Ball

This week has marked the first real cold spell we've experienced. I did a lesson on Monday, which went well. Ashke is struggling with his right hind and I've decided to change up his supplements to see if I can get him a little more support. In the meantime, I am riding him in the long BOT blanket that covers his hips and this seems to help warm him up quicker and keep him loose longer. I am seeing some intense muscle building up behind his shoulder, where I was beginning to see it last year before our leg trauma. We worked on canter, in between shoulder in, haunches in, leg yielding at trot and canter. He is getting so much better, although I can tell the canter work is making the right hamstring sore.

After Monday, the temps plummeted. I took a bucket of hot mash out to him on Monday and changed his blanket to the heavier fill, which immediately warmed him up. Last night, we went out to check on him, took him a bucket of goodies and his ball. When we got there, I stripped the blanket off him, removed the BOT quick wrap we are still using on his leg (he scratches with his other hind foot and breaks the skin if it's not on) and turned him loose in the arena with T. He and T ran up and down the arena with Ashke rearing, bucking and chasing (at a very safe distance) until T couldn't run any more (the air was very cold). By that time, J was starting to work on his ball, Ashke saw her out of the corner of his eye and stopped. He recognized what she was doing and he began asking her if he could play with it.

Impatient horse began rearing in excitement, then tearing around the arena snorting.

The other horses were pretty freaked out, but he was so happy.

The ball still needs to be inflated, but it was cold, T wanted to go home and Ashke didn't want to wait any longer.

More ball play. 

There were places in the arena where it was too scary to play, which T helped him out of.

I cannot tell you how much I love this horse. We will work on inflating the ball the rest of the way (so it fills the bag). J's pump has a pressure gauge and there was no pressure inside the ball yet so we have a ways to go before being worried about exploding it (that's a real fear for both J and myself - no clue why). The barn used to have a soccer ball and the BO said that it should be amusing to watch the horses become accustomed to it over the next week or so.