and I thought getting the diagnosis would be the most challenging part!

It was a very discouraging week, as after getting that initial email from my vet mentioning ridden exercises, he did not respond to any follow up emails. I kind of felt like someone had asked me if I wanted cake, shown me the cake, and then said "oh actually you can't have this cake."

And I was all:

On top of that, I somehow got pneumonia and spent the latter part of last week, all weekend, and then through Tuesday feeling like utter CRAP. On Monday night I went to the ER because I could not breathe and got some pretty hefty antibiotics. In true antibiotic fashion, they made me feel both better and a whole lot worse.

I was back in the land of the living finally yesterday, just in time for my vet's office to call and request permission to give my barn owner copies of Lucy's vaccination records (sure, no problem). While I had them on the phone, I said, what the HECK is going on with my horse? Can she be ridden? Is she still supposed to be doing just five minutes in the fauxssoa? I expressed that I was pretty darn frustrated at this point, but I knew things were crazy over there with my vet leaving the practice, so I was trying my hardest to be patient. The worst part was when the lady I was talking to checked Lucy's records and said the vet who had emailed me initially about starting under saddle work had written in her notes that she was back under saddle at a walk, but had never told me this!! The lady felt really bad that I had been more or less forgotten about so they forwarded my info onto another vet in the practice and told me she would call me within a day to discuss a plan for Lucy.

Just a couple hours later the vet called just to tell me she was still out on the road and hadn't reviewed Lucy's file yet, but she had gotten my request and would be contacting me in the morning the next day. I was so impressed that she called just to tell me she'd call me! Finally, communication!

This morning she called me first thing and said she had looked at all of the reports from my old vet and Tuft's. She asked how Lucy was doing and I told her about the lunging and her great attitude. She said she'd like to come out and see Lucy next Thursday so that a) she can meet her and b) she can watch her go on the lunge line, palpate her back, and do a basic lameness exam to ensure she is really ready to go back under saddle.

So, fingers crossed that this is the final hurdle before Lucy can have a job again! I hope we can be back to doing totally awesome things like this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and most definitely this:

And I'm sure at that point we'll both need some Sore No More, which I will hopefully win in Hillary's giveaway over at Equestrian at Hart :D :D :D (she's having a contest; go check it out)