England Internship Day 2~ Equine Therapy Center (2)

Today was a new day. After an evening of anxiety and homesickness, I finally fell asleep. I woke up to grab some quick breakfast then meet down at the ETC at 9:00. From there we began to excercise horses. We currently have 5 horses in the ETC ( DingBat - a giant bay thoroughbred used for steeple chases who really is a ding-bat, very personably but bitey. Nero - a sorrel gelding on stall-rest recovering from colic. Madge - a bay mare who is lame on atleast 2 feet. Badger - who is actually leaving tonight, was a mare who came into the ETC with an c-shaped neck when it should have been an s-shape. We also have Roxy who is an adorable dapple pony that was in for schooling because she is going to be sold this weekend and Schmoo who is used as a demonstration horse on the technology. So really thats 6 horses.) First we excercised Ding in the aqua-fit water treadmill. This was reall cool!

He stands in there and walks, as we fill the water up to his elbow, for 20 minutes. After Ding, we ran Schmoo on the dry, highspeed treadmill.

Like I said, the facilities here are amazing! They also have a surgery table big enough for a horse and a padded recovery room! Furthermore, a mechanical horse is used to assess a rider's position, and kenetics by at both walk, trot, and canter motions (yes, I got to sit on it and "ride" it). It monitors the pressure points made between horse and rider!

Surgery Table

Padded Recovery Room

Mechanical Horse

All of these pics were taken from an observance balcony.

Many researchers use Hartpury's ETC for research, and sometimes for operations (but not so much anymore) since the local vet Three Counties built their new practice. After lunch and running to a nearby post office to finally get some American dollars exchanged into pounds, I watched Fiz ride Roxy in preparation for her sale this weekend, then I went to a lecture about the British charity called Blue Cross who rescues and rehabilitates horses. Last year alone the rescued 155 horses and placed 135 of them in new homes! I wonder if we have one of those in the U.S.? When I got back to the stables, we lunged/excercised Badger and then I watched the farriers fix and reshoe feet:

After grooming, cleaning stalls (which is done constantle throughout the day, anytime a horse poops it is picked up ASAP!), feeding horses, and sweeping "the yard" (they keep everything spotless and hay free here), Fiz took me into town to purchase a new adapter for my electronics (the lousy ones from walmart were not the right kinds, wasted 20$). We also stopped for a few groceries and a UK-style chocolate milk shake  which was icey and very rich, I couldn't finish it all, but delicious none-the-less! I cam back for dinner, took a long walk around campus and back a little country road (the houses here are so cute, like cottages)

a random Emu!

Thank-you all for keeping me in your prayers! Stay tuned~