Under Doctor’s Orders

Just when I thought I was on the road to recovery, the seroma in my thigh filled up again.  I had another MRI done yesterday and discovered the seroma is 30 cm long by 7.5 wide.  Pretty huge.  So today my ortho surgeon aspirated it again (my 4th aspiration in 2 months) and took out 138 ml of murky fluid.   Gigantic, really.  No wonder I couldn’t walk.

I’m back on anti-biotics as there is suspected infection, which explains the bouts of fever I’ve been getting.  And I’m flat on my back again, with strict orders to keep my leg elevated.  I guess that means if I try to ride I have to pull out my old racing saddles.

I’ve been scolded by three people already for not listening to my doctor’s orders enough.   This time I’ve promised to do my best.  If after this aspiration the seroma still doesn’t heal, I am told my option is going to be to have a drain stuck in my leg.  I’m not too keen on a monsoon in my trousers so I think I’ll do my best to stick to doctors orders.

Legless

Yesterday was World Peace Day.  We had a nice Buka Puasa dinner with all the grooms and staff of Royal Selangor Polo Club.  Members joined in to celebrate Polo 4 Peace in Malaysia.  We had hoped to play a tournament for Polo 4 Peace, but the thunderstorm in the afternoon took care of that plan.

Not that I could have played.  My right quadricep continues to fill with fluid.  i had some more drained the other day and this time the fluid was pinkish, indicating it was still bleeding in there.  The doctors ultra-sounded it and the scan showed an 8.5 cm tear in the muscle.  Now they have taught me how to strap it up to help the tear to heal.  They want me to strap it for another fortnight, hoping it will help to heal it.  They say there will be internal scarring, but hopefully that is better than all this fluid sloshing around in my leg.

I had planned a comeback to riding and stick and balling over the weekend as all the inactivity is driving me half crazy.  (The concussion takes care of the other half.)  The latest set-back puts my comeback after Raya, making the National League tournament that is scheduled to start on 10 October too close for comfort.

The good news is that I continue to shed kilos with my Herbalife diet.  Usually, when I don’t ride, I put on weight.  During Ramadan I am doing only a shake a day, usually only for sahur, but I continue to lose weight.  In all, I have lost over 10 kg since March. I’ll be ready for next season!

Thai Equestrian Fashion

Thailand is without doubt the equestrian fashion leader in South East Asia. Colour coordination is the order of the day.

The range of colours is quite outstanding.  At the Thailand Dressage and Jumping championships, I saw purple, claret, gray, navy, green, black and red jackets.  Their horses are not spared either. Many are accessorized with matching saddle cloths, boots and ear bonnets.  There were even orange saddle cloths and, of course, the necessary floppy ear bonnets.   The floppier the better.

There was one showjumper who walked the course with two stilleto-ed models in yellow hotpants or miniskirt. I am told, at the last show, these models rushed in with umbrellas to provide shade when their boss fell off!

Most outstandingly dressed was the sub-junior rider in a sky blue jacket with her horse in a crocheted floppy bonnet in matching sky blue with black hoops.  The horse had a matching saddle pad and jumping boots.

This type of fashion sense is happily embraced by the kids in the lower classes.  More power to Thailand.

CDing the Thailand Championships

I am in Bangkok course designing showjumping tracks for the Thailand Championships.  I have course designed quite a bit in Thailand over the years: I think this is the fifth time I have the honour of course designing the Thailand Championships.  It is nice to be back.

It feels like it hasn’t stopped raining since I arrived.  We built the “Friendlies” this morning for this afternoon’s jumping.  My boots got completely soaked.  The crew were cutting drains in the arena as much as putting up fences.  It will be an interesting job adjusting the tracks as the arena isn’t particularly flat, and this morning there were some large water complexes that weren’t meant to be there!