More Groundwork & Flying Feet

11/19/2009
Slow progress. He is responding beautifully to verbal cues to change gaits. Hasn’t quite got whoa down and his direction changes are about the same. Progress shown today would have to be in standing to have his feet cleaned – particularly his back feet. He picks his feet up pretty fast and gives a very small window to catch and hold them. If you miss a couple of times he starts getting peevish and kicking more than picking up. Nothing like playing catch with a size 2 hoof. He presented his feet a little more slowly today and we moved on without dramatics.

He is truly funny. He helped me clean his pasture by supervising the shovel and staying in my back pocket the entire time. If I put down an implement he is right there to make sure it doesn’t try to escape. He has also discovered the window in his shelter. The last couple of times I’ve driven my pickup down to his pasture there he is sticking his head out to say hi. Need to remember camera tomorrow.

I do get the feeling he’d like to be in with other horses. Maybe, down the road we’ll put him in with one or both of our horses but for now he will have to make do with being able to see and talk to them.

We switched from alfalfa pellets to alfalfa hay for the winter yesterday. It has his definite stamp of approval.