July Wrap Up

 

	Butterball (and friends)
Training rides
Lessons
Hacks	1 hand walk
Flat rides	9
Cavaletti or jumps @ home
Conditioning rides	4 Aquatred sessions
XC school	HENRY @ Rocking Horse and Majestic
Shows

The highlights of this month included good news at Butterball's recheck ultrasound and cross country with Henry at Majestic and Rocking Horse. 

Butterball got the okay to go for 30-40 minute rides every other day with 15-18 minutes of trot per ride and a few strides of canter in straight lines. While he thinks this is a TON of work, and to be fair it is 1000 degrees, it has given me an opportunity to be very mindful and deliberate about every stride of walk and trot. We've worked on our rein backs and leg yields as well. He has been a VERY good boy. 

He's still splish splashing once a week too and loves going to the clinic for his session and to say hi to all his favorite friends. This horse is such a ham. He does seem to wish they'd just fill the treadmill and let him hang out in the water, but he accepts walking too. 

Charlie is doing a whole lot of growing. He had his first trim the fourth week in July and was reportedly (mostly) a very good boy. 

Peekaboo between Maddie's legs

He's shedding baby fur and his socks/stockings are becoming so much more crisp

What diz? 

He's a bit rude to his mother sometimes; she puts up with it. The other mare in the field does not tolerate pushiness, so it is probably a good mix. 

It's been a week or so since we did a proper session of leading and feet and such. But I keep arriving when they've just gotten their hay which is a pretty unfair/unproductive time to try to work on things. Somehow I think he'll survive though. 

August will be more of the same. To try to slim pony pants down I've added in a 30 minute hand walk on most of the off days from riding. It's honestly fun to mosey around the neighborhood with him, he's happy to be out exploring and taking in the sights. I've picked up some extra shifts to compensate for the baby horse decision. Better to be working more while it is horrendously sticky and hot outside. 

Butterball gets his final recheck ultrasound (aka the insurance coverage runs out) at the end of August. Hopefully we'll be given the okay to do more cantering at that point. The tendon looks better and better. I can still feel the spot, but if I weren't hyperaware of it, it would be hard to notice these days.