Lazy Week

Johnny and I have been taking it easy since the horse show. Monday and Tuesday he had off to just play and relax and then Wednesday I took him out for a little ride. He didn't quite seem himself...happy to be groomed and such, but he didn't really seem to want to be ridden. I didn't do much with him, just a little trotting and cantering to loosen him up. He wouldn't throw his right lead that day, which only furthered my suspicision that he was either a) still tired b) sore or c) a little bored and maybe sour from ring work. I took him for a little walk around the property to finish up.

Yesterday was a little bit of the same thing. T came up to ride Emmy and we decided to just forget ring work and take the horses for a nice long trail ride. We crossed the road and rode down a bit ot catch the trail up into the woods. It's my favorite ride...a nice wide trail that winds up the hill through the trees and comes out in an old corn field, which is now quite over grown. The path then winds back down the field to the road again where it catches a gravel path up the east side of the field and along the tree line. The whole thing makes one big loop and the majority of the trail is quite flat and grassy, with good footing. There are even a few logs set like in-and-outs to canter over. T and I just walked the horses for the most part, but we let then trot back through the grassy path, which excited both of them! Emmy was reliving her event horse days and was pretty convinced (despite the western saddle and bridle) that any moment now a coop would appear over the ridge. I could tell what she was thinking by the "big horse trot" that she was giving T. Johnny seemed to be thinking the same thing, and I had to frame him up considerably to keep him from getting too full of himself. I think that he definetly has a weakness either in his back, stifles, or hocks, because when he came onto the bit in his big trail trot he started to feel a little funny behind. After a walk break back to the barn, I trotted him up the grass in the side yard and he felt just fine. He threw both leads as well.

Just to see, I iced both his front legs (which I often do anyway) and then slapped a little poultice on all four, concentrating on his back ankles. I know all of his "normal" lumps and bumps from racing, but his left hind ankle seemed a little puffier to me after our ride. We'll see today if anything changes. I like to weed out problems, so that at least I might know whats NOT bothering him in order to find what is.

I also forgot to mention that I went to the doctor on wednesday and had my back FINALLY looked at (a year and a half after the fact...) I definetly have a vertibre that is sliding out of place and I have an order for at least 6 sessions of physical therapy before I go back to school (which is in 2 weeks...) They took 8 x-rays of my mid and lower back also...I should have the results of those by today. I will let you all know what I find out.

Peace.Love.Ponies.