Day 32

Red's lunch diet was short lived as I stopped feeding him noon-time grain since he's just sitting there with his little hurt leg. It did seem less swollen today and not quite as warm, but I kept his walk short again with lots of pausing for grazing and staring at the Belgains across the field.

Cold hosed him again, but of course no hose should ever be turned on without getting Red's face wet, so we played in that for awhile.

I swear he loves it.

Let him eat his hay with no wrap on so I could feel it again when I was done with Bobby.

Speaking of Bobby, I groomed and tacked him up in his stall hoping we wouldn't have a repeat of the girth fiasco of yesterday. Aaaandd....we didn't! So I may stick to that for awhile.

(As a non-pony sidenote, whenever my house phone rings, my grey kitten comes running from wherever she's been doing something naughty, jumps onto the shelf it's on, and stares it down. Oooooh, ringing phone! Sooooo exciting! She's sitting there with her head on sideways right now.)

Put the flash on so he wouldn't be fighting with me quite so much, and brought the whip out again since no spurs. He was walking like he was a hiar off again, so I got off and took a look at his feet to see if there was a rock in there, but saw nothing. Took his boots off and checked his legs (it felt like the LF when I was on him), but besides being warm from the boots, nothing there either. But I kept the boots off and when I got back on he was fine. The boots must not fit him well, or he just doesn't like them. I usually ride in splint boots, but these were open-front jump boots.

Wake up, Bobby! Time for work!

Lots and lots of work at the walk working on keeping him straight. He tilts his nose to the R and falls into the L with his body, no matter what direction we're going in. I think I just need to keep working on keeping him straight since I can't afford a chiro. I wonder if I sit a little crooked from my L knee being previously wrecked. I have to ride with that stirrup a little shorter because I can't carry my leg quite as well as my R. I'll have to force Hubby into video duty if I can get the arena without the crazy lady posse.

Moved on to the trot and worked on keeping him straight still and worked over the ground poles. Definitely harder to keep from falling in when circling at the trot. I feel like I should wear a spur just on my left boot. Bleh. Did get one good straight trot on the long side.

Went over the x-rails singly twice each time to the left. I had to tell both him and myself outloud "Straight approach!", but once I got him straight to each one, he jumped great. Also had to go forward! No more lollygagging about towards fences! He is not Red. He will not canter to them, or even trot with a ten thousand foot long stride! Anyway. Trotted the line to the left and made sure to stay straight and forward. And he landed the second fence in a canter on the correct lead, so I let him have at it to go around again. "Straight approach!!" I reminded us both, and TAAAAHHHHDAHHHH!!!!! He jumped both at the canter on the left lead, STRAIGHT, and he was soooo good! So of course I left it at that and fed him lots of cookies.

Wrapped Red's legs hopefully for the last time with alcohol. Rubbed Bobby's front legs, hocks, and stifles down with alcohol, too. Also gave him his first of for-now 3 doses of Conquer.

"Hi, Red!!"
"Hand over your hay."
"But it's my hay! In my stall! Nooo, wait! Don't bite me! Take it!"