It didn't seem logical to put Ace under lights when the weather is up between 15 and 25, but at Mary Lou's suggestion I gave Ace his dinner under the infra red lights this morning. Boy was there a difference in his back tension after doing it. No wonder it kept him going all last winter. I suspect it might have kept him going all summer too, but I'm glad we found out before he did any more damage to his bones.
Only four days to go now. I've had a response to my email asking for rehab details and should get the answer later today. He is allergic to the metal bits on headcollars, bizarrely, so I have spent the morning covering one with fetching bits of bright pink vetwrap, in case he has to be left with it on for a long time. It makes patches of his skin harden and fall off in a lump. Very odd.
Radar has been RadaR today. Really nice relaxed and forward walk interspersed with moments of 'I'm going' :
a) faster
b) back into my stable
c) nowhere
d) completel off my head.
:-)
Then I took him into the field to look for ragwort from a high vantage point (found 5 bits in 12 acres, not bad) but he thought this was a signal for a gallop and was quite a handful. When I got off to walk back up pulling out everything I'd found, he was as quiet as a lamb, though. It's only the idea of a ridden gallop that excites him, isn't that funny?
Tomorrow we have a long ride with a group of friends. That will be interesting, it's not something we do very often without a bunch of dogs!
C
Dare you call the hounds "dogs?" *G*
ReplyDeleteAce is certainly a high maintenance horse. Allergic to the metal? Well, I'm sure the pink is quite fetching.
As for RadaR's continual reappearance? Well, at least it keeps you entertained both mentally and physically. Good thing he has such talent in the hunt field. Can you imagine what it would be like if your goal were to make him a real dressage horse? This way you can just play and pretend and then go jump something instead. *lol*
We call Ace 'high mainentance' too Jean. I discovered the metal allergy recently when I started to use the muzzle. The only piece not covered in sheepskin, the right side ring, took two semi circles of hair and skin off his face after a few days, which perfectly matched the shape of the metal ring where it was not covered with webbing. In theory it wasn't even touching his hair, never mind his skin, because it was sitting on top of the webbing, but it was still close enough. He must be very allergic to it.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who has just bought a little horse who behaves just like Radar. He won't ever hunt. He won't ever really gallop or be galloping fit. It will be interesting to see how he settles, because I have often wondered if Radar would be like this if he had not been hunted within six months of being backed.
He got the taste for speed and for making his own decisions (which you want to an extent in a hunter) far too early in his career because he was already six when he first worked.
Which is probably also why he reminds me of many of the ex racer thorougbreds I've retrained. They have the same start in life.
C
How interesting - that Radar is RadaR because he was hunted so early in his riding career. I think I am dealing with the opposite - Diego has had ten years to himself, pretty much, so is not inclined to do anything that's not his idea.
ReplyDeleteI happy to hear that the lights worked! See - there is something between my ears :-) How long does the effect from one session last?
It lasts, to some extent at least, all day. When he is back home I'll do him at least once a day.
ReplyDeleteC