Whooo it's cold out there!

I rode Ace indoors and I still had to come in and warm up before I took Radar out for a hack. That's with Musto Ultimates, 3 jumpers and a padded coat on.  When I hacked Radar I had 2 pairs of Ultimates, 3 jumpers, 2 coats, ear muffler/scarf, and padded Sealskinz gloves on and was just about OK.

The hack was fun because it was sunny as well as bitterly cold and Radar was lovey and forward. Ace was a piggy! He didn't want to play indoors, and was resistant and setting on me. I tried walk/halt/walk but it did not work. I tried jogging but it did not work. I tried shoulder in but it did not work. I decided that I could  not get anything out of him today and to forget about it, so I gave him a long rein and let him walk around sniffing the dirt. He then did three halts without setting on the reins, and two reluctant (but improved on previous efforts) rein backs. And then I gave it up as a bad job to wait for better weather and more space. In the old days I'd have had a heck of a fight, but I'm not like that any more :-).

Whilst Ace was cooking I lunged Woody. He was unsound to the right, and it increased the longer he carried on. That's not normal for a soft tissue injury, in the foot or anywhere else. They normally either stay the same or get better with exercise. It is, though, symptomatic of a splint. I checked his legs and sure enough, where he kicked himself on his first hunt he is forming a pea size splint on the inside of his right hind and he is sore when I press it. This is annoying, as it may take up to a  month of rest for him to come sound with a splint, and in that time his front feet may regress. Tough, I guess.

I need fuel now to warm me up again. Off for some lunch.

C