Rehabilitation continues

Well! Things have indeed improved again. :) It is quite incredible how much more power he gets through the lunging work. During my next ride just days after writing up the previous update here, he even did a very smooth canter transition! We had some help from the nearby paddock; a big white tarpaulin sack was moving with the wind… Our boy-o did not really spook, but he just took up a very nice and quiet canter. I only asked him back to trot after a couple strides because he happened to be in a corner on right hand… My goodness, he has never done such a smooth transition to canter! I was just beaming after that. :D

At the moment we are still mixing up a lot of canter with the trot work. And his right canter is just getting better and he is now beginning to stretch into it (that is, use his topline) for about half of the time. Left canter is still lead mostly by shoulder, but he has the occasional good stretch, which gets a lot of praise from me!

Due to some weather and other issues, he has had about two days off per week the past three weeks. And I have to say that it has also been a good thing. Made us realise that his muscles need a bit more rest at this point. He is at the moment suppler after a day off. So, it’s been more like four days of lunging, one day of riding, and two days off in between all the work…

What prompted me to write this short update this ‘soon’ was the fact that today on the right hand he was totally level immediately and at all times!! :D Yahooooo (victory dance here)..! First time since he injured himself he did not take one unlevel step in the school. Not even a slight dipping of head at any stage. How wonderful is that!? :D ‘Small’ things like this just makes my day…

Ok, tomorrow is another day, and he may be a bit stiffer again… Still, we are getting there slowly but surely.

Their little herd was moved to another mahooosive summer field yesterday evening, and boy wasn’t it a good idea to take him out of it this morning. Let me tell you, there was a lot of ‘talking’ going on with the herd members both in the stables and still out in the field… Happily our boy comes when he is called and will let himself be caught, even if the field is fab and filled with grass. But neighing… that was excessive today. And we had good energy in the school. Not done much walking today… I have to confess. But as I said it went fa-habulous today nonetheless! :D 

The pull of the new field and all the pals out there was very apparent, since he barely had patience to finish his meal after workout! I mean, this Finnhorse chappy really does take his meals seriously! And this time it was… ‘ok, food… yea, finished, now can we goooo pleaseeee??’. Ooo, fine chap. Still completely gentlemanly and not a bad manner in sight, we walked in perfect harmony back to the field. Got met by the rest of the gang and off they went as soon as he was released... 

They had a very happy runaround yesterday in their big new field, and lots of lovely and varied herby-grass to eat all night, so maybe that has also suppled him up… The fact that he keeps on moving all the time a bit and then quite a lot more in bursts maybe doing a whole lot of good to his muscles.