We went to the woods today, two humans, two dogs, and one horse. Katia and I were going to trade off hiking and riding but she decided to just hike. Tonka did so well, especially for being the only horse! He was relaxed and happy the entire time.
At the end of the ride Tonka and I went off on our own, looking for a good place for him to get a drink. It was so peaceful and fun to wander around in the shady forest along the creek. I think we might do some more lone trail riding soon.
Melissa took some good pictures of us yesterday. I love this view through Rosie's ears:
Just strolling through the meadow:
I love my horse, and I'm glad to be riding him again, and know he's feeling good. I think his physical well-being really affects his mental well-being. Which sounds like a "duh" statement, but really, I think he is more uptight and spooky when he's feeling bad. I can tell he's just a happy boy right now. Which makes me a happy girl. :)
May I ask what was wrong with Tonka before? You mentioned muscle issues? It is probably in an older post of yours, but I am relatively new to your blog.
ReplyDeleteHe has "Equine Polysachharide Storage Myopathy" (called EPSM or PSSM.) It's a genetic disorder that causes tying up and lots of other more subtle problems. Tonka's symptoms were some of the more subtle ones, but my sister had a horse with the same problem so we kind of suspected, and then I had the DNA test done and he was positive. I keep him on a special diet and he's supposed to be exercised daily to keep him from feeling bad. He gets pretty bad in the winter, and he had a bad spell recently when I had him off his supplement for a few days, but he seems to be doing very well right now.
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