I am glowing!

Today I really wish I had taken my tripod and videoed the workout. He did amazingly well. He really was fantastic.

We exercised a full hour non-stop and he did so well. He only had one little temper tantrum which I saw building up and once the main coil was released he did perfectly well the remainder of the time.

What we did was warm up 10 minutes to the left, 10 minutes to the right, both at a hot walk and short bursts of trotting, then working out at easy trot 15 minutes to the left, 15 minutes to the right, then 5 minutes to the left at a long walk to cool down and 5 minutes to the right at a long walk.

He did so well, and I really wish I had videoed. I will do it soon. He is ready I think because he is very good at the voice commands walk, trot, easy, woah, and will come down to a walk from a trot with purely voice commands.

He is so smart, and is picking up everything so fantastically. He is truly an worthy "poster child" for rehabilitation and re-purposing of equines.

His one little "outburst" came during the warm up and the other horses loose in the pasture surrounding the round pen we were working in were reacting to the commands I was giving him and it was a bit too much stimulus for him I believe. One time a sorrel tried to challenge him through the pen I got him stopped, and stepped to the fence which sent the sorrel loping off. Other than that, he only grew tired and needed to be prodded forward after about 12 minutes of trotting it got a bit more of a struggle to keep him moving forward, but he did with a little clicking, some voice command coaxing, and some arm movements. On occasion I used the soft lead rope out behind him underhandedly flicking it gently about 3-4 feet behind him when he still refused. I don't believe it ever touched him, but if it did it barely brushed on him and caused no pain or injury. Mostly a bit of clicking and reminder of the gate I wanted was all I needed.

Did I say I was proud of him. I must add that this was totally at liberty. I walked him on a lead one time in each direction, then took the halter off and did everything using hand/arm signals, body language, voice commands, and sounds.

I am so extremely proud of him! I can't say it enough!

I'm not even going to post the video of when he was in the arena cause he did so much better this time. I just need to make a new video.

Today was simply amazing!

I may not get to go back out there tomorrow, because I need to work on finding some of my equipment in my storage unit. Once I do find it though, I will be going out there daily and keeping up the conditioning training, because he's doing so well.

His feed has been bumped up to grain being a scoop and a half a day and hay. We will keep this up at least another week, when we will possibly bump it up to 2 scoops. More exercise makes the need for more food.

It is time, I think, to begin training him to drive. This will prep him to be ridden soon. His development is coming along. There isn't any physical change yet. I will take pictures in one month to compare.

The swelling on his leg isn't changing yet. I have tried cold water. Next I will try ice on it to see if that helps when I have some time to stay out there with him long enough to really test it. The guy who operates the facility got in and felt it too and said he thought maybe he knocked it getting in or out of the trailer, and since it isn't hurting him now it is just going to take some time to go down. It's pretty close to the right point where a knock would create an "injury" so I think he could be right, but if it was that it has been a couple weeks and it should be down by now.

Well anyway, let me just say I am very proud, very excited, and looking forward to the next training session.

Until then -
Happy Tails!
Lucy Roberts

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