March 2025 Wrap Up

 

	Butterball
Training rides	0
Lessons	2- jump
Hacks	2
Ground work, lunge, long line	1-     Walk cavaletti and back raises
Flat rides	6
Conditioning rides	0
XC school	0
Shows	0

Butterball and I had a pretty quiet month. I went out of town twice. North Carolina with my dad and brother at the start of the month.

Cats came along and had a fantastic time. Still breaks my heart it wasn't Pico, but such is life. 

Deer nomming on a deer block

Fox squirrel in the snow! I had no idea there were fox squirrels in NC

March snow - I thought it was fun, but I hear people who live up here are less thrilled with March snow. 

Then NJ to visit my best friend at the end of the month. 

Her super cute cat sharing my bed 

All in all, Butterball had 12 rides this month and 1 ground work session. After this most recent farrier visit I can see bruising growing out through the sole on the LEFT hind, not even the one he was lame on. I feel so bad that my barefoot experiment ended up hurting him. And obviously we missed Carolina International due to his sore feet, but in the end most of the national divisions didn't run XC because of the massive storms that blew through. So all we missed was a long drive and a CT. Well timed, Butterball. 

We seem to be back on track now because he was negative to hoof testers all around at his farrier appointment on the 24th and has been feeling great both on the flat and to jump. 

After the farrier appointment, my friend and I went for a hack around her neighborhood. There were lots of dogs, fortunately behind fences, that came bolting up through foliage to bark at the horses. Butterball was super about that and barely flinched. But he did have a difficult time with a large rock. 

SO GOLDEN!!! 

Wish I'd been sitting up a bit straighter LOL. Through clicking and cookies he eventually touched the rock. Then her dutch gelding came to investigate. I swear BB gave him a look as he snorted like "What's the big deal dummy, it's a rock"

The big news of the month was getting our re-treed dressage saddle back and new jump saddle. After a couple of rides in the jump saddle, I can safely say that it works very well for both of us! And his back has never looked so up as after a good dressage ride in the re-treed saddle. 

I got him a schockemohle off of Ebay that we both love. He's so handsome in it! 

Looking ahead to April, we're doing Rocking Horse this upcoming weekend and then Ocala International Easter weekend. My lovely coworker/friend whose house he goes to for the farrier kindly switched shifts with me after the disappointment of not going to Carolina. 

I definitely need to get more serious about his fitness in April now that things are feeling great again. And to do this I am jotting down tentative plans on my calendar for working those fitness days in. It is so easy to just hack and then flat at home and never end up doing our trot sets let alone the canter sets. Also the ground is (relatively) quite hard where I am, so hauling out to do the fitness work would be ideal. 

I hope April is off to a good start for everyone else as well!!