Two Months :)

Still feeling good!

I called him while walking out to the paddock today and he immediately left his buddy and started walking, then trotting, then galloping up to me! Aw, love it. He's so much more demonstrative than any of the other horses I've worked with--well, he is now. When I first got him he wasn't. But he's coming around. Today was our two-month anniversary! ;)

Noms. I have to put his pan inside another huge pan so I can clean up after him!

We have our schedule down pretty well now. I soak his beet pulp while I go get him and hose off his legs and feet (and the rest of him if he's sweaty); then he comes in and eats while I groom him, dry off and pick out his feet, and fly spray him.

Eventually, we'll ride after that. For now, when he's done chowing down and licking out both pans, we go for a walk sometimes, and sometimes he just goes back to his pasture.

Today we went for a walk up by the pastures and into the woods. All by ourselves, but he was very good. He does crowd me when he gets a little uncertain, but he only shoved into my space when we were actually in the woods. I'm not sure he's spent much time on the trail at all. He'll get over it. No spookies or anything.

Forgive the dirty face--he apparently thinks a mud pack is the new "in" look.

Blurry pony--hard to take pictures when you're walking!

Pony is a champion eater.

He's gaining some weight and looking half-way decent. Topline isn't bad at all now. He could use some more covering on his ribs but it's improving. And he has lots of energy and a nice shiny coat even if the dapples have bleached out, so he isn't malnourished at all. :P Yay!

See?!

Farrier's supposed to come out Thursday--hope that goes well. He had a few ouchy steps on our hike, and he's a little sore on the gravel, but overall he's feeling really good, so I hope this farrier (also a certified barefoot trimmer) improves that instead of steps us backwards! If his foot-soreness just stayed like this, I'd be okay with it--get him some boots for rocky and/or high-impact stuff and he'd be great. Ay well, we'll see.