Signs To Go

A front blew in yesterday which changed the weather from 65 and 100% humidity to 40 and 30 mph gust. Needless to say, the underworked horses were wired.

Brego scares me a bit when he is in that mood, not because I think he's trying to kill me, but because he is very big and pretty uncoordinated and it wouldn't take much of a misstep or crow hop to seriously injure me. I'm tired of falling and head injuries.

But the horse is not going to get better penned up in his 1 acre paddock, so we saddled up. The hope was to go for a long ride, but the ground was just too wet. I didn't want to brave going far from home, on unknown trails, with it so wet and the wind howling through the trees and little leaf tornadoes. I mean, the weather was insane. Perfect crazy horse weather.

I decided to just do trot sets up and down my neighbors gravel road to take the edge off and assess Brego's brain. He did pretty well, but he just wanted to go go go. So I asked for a canter and he crowhopped and then cantered in place. Well, my friends, it appears that hock is feeling better. It was too wet to put him through his paces, so we ended up just walking the trails. He was much better by the end of the ride, just needed to get out and stretch his legs and exercise his brain.

The current plan is to get him into the indoor twice this week, and if it goes well, and doesn't rain, then I will take him hilltopping next weekend. He needs a job and I think his leg is ready for some extended trail riding. His personality and mood have done nothing but improve since I have eased him back into work. The weather was pretty intense and he didn't willfully act naughty, just too playful.

Oh and my old barn owner contacted me and let me know that there were no horses with hind shoes in Brego's pasture when he got kicked. It is quite scary that a bare hoof cut him like that, but I am very thankful the damage was not worse.