Mustang Saga

July 15, 2006

Tonka went out for a walk -

Wait a minute. I think I failed to report how he wore the saddle for the first time the other day! Well, he did. And he didn't do anything exceptionally over-reactive. He did give a couple half hearted bucks when he was lunging. Something spooked him and he sped up and then I assume he noticed the saddle again and bucked a couple steps then went on. It was kind of cute. He got his first sweaty saddle marks. It was warm out, and we worked for quite a while, lunging and flagging with the plastic bag again.

Tonight I saddled him and took him out. Was going to go for a walkabout around the property but we didn't get far. There's a tent set up in the front field from a sleepover the kids had, and that was scary. The lawnmower was scary. A tree was scary. It took a while for him to mostly accept the tent. Touching it with his nose really made him feel better. Then we moved on to the trampoline. Didn't take long for that to be okay. Then we worked on stepping on a board. Eventually got 2 feet on it. Good boy. Then went back to unsaddle, by which time it was mostly dark. The light/dark contrast from the spotlights was freaking him out a little. We did some lateral flexion before I took the saddle off, and it relaxed him pretty well.

He almost ran me over twice tonight. I'm not sure if he didn't of his own will or if I just got lucky, but it was close. Once he spooked and once I was in his way when he was avoiding something. I swear his spookiness has gotten WAY worse since Lyric has been pastured with him. Not good. I may have to separate them, but I hate to do that because they really like each other. They hang around itching each other's backs.

There's a bad development in one of his legs. Nothing permanent, but I don't like it. I noticed him pointing with his front right foot the first time I saddled him. You can see it in the picture. I thought he was just nervous, he was walking very carefully with that cinch behind his elbows. Then I briefly worked him yesterday, and I didn't like the way he looked travelling to the right on a circle. Tonight I SHOULD have checked out the leg BEFORE I took him out. I didn't, but I did put splint boots that Amy lent me on him. Well, he was still travelling funny on that side. So I tried to keep him mostly calm. Should have stopped, but I wasn't all that worried about it. When I took the splint boots off I checked both front legs very well, and he does have a splint. It's a bump, an inflammation between the two bones there. Not a huge big deal but he'll need time off. Darn it. One website I looked at said a month off. One of my books says to ice or hose it. We haven't worked on hosing, so I'm sure that wouldn't be a restful activity. I'll talk to the vet Monday. I have to talk to her anyway to give her an update on Soxy.

I sure do like the way he looks with his saddle on. What a big boy!