I have bad news for Woody.

Sorry Woody. It's windy here. Get used to it, it won't stop.

I drew my bedroom curtains this morning to see him standing staring into the distance, transfixed. The other two were tucked up warm inside the barn but today Woody was very, very twitchy about the wind,which was, and is again tonight, admittedly very blustery indeed. I rode him this afternoon and he was unsettled all the way out.  I made a mistake trying to get him to move sideways off my leg on the way back. It just upset him and he stopped and backed up and got quite stressed. I got off and stood in a  gateway looking at the view until he stopped huffing and puffing  and was calm. I  got back easily from the verge and rode home quietly, lesson learned. I don't know if he doesn't understand moving off the leg or if he was just upset and not listening, but we will be working on it because it is essential to allow cars to pass us in narrow roads.

On the very plus side, he was as sound as a bell in trot on the road and very nearly normal in his action, just possibly still a tiny bit shorter than you might expect for a horse of his size. But much improved from his trot two days ago. Both his feet now have a full bar extending right around the point of his frog. Both have also stopped wearing at the toe, and I am hopeful that his toe will now lengthen and his feet will become round instead of squashed back at the toe as they currently appear.

Radar has had another day off and will work tomorrow morning.

Ace is very improved. I used my new routine, exercise blanket and lunge first. He had a couple of plunges in canter on the lunge, but nothing that would make you think more than "fresh horse, cold windy day". He was fine in walk, trot and canter to ride. Still spooking at the barrels but I am simply ignoring it, pretending that it hasn't happened. In canter left, he set and although the legs were moving, the back wasn't. I sent him on to try and free it, but he bucked. Instead of pulling him up, emboldened by the air jacket, I released the reins and sent him on even more. His head went down to the floor, he kicked out with one hind, and suddenly he was free and pulled himself together and cantered nicely. We finished on some decent trot/canter/trot circles.

I have to say that when he finishes a good session these days he looks bemused. Almost as if he can't work out why he didn't manage to get me wound up, and have the frisson of a fight. I know it's too easy to attribute emotions to horses but it is an odd reaction.

C.