Geldings at Work

Saturday I drove to the fishing hole and got 14 miles in on Scrappy while my husband fished and ran the dog pack. That is my kind of car pooling! And always means a few neat photos when someone else is around to snag the camera.

Here I stand on my rock, waiting for my starvatious horse to be able to stop eating long enough to lift his head so I can mount. L-O-L

I gambled that Scrappy's feet were softer from the damp but so were the trails, and I do think now that I could have booted him up and gotten more of what I wanted done as far some speed. We spent the usual 3 hours at it, but we did ride both Sycamore Hill and back around and back up the dam before looping back. I handwalked/jogged the last 2 miles which was mostly downhill and I definitely felt that in the ole metal ankle! Time to be limbering that baby back up for these wild notions of higher mileage I have.

Scrappy wanted to follow me closely and pat me down for snacks but I told him No, WOAH 4 times and that got me this photo below. He had just climbed Sycamore Hill so standing still really was a totally okay alternative.

His feet are really fantastic looking after 27 barefoot miles this week. All I did was clean up the natural mustang role he was creating and take a tiny bit of tall bar on his hinds with my knife after the ride and I was really happy. Did I remember to take photos? Nope. He and I both have FOOD on the brain at that point.
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This morning I met Mel at the lake to escort her and her 3 yr old project around the short horse camp loop. This was a confidence booster ride for the greenie/vet pair and went very smoothly for all parties.

Blaze was briefly sad there were no friends to ride with..

..then he saw this vision in filly greyness coming across the parking lot toward him! 

I rode Blaze totally barefoot too and though we didn't do much moving out to wear hoof down I was once again struck by how much better he moves without Renegades on the front. His movement isn't as lofty and he doesn't trip as much. I have booted his fronts exclusively for the past 2 years at least because of an odd/scarred heel on his right front, so I hadn't realized how different the movement with front boots was until now. Goooo figure. 

Also Blaze is now going in a 3 piece lozenge style loose ring snaffle and is quite happy in it. He had previously been in a single jointed loose ring snaffle and it took a lot of work to get him working well on the bit and he never seemed quite happy on it, despite having current dental and chiro work etc. I played with a few types of bits but hadn't made the leap to the 3 piece mouthpiece. Now I am--and I like it!

On the 15 second walk to his paddock after a semi-bath, Blaze hurled himself to the ground in protest of being Clean. He rolls many times a day, every day, and hates any and all version of cleanliness! 

 "there's a clean spot, I can feel it, gottaroll gottaroll"

Had lots of fun getting in over 30 miles in on my dorky geldings this week. That hasn't happened in a while!

P.S. SERIOUS MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO FUNDER FOR HER FIRST AERC 100 MILE COMPLETION ON HER ASSKICKING TENNESSEE WALKER MARE, EAGLE EYES MISS DIXIE!!!!