Henry and I continue to have a blast (well I'm having a blast, he's happy 90% of the time, the other 10% of the time he's internally shaking his head at me). We played cross country again.
And then did a couple of stadium rounds a week later.
He's a different ride from Butterball, but at the same time, the basics of a steady, even stride and having enough canter don't really change. So it's good to still be getting in the mileage there. But it's also just plain fun to go jump around with a willing partner.
Meanwhile, Butterball got to go on a field trip to the Chi Institute. Ben had gone to their labs several times, but I had not taken Butterball. I was worried that he did not have 4 hours of touching in him. He is a VERY GOOD PONY, but he also has LOTS OF THOUGHTS and does LOTS OF THINGS. Whereas Ben is one of the only horses I know who would have been DELIGHTED to be in the exact same dressage arena every single day of his life. Soooo basically I was worried that we were going to run out of quarters and he was going to become the most annoying, fussy, fidgety pony ever.
Well, I underestimated my pony-golden-retriever. He had a great time.
First he inspected their lawn care job and helped out by removing any stray grass blades
His muzzle looks uneven. It was. They worked on it.
He enjoyed (almost) all the touching and reciprocated by cuddling with every single person
Then he got a nice break and ate some grass
Purposely headed into the long section, full on water buffalo
Hold on, I can't go back in yet, I'm peeing (and eating)
Definitely would have put himself through the person gate/pass through... definitely a pony
After his break he got REALLY SLEEPY
And took a nap
The whole first half was the students reviewing points, but even then he did react to the finger pressure at a few of them. It was very cool to see.
After the break they did an actual treatment with needles. They decided to work on his qi deficiency (based on his tongue, pulses, and tendon issue). He had many more feelings about his treatment than Ben ever did. He did request that the students slow down at one point when he was hit with a number of points around the feet. It was a good learning moment for them to look at their patient as well. But once the points were in he processed them very quietly. It was the first time that he was still other than when he napped. And after about 5-7 minutes he sorta came to again and had a few big releases and then requested that the needles be removed.
I took notes on which points they used and added a couple to my dolphin stim treatment plan for him. The TA did some myofascial release on him as well and noted tightness over his left SI area. While she released that myofascial sheet, he had some muscle fasciculations in his left lumbar paraspinal muscles, it all really is connected! The next ride our halts were so much straighter than they have been.
His new farm is on the way home, so we stopped and did his 30 minute walk there, it was fun to put pony on property for the first time
Thank you everyone for the advice on the Wednesday Wisdom. We've already put some of it into play as Charlie has gotten more comfortable and started to test boundaries. Do I think it is adorable that he knows I give good scritches now and tried to shove his butt into me to request them? Yes. Is it adorable if he's 900 pounds? No. Alright, nip that one in the bud.
We've done a couple of leading lessons post unintentional romp with lead rope. The first one was a little touch and go. But the second one he was roughly one million times better and very responsive to light pressure.
HE'S SO CUTE
We got to test out our response to pressure a few times in later lessons (4th and 5th??). The first time was when his field mate filly decided to go for a romp from across the pasture to buzz right by his butt. He didn't completely lose it and came back to earth relatively quickly. Good boy.
Pony tail OMG
Another test was when we were walking around and then he ALL OF A SUDDEN noticed the chair and magazines I had sitting by the gate as we were headed that direction. He wanted to turn around and leave, but again acquiesced to pressure to stay (relatively) with me. I used the approach and retreat method to make two circles away from the scary items then called it good.
It was lightly raining and his mane was crimpy and adorable
I've been playing with Warwick Schiller's drive and draw idea as well. 100% draw horses run right up and into your space and push you over. 100% drive horses run away from you when you look their way. Initially, as I guess is typical (wouldn't know, haven't done this before), he had much more drive. But we're getting a good balance now.
Enough draw that he's now comfortable napping right next to me. He noticed me as I walked over, but kept his eye sleepy, so I came close and then sat down
All four decided it was nap time
Teddy (his dam) was initially standing, but then heaved a big sigh and laid down too
Sweet mare
Ermagerd
I've been picking up his feet for a few weeks now, but then I decided that I should be able to hold them up for 5-10 seconds. We had a few awkward dances while he used his other three legs to move around and once went down on his knees. I realized after a few tries that I had gone from merely lifting the foot to expecting to hold onto the foot for much longer, so I backed off to a one-one thousand and then setting the foot down again. Baby steps for the baby, sorry buddy.
I've had a lot of shifts the past few weeks, but fortunately Charlie's farm is on the way to work. So it's pretty easy to stop in and see him for a couple of minutes. He's getting so bold that it's become much harder to get far away pics of him.
Don't worry, there is a Foal Friday post coming with more of an update and many more pictures.
Starting to shed out
Following me
Not a view I'll get in a year or two, savoring it now. Now I know how parents feel with their infants.
Hi
Probably his first time eating from a hand?
Everyone taking advantage as I went out the gate
Butterball has not been forgotten either, enjoy this series of his levels of alertness as he ate some hay and waited for his trimmer and observed floor construction in the feed room
This week I've discovered there is a HUGE learning curve to foals. And I suffered from a bit of the Dunning-Kruger effect for sure. Asking Amanda for help AFTER Charlie took a romp around his field with a long rope attached was not one of my more shining moments, but no one was injured in the process, thank goodness.
