Mustang Saga

We had a pretty good long training session today, starting out with a longer walk up the road a ways, and then a ride up the road.  I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy.  I'd go about an 8th of a mile up the road, get off, walk back, and then do it again.  But the idea is to not ride her on the downhill part, and to get her going up hills as much as possible to strengthen things in the hind end.  That, and it helped her get more comfortable with riding away from home with her colt running and hollering in the pasture.  Scout is sure getting in shape while I'm riding his mama.

Bella is really brave.  Not at all like Tonka was.  :)  I've only had to hop off a couple times when she seemed pretty disturbed by something.  I did today, but I think I probably would have been fine to stay on if I'd been a little less chicken.

See that hind leg that she's resting in the photo above?  I think that stifle is our problem.  It was the worse of the two before she had surgery, and it stands to reason that it would still be worse.  The Recovery EQ is not helping at all so far, as far as I can tell anyway.  I was tempted not to order a second bucket of it, but I figure I need to give it at least 30 days before I give up on it.  She is getting stronger with work.  I hope that if I just keep at it eventually she'll be just fine.

Her lameness does pose a bit of a problem in the training department.  It makes it hard for her to do any maneuver where she has to step under herself on that hind leg.  Even just turning in that direction.  I think it may be painful as well, judging from the little bit of attitude she gives me.

I've been logging our hours for the WHBA, and we've done 6.25 hours of ground work and 8.5 hours of riding in February.  I may have lost a bit because I was using an ap on my phone at the beginning of the month and it didn't save correctly.  Hopefully I'll be able to get more hours in once the time change happens and there's some daylight when I get off work.

After I put Bella up I went and vaccinated the donkeys again.  I don't know if they've ever been vaccinated, so I had to do a booster shot for both of them.  It was tempting to save the $50 and not do the booster, hoping they had been vaccinated in the past, but I went ahead and did the right thing instead.  They are so easy to give shots to - they just stand there like good boys, then ask for their treats.  I don't think I really even need to halter them, but I do just in case.

Now I have to go fill troughs because I completely forgot about that until just now.  Fun stuff.  I can't wait until winter is over and I don't have to drain hoses!