Rehab

Monday night was so hot that we trekked out to see Ashke after T's trombone lesson. I pulled him out of the stall and rinsed him off (it was still in the 90's as the sun went down). We walked around the stable and around the outside of the outdoor arena. Then I took him into the indoor arena, where new sand was laid down. He thought we had brought the sand just for him. Ashke shoved his face into the loose sand, pushing it with his nose and pawing at it. I unhooked the lead rope and allowed him to select the perfect spot to roll. He did one side, then stood up and did the other. Then we went back to the stall. The hard lump in his right haunch was slightly tender and about the size of  my finger.

Tuesday night he was groomed, rinsed with cool water and then led around again. We turned him loose in the indoor arena and T ran up and down the arena for fun. Ashke chased him at a trot. That was great, because it meant Ashke was willing to move without encouragement = no pain. He was showing no tenderness in his haunch when we put him back in his stall.

Last night we finally got a break in the weather and it was in the 70's when we reached the stable. Because of the cooler temps J and I decided to take Ashke for a walk. He was relaxed and there was no sign of a knot in his right haunch. In fact, he was being a bit of a pill. I think he thinks he needs more treats, which we are cutting down on, because he nips when he doesn't get treats. It is a vicious cycle, because I cut down on the treats due to his nipping, the little booger. We saddled him, because I don't want to take steps backwards, and he opened his mouth for the bit. He walked out eagerly, snorting and looking at everything. Our boy is curious, that's for sure. We had to stop in a neighbor's yard so he could sniff the flowers and check out the lawn edging. We walked a mile (we knew how long the walk was, because it is the route T runs sometimes) and he came back loose and warm and sound. (Yeah!!!) We turned him out into the field and let him graze for a while. He didn't go far because there was a small ditch filled with water, which is extremely dangerous, you know. After I caught him to take him in, we went over the ditch twice. He did exactly what I asked without balking and jumped over it in each direction. Then he went back to his stall and his mix of carrots and apples. Hopefully, tonight he will still be sound and ready to walk.