Baby Steps in the Dark

Brego continues to adjust to a much quieter life. He seems down. It's probably not easy to go from work 5 days a week and ruling a herd of 10 to hanging out with a geriatric (read: very non playful) mare and barely any work.

So I decided that until I could get the arena situation sussed, we were going to work, in whatever way we could. When I got home from my work tonight, it was already pitch dark. But I turned on every light on the property (even the trailer loading lights running off batteries), grabbed Brego from his "sulking spot" in the pasture and put his bridle on. We were going to work on some lateral stuff in hand.

I really want to move his hind end around, asking him to stretch his inside hind under in the shoulder in, getting the hips and hocks moving in a slow, low-impact way. We worked on my driveway which is asphalt bathed in fallen leaves. We went up and down the driveway at a shoulder in, then did a shoulder in on a volte to turn around. I made sure to get his jaw moving with bending at the halt (and some bribe cookies). He was AWESOME! I have never felt him so light in the bridle.

I couldn't help myself, I grabbed my helmet and hopped on bareback and we did it all again, up and down the driveway. He was so different form the other day -- light, compliant, interested. It was not a physical workout, but I hope I stretched him and he definitely gets points for his mental exercise. Not only did he work for me in the dark, on asphalt, with cars whizzing by, but he also did some nice shoulder in to haunches in transitions with no rail (on his good side). We also had some pretty respectable turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches. I made sure he REALLY stepped under on the turn on the forehand.

I am so jazzed. I can't wait to get him into an arena and see if he really is feeling better. I couldn't feel any real unevenness while riding from his hock injury, but with all the different aspects, it was hard for me to focus. I am going to try to get him to an arena before the end of the week and see how he is doing.