Is It Spring Yet?

Hi everyone! It's been some time since I've gotten to post, but between work, riding and giving lessons it has been hectic here. That and the atrocious weather we had in early April that didn't remind me of spring at all...10" of snow!

Roo is growing and getting fat! No really, but he looks that way in these photos, probably because I am in the stall trying to snap the photo before he tries to smell the camera again.



Roo got his spring shots on April19th and was relatively good for them. Just a little ear pinning during the coggins blood draw, but other than that all was well.

We have been steadfastly following a work schedule which now has Roo pretty much free lunging in a small circle around me even in the big arena, sans lunge line. He knows his commands and does walk, trot, canter, turn, walk, trot, canter, whoa, stand very very well. Now that the weather has started to become less mud bath and more sunshine, we are going to start going for walks on the farm. I will use a lunge line and we'll go visit the outdoor arena (which is quite a walk from the main barn and indoor), as well as some of the other areas of the farm, like eating grass in the front paddock in hand, etc.



Roo's canter transitions are so smooth as he does his ground work, and yesterday I actually saw him piaffe in the field when he was playing with Sam. Sam may be going home soon as his family bought a farm. Roo will miss him greatly because Sam and Roo are about the same age. Roo hollers for him all the time when he has to come in early because his parents are working him in hand. He stands at the gate to the indoor arena and yells for him. I can't imagine how he will miss him when he goes home. Probably at the end of May.



Roo also doesn't try to eat the cross ties anymore, or his lead rope, or my shirt, or anything. He is still very curious. Brad was using the tractor to flatten the field the other day and all the horses in Roo's paddock ran far away, except Roo, who insisted on following the tractor to get a better look at it....




I did finally thin Roo's mane. In this photo he has just come in from the field for his dinner, so he isn't groomed yet. I will get more photos now that the weather has cleared. He is clearly dappling out to a nice gray.
He is the official greeter horse for his field as he comes to the fence line to talk to anyone who is standing there to admire the horses. Most people admire him as he is such a character!

The game plan for May is (1) walking the farm in hand, and (2) ground driving. Ought to be interesting. I'll keep everyone posted! Hopefully I'll do it more regularly.

Elaine