Things looking up again

Well it's a little over a week since I noted fat build up on Sonny & his lameness.

Cas called by 2 days ago & was happy with the trim on all horses & I have done them all again since then.

Fatty Deposits
Sonny has lost the extra fat deposit since I reduced his feed again. I gave that bit of feed to Jude to get some weight onto her. His feet are better too with no apparent heat now. I've been just playing with him doing stick to me through minature gymkhana type patterns laid out using road markers. He likes doing those. He also likes doing the bow down exercise but so far it doesn't look like turning into laying down.

Boots
Cas thinks it would be better for Sonny to wear his boots when I do all the 'work play' sort of stuff with him. She thinks I should go back to riding him a few minutes at a time but do it with his boots on. I may have overdone him riding him without boots that time. So I'll have to buy a pair of Easyboot Trails a size smaller.

Going Walking Again
The new highway will be open next week meaning I will have miles of sealed road of the old highway mostly to myself so we can go walking along that to promote his feet to start growing again. Walking on the bitumen road will still work his feet without the prospect of stone bruises like happens now on the dirt road.

When he runs around the paddocks it's clear he is still a little lame on the right front. But his running around is happening more often.


Galloping
The other afternoon after play session, I told them it was dinner time which usually means they line up & await me. When I arrived with their feed they were nowhere to be seen. I called & whistled & waited several minutes. I was about to txt someone saying aliens had stolen my horses!! lol

Then I 'felt' them coming before I saw them! They had been attracted by something at the far end of the far back paddock & finally heard me calling from 10ac away, upon which they hightailed it back to me. They came at flat gallop right through all the tall dead grass 3 abreast. Sonny was kicking up so high & hard his tail hair was cracking like a whip. How he manages to gallop AND high kick at the same time is beyond me. lol

They ran right past me to the other end of this paddock before wheeling around & sliding to a stop with lots of trumpeting, prancing, tail flagging & rearing right in front of me. He didn't show much lameness then nor the next day so that was good.

So from now on when I do proper play sessions with him I'll put his boots on his front feet. Improptu sessions will be done barefooted.

Hopefully this last 2 weeks of small set backs has come to an end & we can move forward from here.

Rain (or lack of!)
It's been 2mths (8wks) since the last rain which was only a couple ml & before that it was dry for 10days. So it's pretty much been dry as a bone here for over 9wks. 8wks is the all time record, so that's been well & truely broken. A little may fall next week some time but it will be another week before any real rain is expected. I'm not bothered about it. It's fortuitous that this dry spell has occured. I couldn't have asked for better weather for the repair of Sonny's feet (& Jude's & Cassie's feet too really). The dry won't do any long lasting damage to the land or plants because it's only dry down a few cm. Under that the ground is still damp. The grass is very dry/dead but there is still plenty of it.

Also hopefully my next photos will be taken in 2 wks time using my NEW CAMERA!! woohoo (if it arrives on time that is)

Birthdays
Jude turned 15yo during the week & Sonny turns 13yo in 4wks time. Cassie was born on Melbourne Cup day 8yrs ago this year!