It seems my blogging has been getting a bit inconsistent! I've just not been feeling very inspired I guess. All my writing attention is still on assignments. I've decided to aim to get my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology so I need to make sure my grades are top.
Winter is definitely on its way, Fox is starting to puff up now. Since he is going to be mostly out of work I had decided to not cover him this year. However with the lack of grass, he's just not getting enough food to keep him warm enough. So he'll be covered and fed as much hay as I can afford.
He had ANOTHER accident on Tuesday. Not too serious this time but still enough to leave me a bit shaky. He's got a few cuts and numerous hairless patches after an encounter with his fence. I'm not exactly sure what happened but the bottom wire was completely broken and there were patches of hair on the wooden post. Apparently he had been running his fence line a bit and it was rainy and very windy. So whether he slid into it or got a foot caught I don't know. All I know is I think he was very very lucky not to be more damaged.
We've been doing lots of work with clicker training. Standing still while grooming, head away, foot up and the coolest, I think walk and whoa. He is very in tune with his food!! He stops and starts on a dime.
We also did our first session over poles. I haven't got Fox targeting and moving yet so it was in a traditional lunge fashion. Fox was most unimpressed. Mainly I think because there was so much grass in the arena and all the poor guy wanted to do was stuff his face and I was making him work! He coped ok once I had got my spacing right. We started off with five flat poles, both directions at a walk. Not too much circling more on a straight line as I don't want to put any pressure on. I then put one side of the last pole up so he really had to work.
So apart from as much time handgrazing in the orchard as I can give him, that's pretty much all we're doing. He's looking really good though and I'm thinking that he'll be ready for very light riding very soon. Maybe once or twice a week for ten or so minutes. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime I will have Smurf to keep me busy riding wise. He's arriving on the 28th and I'm really really looking forward to it. It's been so long since I've been on a horse.
I'm very happy that you think Fox will be ready to start light work again. I can't wait to see how things go with Smurf! Post pics! here, winter is finaly over, the horses are losing their winter hair and are very happy running around the pastures again! Grass is getting long enough for grazing!! We didn't have a very hard winter, not even 60 cm of snow on the ground and no colder than minus 35!
ReplyDeleteHa ha snow! We are coastal so only snow is on the hills. We do get pretty serious frosts though. Not really the same I know. Don't know about farenheit temps but we get down to about -4 or so on the coldest winter nights.
ReplyDeleteThat is great you'll have another to ride!
ReplyDeleteI am always glad to see winter end. Sorry to hear yours is just beginning:)
Honestly, Fox. He's gotta cut that out. Tell him to be more careful! Bad Bad Fox, more like it!
Good luck with your studies!
Thanks GL. Winters can be ok here, nice sunny but cold days. Makes for good riding. But last winter was very wet so I'm hoping that's not going to happen again.
ReplyDeleteYes bad bad Fox. He has to be one of the most accident prone horses!