on foot improving

albeit slowly, and the other kicks off - and considering he's been in since Tuesday, that's VERY tedious....

he'll be standing in for a week

i took a photo of the sole of his foot as i couldn't see it properly otherwise - friend held foot up and torch for light  ... he isn't going back out in that mud until it's healed up.

mud fever (US - scratches?)

There's two schools of thought on this

those who agree with Jean - leave it to dry then brush it off

those who do as I do - hose it off when still wet.

My  thinking is that if the mud dries on, it is then likely to be abrasive against the skin whether brushed off or left on (that, and the abrasive qualities of brushes that are hard enough to cope with dried on mud...) resulting in somewhere for the bugs to get in and cause mud fever.  similar to getting e.g. a grain of sand stuck between sock and foot ...

Whereas, if you hose it off, everything is clean once hosed, horse put straight in stable and all dry for morning when you can, if you wish, then apply your choice of mud fever prevention to the lower leg/heels/etc....

and as for the feet - the way i look at it - if the mud is so deep and wet that i feel a need to hose legs off, the feet are getting softened anyway and i'd rather clean them than otherwise..

today we have snow - a fine covering when i turned out this morning, but it then got worse and worse and there was far too much in Stanley and Consett (on way to hairdressers & mothers) and it was clear the Councils had been caught out ..the first snow plough i saw followed me down Blackhill Bank (mother's area) and that would have been about 10.30....even coming back from their the Dipton road hadn't been cleared, and that's a main road...

At least M's feet will have been cleaned out by the snow!

and back to snow

well sort of - kept trying to all day, very fine, not lying (except a bit tonight) and bitterly cold despite no wind....

I'd have thought you were right about warmer temps bringing thrush out, ladies, save that it's still cold!  the mud is drying up, is that relevant? so we don't have to hose legs every night, but at the same time, hosing legs involved (at least when i did it!) hosing feet as well, i point the nozzle so the water gets into the feet as well...

who knows, but its very tedious and he's not happy... but at least is a good patient for this, unlike when he has an abscess when you take your life in your hands...

thrush

horrid..

he's gone through the muddy winter no problem and now it's drying out he gets it....

but at least he's happy to stand with the relevant foot in the air.. willing you do clean it out again!

Tidied up

G's day today; she charged the clippers and tidied him up - the clip was at that stage where there was long hairs, short hairs, generally unkempt looking so that was all tidied up and next thing he'll be shedding and growing in summer coat...

i'd wondered yesterday if he was a tad not right; G found a shade of heat in that leg, so didn't ride just let him school himself in the arena (wherein he promptly rolled, of course...)

so assuming we do anything this week, it'll be done in walk...

hip stretching...

must find some good exercises!

anyway, i rode...

the first 15 minutes were excellent, lots of walk, circles, serpentines and so on....then i thought we'll go small circle (was thinking that exercise where you do 1 1/2 10 metre circles all the way round the arena....it's a good suppler...) and he stopped - whether he stopped because of something i did in the aiding, or stopped for some other reason i have no clue, but it was 20 minutes before i could get him going again....

he totally ignores whip tapping

I decided rather than persisting with whip tapping/leg aid/ for the time, i'd spend some time just getting the contact right and keep asking for it...

but interspersed with further attempts to get him moving..

eventually, he did and i pushed him on to a faster walk (TBH, rushing somewhat, but better than stopping) and to try some trot

the trot was pants... again, whether it him or me i'm not sure but there was no smoothness in it and he wouldn't/couldn't keep it going...

at which point i wanted someone on the ground, as i wasn't sure if he was sound or not - he'd been resting the near hind a lot when being groomed etc so not sure if he's twinged something - but he didn't feel lame in walk ...

but having got him moving again and done another ten minutes (assisted my confidence, if not a lot else!) i called that quits and got off - and oh my, my hips were well stretched and i knew about it!

i need to ride more!  anyway, lighter nights should help a lot on that front!