Doing it right, clearly
So while there is no substitution for in-person hands-on training and advice, I would like to ask for advice re Charlie. What things are essential to know when you raise a baby? Dos and don'ts, mistakes you've made that you're willing to share in hopes that I won't repeat them etc
Currently my response to his nibbles is to squeak and jump a bit. He's a very sensitive soul so this seems to be working to teach him he can explore with lips but not teeth. This was his face in response to my squeak. Everything he does is SO CUTE.
Butterball had his ultrasound recheck yesterday morning, almost 4 weeks after his initial diagnosis and was pronounced "as good as we could possibly expect". There was a 40-50% improvement from the initial lesion. No need for Renovo injection at this time since he seems to be doing an excellent job of healing on his own. This means we got the go ahead to start tack walking for 30 minutes every other day on good footing, avoiding small circles. We also are allowed to do "small amounts" of trotting in straight lines only.
Thank goodness! Pony is ROUND. It's also five million degrees so putting his grazing muzzle on seems rude. Hopefully the walking will help stabilize his weight if not lead to a bit of weight loss.
Walking in hand along the uneven dirt road where things are most likely to be spooky
To then get on to walk the paved road to see his moo friends
Promised Charlie picture
We'll do this for roughly three weeks and then recheck the ultrasound again. If there is continued healing, canter work will be added in. Theoretically by the fall (I didn't ask which fall month he meant although I desperately wanted to) he will be back in full work.
It's odd, this may end up being the longest time I've had a horse out of work. But unlike Ben's various amorphous lamenesses (that in hindsight were almost always feet induced), this feels manageable with much less of an emotional spiral (we're just gonna ignore the baby pony purchase). I think having a set timeline and a very concrete way to show that things are getting better is VERY helpful. It did sting to hear that horses who have had this type of injury have a 30-40% higher risk of re-injury. But, y'know, we're doing everything we can.
The 👑deserves his own post after two awesome cross country adventures in the past week.
Saturday we went to the horse park. I had taken Henry XC once before, and it is always a joy. I really hope everyone gets to ride a Henry cross country at some point in their life. He is so straight forward and is also obviously having a great time. At the end I thought the gallop over the bridge to the cabin looked fun. When I believed in it, he was delighted to do it. A few times when there were no fences in sight he did a tiny bit of his trademark porpoising, which is hilarious. Also, this is all done in the side pull hackamore. Perfect boy.
Then yesterday we went to Sweet Dixie to play. We got a bit of a later start and it was toasty, so we didn't do much, but as usual he was perfect. He's very helpful for continuing to develop the feel of NOT changing the pace the last few strides. Don't push, don't pull, just keep the stride length the same and it all works out.
As a thank you for continuing to put up with my sometimes questionable choices, I took him to get his hocks done after we left Sweet Dixie.
Is he not the absolute cutest?
And since he's probably going to sneak into every single post for a good long while... another Charlie tidbit. After tucking Henny away in his stall, I hung out with Charlie for a few. We did a few "real" things like picking up feet and moving away from pressure. He is just so stinking cute. His muzzle is the perfect size and softness to smooch on.
Turns out going to ride Tully and Henry at a farm with a bunch of brand new, really freaking cute well bred foals when I was potentially a bit emotionally vulnerable was a poor plan.
Because now I have a Charlie.
In years past I had drooled over the Willow Tree Warmblood posts with their lovely foals, but had been pretty well able to make the financially wise choice and resist. However, see above about emotionally vulnerable. And now that I've entered the pony world with Butterball, I'm here to stay. They're just... sounder, cheaper, easier. And since I have zero upper level aspirations, ponies are pretty likely to be able to keep me happy doing the thing (learning and growing with a sound horse).
I'll let Charlie's ad describe him, since Amanda writes far more eloquently than I do. Her description on her blog of "Anyone looking for a super fancy large pony sportscar? This kiddo is very athletic and a super mover, he’d be great for a petite adult." just... spoke to me. Thanks a lot.
Uncharted WTW "Charlie"
2026 bay sportpony colt by Fox Creek's Masterpiece out of Pheodora WTW (Usandro Tilia Derlenn)
Petite adults that are looking for a flashy and fun-sized sportscar, this is your guy! Charlie should mature to large pony size, and he is the total package. He has three very good gaits, is uphill and light on his feet, and incredibly athletic. His sire, Fox Creek's Masterpiece, has competed through FEI level dressage. His dam, Pheodora, is by the French stallion Usandro Tilia Derlenn (Sandro's Boy x Welcome Sympatico) who is mostly Hanoverian and was the #1 pony jumper sire in France for several years. Charlie should be suitable for just about anything, and he's very outgoing and friendly.
He has tiny pony ears
And the cutest spot on his lip
And like most babies, does an excellent llama impression when getting scritches
Looooong lip
I am so excited for the journey with this kid. I'm going to be learning right along with him, with lots of help, and I can't wait.
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