Yesterday we went to the barn in the afternoon looking to have a leisurely ride. We’ve been dragging a little bit after coming back from vacation, so even the fun things have felt a little difficult lately. Thankfully the weather was not so nice in the morning so we could hang around, read, and enjoy our coffee before getting out of the house. Once we got going, the weather was perfect.
In the pasture the guys were super happy to see us. Steen came trotting over almost right away, and then Bear took his time zig zagging through the herd to get to me. I think it was the first time he had come to me before, so that was really nice.
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| After the ride they’re always happy to hang near by, but it was nice they came to us, too. |
We took our time grooming them in the warm sun and then went over to the strip. Like Thursday, Bear was attentive and responsive. While trotting he felt super energetic again but was still listening nicely. Also his trot was very relaxed.
While taking a break from trotting we worked on a few flexing exercises and then changed up the pattern to include a few more turns. At this point Bear started to seem off. He was not behaving poorly, but he no longer felt happy to be working. The trot became a little more erratic and his head carriage was not nearly as relaxed as I’ve come to expect it to be.
I was using a new pad for the first time, and I thought that might possibly be settling into his back in a strange way. I thought this unlikely, but I didn’t have much more to go on. Robin watched us and thought it possibly could be his long feet (both guys are in need of a trim) or maybe the flexing we were doing earlier. As I was still tired I didn’t push things, but I’ll have to keep an eye on things for a few days.
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| It is the same pad I’ve been borrowing from Steen and Robin, but this one is 2 inches longer and wider, so it should accommodate his saddle a little bit better. |
Today the farrier came to the barn, so we don’t have to worry about long, un-even feet for awhile. Often we plan on riding during Duke-days, but rarely do we ever make it happen. Today was no different. Lots of people and horses around make for a crowded and long morning at the barn, so we just took care of the trimming today.
Both guys were quite good for the farrier. He said their hooves look great, so hopefully we can get back to some nice, long rides this week.