He's back, he's bad...

...well, not bad exactly, but certainly on exuberant form(!).

The veterinary hospital are extremely pleased with the progress Paddy has made since his colic surgery last week and as you can see he is a whole lot perkier than he was this time last week!  So yesterday he had the all-clear to come back to Rockley, which is fantastic but rather nerve-wracking(!).

He is looking - and clearly feeling - terribly well and it will be interesting to see how well he tolerates the 4 weeks of box rest he needs for his surgery wound to heal fully. Fortunately he will be allowed out to graze in hand several times a day but he won't be allowed to do any "proper" work, even led from another horse, for the next month.

Having taken him out in hand yesterday, I suspect that we will all find the next few weeks rather trying but still its a big improvement from this time last week, when Paddy was in a much less happy situation.  He is now back in a box in the barn where the others can all come in and chat to him so he is getting lots of grooming from Taz and making faces at new boy Thomas, whom he regards as an alien intruder.  I never thought shovelling sh*t for Paddy again would make me so happy!

Thanks so much to all of you for your good wishes and thoughts, which I know both Paddy and Debbie (and I) appreciated enormously.  I am sure they were a big factor in getting Paddy through the last week :-)