Today I spent most of it, cleaning tack. This new place is especially damp, and because I haven’t been using my saddle since well, before Flame left Michigan, my saddle had lots of green stuff growing on it. BUT! Before all that, I lunged Flame for 20 minutes.. 10 in each direction, then tacked him up. I then lunged him for another 10 in each direction with full tack and sidereins to keep him balanced, on the bit, and working properly. The inlaws want to take advantage of an equine model at their disposal, so I need to whip him in to shape, and build up some muscle. He’s sorely lacking any kind of muscle definition in the back and rump. After the lunging, I de-sidereined him and hopped up on him, walked him out at a nice good pace to let him cool and relax down. Our first ride in Canaduh.
I’m also willing to bet that he’s lost a few pounds, because he certainly is looking less like a 10 month pregnant mare and more like a shapely sporthorse. I’m going to have to keep an eye on him though, being that he’s working now, and on a different feed… he could easy drop the weight. They’re slowly switching from a sweet feed to a balanced fat/protein pellet, so I think he’ll do fine on that, it will just have to be watched to keep his weight at the correct level.
