(no subject)
long time no post :)
Raji is doing so great at the new barn, its awesome to see. he's still underweight by a bit but his coat and energy are super high. having him this close means I can ride as often as I can get out there, and I do :). we're up to 10-15 miles a pop and he's doign great. for the most part, the limiting agent isnt his joints right now, but his wind. woohoo! still, it can take a LONG time for his arthritic joints to get warmed up. but that's ok, we just take that time and its all good.
that said, its clear that we have some limitations. the guy is OLD after all. not so much the bendy twisty type stuff (ie alot of SCA games). after RUNNING for 5 miles, he was super stiff (was that muscle soreness or joints? hard to tell). he stocks up every night it looks like, so we really need to keep him moving (ie electric paddocks or highline vs tied to the trailer for the night if possible). had a "well pony" visit to try out the new vet and he was pronounced a "good horse" and the vet techs made appropriate amounts of fuss over him :).
I have never been so involved in a horses care before. its an interesting challenge, and I'm slowly learning the natural "bobble" in movement, condition, etc. its harder because Raj wont stop working if he hurts. when he's in pain, the difference in movement is so slight its easy to miss it, or misinterpret it as something else. but I'll learn, eventually :) and really, being stiff and achy? isnt the end of the world. I need to remember that *I* keep moving when *I'm* stiff and achey, and Raji can too
veyr much looking forward to the longer days so I can get some rides in midweek..its light till 5 now. gimme another hour and I'm set! 2 hrs is enough time to get there, get groomed/warmed up and take a quick lap around the park. woohoo! also looking forward to the CMO season...Lisa and I have plans :). I am aiming for at least one CMO a month. apparently you get a spiffy jacket when you get 500 points. I'm making a goal to get a jacket by end of next year :) we'll see what we can do!
I really do love my job :). its interesting, and what I do makes a real difference. I'm working my tush off, with crazy long hours, but its FUN so its all good. I feel appreciated and thats nice too :). My boss does a good job insulating me from the freaky stressful stuff at the management levels, so I'm in blissful happy lab land, doing fun experiments and cranking out piles of data.
this year the challenge will be manageing the work load better (evening it out so its not so feast or famine) and keeping up on the recordkeeping. meh.
but i fully expect to see another set of milestones easily hit, and I also expect to be asked to work on several new projects. thats' always fun as I need to develop new assay systems and read up on new technologies. Being R/D, that means what I figure out gets taken up by the clinical groups and there's a certain thrill in seeing YOUR assays become SOP for other teams :)
in case you hadnt heard, cute lttle red haired apprentice girl got offered her laurel at 12th night :). I'm proud as can be (duh) and look forward to her elevation at May Crown. It will be interesting to be the dowager peer and watch them grow into their new roles :)
Raji is doing so great at the new barn, its awesome to see. he's still underweight by a bit but his coat and energy are super high. having him this close means I can ride as often as I can get out there, and I do :). we're up to 10-15 miles a pop and he's doign great. for the most part, the limiting agent isnt his joints right now, but his wind. woohoo! still, it can take a LONG time for his arthritic joints to get warmed up. but that's ok, we just take that time and its all good.
that said, its clear that we have some limitations. the guy is OLD after all. not so much the bendy twisty type stuff (ie alot of SCA games). after RUNNING for 5 miles, he was super stiff (was that muscle soreness or joints? hard to tell). he stocks up every night it looks like, so we really need to keep him moving (ie electric paddocks or highline vs tied to the trailer for the night if possible). had a "well pony" visit to try out the new vet and he was pronounced a "good horse" and the vet techs made appropriate amounts of fuss over him :).
I have never been so involved in a horses care before. its an interesting challenge, and I'm slowly learning the natural "bobble" in movement, condition, etc. its harder because Raj wont stop working if he hurts. when he's in pain, the difference in movement is so slight its easy to miss it, or misinterpret it as something else. but I'll learn, eventually :) and really, being stiff and achy? isnt the end of the world. I need to remember that *I* keep moving when *I'm* stiff and achey, and Raji can too
veyr much looking forward to the longer days so I can get some rides in midweek..its light till 5 now. gimme another hour and I'm set! 2 hrs is enough time to get there, get groomed/warmed up and take a quick lap around the park. woohoo! also looking forward to the CMO season...Lisa and I have plans :). I am aiming for at least one CMO a month. apparently you get a spiffy jacket when you get 500 points. I'm making a goal to get a jacket by end of next year :) we'll see what we can do!
I really do love my job :). its interesting, and what I do makes a real difference. I'm working my tush off, with crazy long hours, but its FUN so its all good. I feel appreciated and thats nice too :). My boss does a good job insulating me from the freaky stressful stuff at the management levels, so I'm in blissful happy lab land, doing fun experiments and cranking out piles of data.
this year the challenge will be manageing the work load better (evening it out so its not so feast or famine) and keeping up on the recordkeeping. meh.
but i fully expect to see another set of milestones easily hit, and I also expect to be asked to work on several new projects. thats' always fun as I need to develop new assay systems and read up on new technologies. Being R/D, that means what I figure out gets taken up by the clinical groups and there's a certain thrill in seeing YOUR assays become SOP for other teams :)
in case you hadnt heard, cute lttle red haired apprentice girl got offered her laurel at 12th night :). I'm proud as can be (duh) and look forward to her elevation at May Crown. It will be interesting to be the dowager peer and watch them grow into their new roles :)