When I bought Q he was in supreme condition, a lovely round bum and plenty of neck. Sadly due to 3 injuries one after the other over my first 4 months of owning him he had to do a grand total of 12 weeks box rest. He lost a lot of weight and a lot of muscle, he wen’t from looking like an absolute stunner to a bit of a rescue case that I would have been ashamed of people seeing.
I know this wasn’t my fault, he was stressed in a new environment, by himself on box rest with people he barely knew. It was inevitable that he’d lose muscle, and despite being fed a considerable amount he also lost weight. I wanted to share this because it’s not always rainbows and sunshine with horses and I believe talking about the downs is important. Social media can feel like everyone is living an unattainable lifestyle, and that is because we only share the good bits.
Because of such a dramatic change in body shape Q also didn’t fit his saddle anymore. I’ve had Free and Easy saddles for almost 20 years, I’ve fitted them predominantly myself and never had any issues. But Q is eluding the ‘perfect’ fit at the moment, that’s ok though, we’ll get there. It’s about altering and testing one thing at a time until you get that sweet spot, there is no rush to getting it right.
Beth Endurance 