Plodding along - and baby news!

Barokko felt so bad Tues that I decided just to let him chill for a few days before trying again. I rode him briefly today, and he was much more energetic, very willing and eager - but still very very bothered in his airways. So progress in how he feels, but not yet in the state of his airways. Past the halfway mark on the high dosis treatment, as I don't know what to expect I can't judge if it's going well or not... The first 2 weeks - April 6-April 22 - are the actual treatment period, the following 4 weeks are really just to wean him gradually off the Prednisolone, so after the 22nd I'll have a chat with the vet to give her an update on how he's doing.

The good news is that in the moments where he during our ride where he was doing OK were absolutely fantastic! (and inevitably followed by a coughing spell, poor guy).


And now for the second part of the title - I'm pregnant :D I'm still comfortable riding, although I've cut down on how much and which horses. Sitting trot is OK some days, but not others, so that'll probably be no-go pretty soon. But other than that - oh yeah, and going up steep hills my belly hits the cantle - I can ride normally. I don't jump anymore, and only trail ride with company, but that's not due to physical reasons. Obviously, at some point in the future (hopefully a long way away still, but who knows) I won't feel good in the saddle anymore, I'm just hoping Barokko will be up and running for a bit before that happens ;)

I'm due in mid September. My plans for Barokko is to put him on 24-7 pasture once he's done with the meds at the end of May, and let him stay there through August. That'll get the barn work down to a minimum which I'm sure I'll appreciate (and my husband will, too, he's the one doing all of the mucking and heavy lifting right now ;) ). I don't want to just give him a bunch of time off now, he's been off so much because of his illness that once he's back in business I'd like to keep him that way, so in September and October I'll put him in full training with my trainer. I'll look for a half lease who can help keep him in shape up to my due date and when he's back from the trainer's in November. I have no way of knowing beforehand how quickly I can get back in the saddle, how much time I'll have for riding etc, so it'll be really good to have a helping hand. I'd posted an ad online and gotten several interesting responses, so as soon as he's OK I'll contact them again and see if one of them is a good match.