having two really great rides. I wasn't sure we would get a ride in on Wednesday, but the rain stopped right as I finished tacking Kwik up, and we did some stretchy walk and trot work in the grass arena. I got bored with that and decided to see how Kwik would do trotting in the field right outside of the barn/arena (we've never done this before). I didn't even have the running martingale on, but he was really tuned in and I didn't think we would have any problems. He was awesome, and it was SO MUCH FUN trotting up and down all of the hills. He's really starting to use his bum up and down hills as opposed to barreling up and down thanks to all the trail riding we've been doing lately. He felt great (I think the hock injections and Pentosan are really working!), and I could tell he was having fun as well! I went out early Fourth of July Thursday to beat the rain. I really wanted to go on a trail ride, but I was the only one out at the time. So we went anyway- just me and Kwik :). We ambled down a short trail close to the barn and then headed back up Three Lakes Road. Kwik was definitely a little more aware of his surroundings than usual, but I sat back and enjoyed the ride and he settled in and did the same. When we reached the barn, it started to drizzle. I decided a little rain wouldn't hurt us, and we did our hill work in the field again. It was even more fun in the rain! I'm thinking we may be able to try a little trotting on the xc course in the very near future!

Kwik will have this week off since I'm in Fort Lauderdale on vacation until Sunday! Adam and I bummed around the beach on Saturday, and we went to Gulfstream Park on Sunday. It's a beautiful park- lots of palm trees! When we walked out to the track, I couldn't help smiling knowing Kwik had raced and won there in his first life! Adam taught me how to read the program and explained the betting. The betting is still a little confusing to me, but I had fun learning, and with a little more practice, I think I could get the hang of it. I bet on the first couple of races, but afterwards, I enjoyed watching the parade before each race's call to post. I couldn't get over how small these guys and gals are! There were eight races that day, and most of them were for three, four, and five year-olds. You could tell they still have some growing up to do- Kwik looks like a giant compared to these babies! I was also on a mission to speak with the track photographer, and after one of the races, she walked right past me. I approached her and explained that I owned an OTTB that raced at Gulfstream in 2007 and would like to purchase some winner's circle photos. She was extremely nice and offered to meet me back at the rail after the next race so she could grab the phone number for the photographer that year. Sure enough, after the next race, she found me and I copied the number into my program. I'll give him a call when I get home- we'll see what we can find out!

We really need to work on our selfies!

Start gate

I was in love with this pony horse the entire day! He was so cool, calm, and collected!

Cigar!

Parade ring

Saddling paddock. Adam swore up and down we were allowed back there, so we took a stroll. Not only are you not allowed back there if you aren't a trainer or owner, you can't bring drinks either. Whoopsie.