You won't find a ten year old which will do cleaner hind flexion tests than Woody did today. Heck, you won't find a three year old which will do cleaner hind flexion tests than Woody did today! Not one single unlevel step on either leg. It doesn't get any better than that.
The bad news for Woody is that it means the end of making any allowances for him as an invalid. He's been sound in front for the best part of two months. He's completely sound behind. Now, sound boys work properly when they are asked to :-) It has really set my mind at rest as to how to manage him from now on.
Radar is also sound. To my surprise he is even sound on bobbly surfaces, like the partly froze arena and the rough bits of road. I did take him out for a hack, but so much for the weather forecast of warming up a lot, I could see ice forming on the road in front of his feet. So I turned for home again.
A huge vehicle recovery truck passed me, but when I got to our hill it was sliding back down the road towards us on the ice. He managed to stop and I passed him squeezed between the bank and the truck. Radar is such a good boy in situations like that, he just did exactly what I told him. We had a whizz round on the arena when we got home, just to get his breathing rate up, since we couldn't complete the hack.
Ace got ridden first today, after his cooking session. He was perfectly behaved yet again. The surface was partly frozen, and we did a lot of walk before he felt confident enough to trot. He has really got travers in walk beautifully now. When he offered trot, I accepted it, and he did some lovely shoulder in, but he would not swing his quarters inwards into travers. I dropped his pace to a very slow jog, took a firm hold on the reins and made it clear my hands weren't going anywhere, and asked for jog travers, and then he understood. He did a few very good strides on each rein and then I went back to walk.
I have introduced him to a new exercise, walk 180 pirouettes. He is very easy to teach it to, because it is easy to control his shoulders and his quarters separately. So he understood almost immediately when I asked him to bring his shoulders around without moving his hindlegs off the spot that they were on. I couldn't see, of course, but it felt as if he hardly moved off the spot at all.
So, a really good day. Now I'll sit and wait for the eejits with their satnavs to knock the door because they're stuck on the ice, cos I can't go anywhere, SH has taken the pickup out for the day.
C
I think you should post a sign advertising "Satnav Help Fees for Eejits" out by the road and list a set of charges depending on exactly what you are expected to do. Bet you could pay for all your equine expenses for the season with the profits. *G*
ReplyDeleteWay to to, Woody! Great news indeed. And good news for Ace too, as those hocks are really important for his future as a dressage star. I do like his attention to learning. He seems to be a bright boy with a good attitude.
Radar is worth his weight triple in gold, managing that sliding truck emergency so well. A panicky horse could have been a disaster. Gotta love a level head like that!!
We've bought some "Road Closed" signs Jean. I hope they work!
ReplyDeleteC
How scary about the recovery truck! Reminds me, years ago (um, like more than 30 years ago), I almost slid into the ocean. As I drove to work down a steep hill with a sharp curve at the bottom, my old 68 Chevelle, slid, more or less out of control and I wondered if I could stop before I got to the ocean. I did and I am here to say so. But several inches of ice under snow does not make for good traction. Anyway, I am glad that Radar was a good boy.
ReplyDeleteHairy!!!! Not Radar, your slide :-)
ReplyDeleteC