I had a lovely hack on Radar this morning when the weather was unexpectedly pleasant and not forecast to be that way. He was happy and bouncy and fairly obedient when asked to slow down a bit. His foot is sore only if he treads directly onto a stone on the hole, so it is a good job we didn't go yesterday. He only does it once an hour or so, but it would have been a mistake to go up rubble farm tracks like it.
Here is Ace's latest video. You'll have to excuse the mud, I simply couldn't be bothered to clean it off only to have him back like it tomorrow morning! I have posted it unedited right from the start, and you will see what happened because I asked him to trot too soon so that video man could get out of the cold. He thought it would hurt, and reacted accordingly. But that is, of course, nothing to what he used to do when it hurt him, so I know he wasn't in pain. It's also clear from the feel of his back under that saddle that he wasn't in pain.
I find it very interesting how he wants to work so stretched and low, when this was the last thing he used to want to do. Of course it is completely intentional to work him overbent at this stage if that is what he is happy doing.
This is 54 days after the operation, the twelth day he has been in work and the eleventh session of work he has actually done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJAkfsdzwgs&feature=yoyoure
Let me know what you think.
C
The little protests are not at all explosive. They almost seem to be a test on his part to see how he feels. I would suspect too, that in the colder weather he is far more likely to anticipate pain then when it's warm and sunny. That should go away sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see him stretch out to the bit more when he stretches down, but I suspect his initial training--before you got him--kind of discouraged that. So he is testing the stretch as well. But, my goodness, he certainly is having no issue about down and round.
Both trot and walk have a nice relaxation to them, promising even bigger gaits as he starts to get fit and begins to carry himself with some more impulsion.
Glad you made the decision you did with Radar and the hunting. It would have been easy to make him really sore if you'd gone out in tricky or stony footing.
The aspect ratio is incorrect Jean, I am trying to correct it but YouTube won't play with me :-(
ReplyDeleteC
Aspect ratio corrected, he looks much more free in his action now.
ReplyDeleteC
Looking good! Hey, by the time you are done, you will be a YouTube expert!
ReplyDelete