We both feel better

 

Let's go play Dan!! We had more time today so we hit the trails again with Kelli. We had a nice long hack and we did some different paths today. I managed to make our way back to that tree jump (not on purpose I promise) and... since we were there and the footing was good and... I couldn't help myself... We jumped it. I trotted Dan up to it and he was so good. I think he was sort of surprised because he popped his knees up to his eyeballs and jumped the tar out of it! Hee hee.. fun! So then I couldn't help myself and we came back for a second attempt. He immediately leapt into the canter and jumped it big! And then landed with a few little tiny buckaroos. Hee hee. Yay! We both needed that!

 

So then we continued on our ride and had a nice hack. We ended up in the arena for Kelli so I played a little. We did some trot work and he felt really pretty good! Nice and symmetrical. And happy to work. We played a bit. I did try a canter just to see. The left lead felt pretty decent but the right one felt awful. He was trying but he definitely isn't wanting to reach up and under with the right hind. And then after we cantered, he felt a bit sore. He wasn't really lame at the trot but felt lame/asymmetric at the walk. Ooops. Sorry buddy. But.. maybe it's more stretch/tightness than lameness??? I don't know. 

 

 

Another glorious day, another glorious ride

Ahhh.... the sun is out!! The weather is delightful! And I have time to ride. I got up early and got feed for the ponies. (I'm excited.. it's a new organic clean feed so hopefully they will like it). Then I met Kelli at Ashland. I had two lessons this afternoon with the girls, so Kelli and I coordinated so that we could have a decent hack and then I could get home in time to eat lunch and give Fleck lunch before I headed back out for my lessons. Of course.... Lyric had lost a shoe this morning so I may only have one lesson. But I figured it would be the early one since Laura and Julia bailed this week and that way Jacel wouldn't have a random hole in her day and could go home early. 

 

Except.... as soon as I pulled into Ashland, Patrick texted saying he could swing by in about 1.5 to 2 hours to put her shoe back on. Doh! But yay! So... I guess it's gonna be a quick ride! Which, sadness, but also.. gladness for Lyric. 

 

I still managed a 50 minute ride! I hopped on bareback and we headed out. We hacked around and I even did the water treadmill. I wanted to see how he felt so we trotted in the XC field a tiny bit too. Kelli said he looked pretty good but maybe a little stiff starting out when going right. But that's understandable. 

 

He's such a weirdo though. Down by the beaverdams he found some good dirt/rotten tree trunk and ate it and then made these faces! goober!

 

So we cut it short and headed back. I managed to pull into the driveway and park and drop the ramp and then Patrick pulled in behind me. Luckily Lyric was close, so.. I was able to grab her quickly. Phew! 

 

Grateful... so grateful!

 Thank you God for your kindness and blessings upon me. 

I ended up working this morning because it was raining. So I went and shockwaved two horses. Easy peasy! Then I came home and ate lunch. Still pouring. But then, as I was finishing... the sun started to peek through and the rain quit. Ooooohhhhh!! I checked the radar and it looked like I was going to have a decent window.. .maybe a little scattered shower here and there, but as likely to go around. So... I fed Fleck lunch, and let the others have a tiny snack too. I changed clothes and then Dan and I headed to Ashland. 

We had the place to ourselves suprisingly... the arenas were all closed but.. the trails were open! I hopped on bareback and we headed off. He was a very good boy. Only slightly frisky! We snacked and hacked and just enjoyed the squishyness of the day. We did a much longer walk than our last one and I noticed that he didn't seem upset at the uphills. And wasn't lame up hill either. Whooo hooo! I did a few little trots just to check him out and he felt pretty darn good! He actually tried to put his head down and buck a few times... once going downhill and once or twice when we were trotting. And, it was so cool! We were trotting and he suddenly put his head down and went to buck and as I pulled him up I saw a GIANT hawk or some sort of eagle type bird swoop up into the trees! It was huge! I'm not sure if that's what Dan was "spooking" at or it was just coincidence, but it was so cool!

There was water everywhere. It was so squishy and soft and wet. There were new creeks everywhere and they had rapids! We found a few new waterfalls too. And... we found a fun jump if it'll last til we can jump. It was so tempting to try it today but considering we haven't ridden but twice in two months, I wasn't sure how his stifle ligaments were looking, and it was slippery... I was a good girl and didn't. But it was tempting! 

We enjoyed ourselves and Dan didn't seem to want to go back home either so we added a trek in the XC course with a tiny detour through the water complex and then up the hill. And he still wanted to go explore more instead of heading back to the trailers, but... it was time to go home. Baby steps my friend. (ha ha... okay.. I know). 

I'm so grateful that it quit raining and I got to ride. I'm so grateful that Dan felt sound! The time off did him good. Now we've just got to strengthen up all the things again. 

Thank you God! 

Playing in the Rain

 Today was a soggy, rainy, dreary day. So.. Dan and I danced in the rain. 

I took him to the arena for some groundwork/lunging. I came armed with snacks. We started with our pillar walk and he was pretty good. Then we walked the ground poles. And then, he got sassy and pulled loose. So at that point, I gave up and just took the lead rope off and we played at liberty. We kind of made it up as we went. We played tag but I made sure that he halted and backed up away from me before he got cookies. Never once did I think he was going to run me over. We played with lunging, though he's not very good at it without the lead rope. And I could have easily taught him to rear today. He kept popping up in the front end. It was tempting... sooooo tempting. But I decided to behave and not encouarge that. Today at least. ;) 

We also jogged side by side and he's better at that. I managed to get him to trot the poles a few times. We also played with side passing over the poles. And we did the pole straddle a few times too. And then we did some more pillar walking. He was getting a bit nippy... mouthing at my jacket and hands for treats but he was mostly polite about it. More playful than anything. And he knew better so he was being careful. I still gave him stern looks a few times. 

It was fun though! And... he looked pretty darn sound behind. There were a few moments where he wasn't pushing off. But overall he looked pretty darn good! Although he looked more lame in the front end. Not lame. Weak... asymmetric. And he tripped hard a time or two. So I definitely think he needs to go back to work to get those shoulders working. I'm guessing that it's a combination of compensatory muscles as well as actually building up his atrophied muscles, but clearly 2 months off was not good for that. 

So... this month we'll do lots of walking and water treadmill and groundwork and hills and see what we can accomplish. 

And.. because the weather was not conducive to photos (and we were having too much fun), here's photos of his Reserve Champion Ribbon from the Obstacle Course. So.. maybe we can do that if nothing else. 

 

Behaving... mostly

 Dan was apparently MOSTLY good while we were on our cruise. :) Hee hee. I'm so glad I have such good petsitters to help them stay cool :) 

He did apparently lose a shoe... and then, politely, before Patrick came back out, lost another one. Ha ha. As did his sister. So.. at least when Patrick came out, he was able to put three shoes back on in one trip, vs three. ;) 

Hee hee. I miss these kiddos!