Nineteen days

I sat on Ace after lunging him today and he was relaxed about it. He didn't offer to move off, and I didn't want to press the issue because he was happy about me sitting there when last time he felt as if he was about to explode. So I got off and walked him down the hill and got on from a bank at the bottom, knowing that he would be quite motivated to walk up the hill to home.

Up we went, and in the gate and down the yard,  no problems at all. He hasn't laid down all day in spite of it being just the warm and humid conditions that would have made him do that. My objective now is to use the next two and a half weeks to get him to school gently and quietly in the arena and have some quiet hacks to build up his back muscles as much as we can. That way, all his most recent memories of being ridden will be good ones for when we restart again after the holes in his back have healed up.

Phew. If the operation is as successful as the bute then we will be home and dry. If not, I suppose permanent bute is an option, but it's both expensive and bad for gut and ultimately fatal for the liver.

I schooled Radar then, in a pelham. The walk was better than normal and I went straight for walk/canter/walk rather than have to calm down the trot. Mr Mad Dash made an appearance, but for a far shorter time than last time and he did some decent work, albeit under some protest :-)

I'm feeling a lot better today :-)

C