Ride and Lead

Lots of poo picking today, since I was feeling a bit better. I took photos of the paddock & I'll have to try and upload them...looked more like a tattie field or as if a rugby match had taken place before I'd arrived! The task was not helped by Quadi tipping over a full barrow, and then after I cleared that up I managed to lose balance with it and lose the lot again *lol*

I think the boys could have used having their rugs off and grooming each other, but I intended to ride so didn't oblige. My declining of their repeatd requests to have their jackets off was greeted with hair pulling, bump nipping and sloppy kisses with tongues...ew! Oh, and Fin tried to pull my jods down by the waistband. A bliddy comedian(!)

Quadi thought he was going to be left behind today when I tacked up Fin, his eyes lit up when he realised we were all going out to play. I put on his Portuguese cavesson and used a lunge line, which I knew would be too long but thought it might be useful in case Quadi spooked. I'd rather give him lots of line that lose the end altogether!

Fidget Fin had trouble standing still for mounting and girth-tightening, both boys seem much happier to get on with their jobs than to stand around!

We all got on quite well, save the fact that Fin and Quadi both wanted to walk along the same part of the path! And Fin has a much faster walk than Quadi, it's almost like the amble of a gaited horse. But we coped well. I think I push all the wrong buttons on Fin, we were making banana shapes a lot of the time. I was riding him one-handed and trying to neck rein but he preferred when I rode with a rein in each hand. I will see if Kate will watch me have a little mooch on him and see if it's my noisy aids or Fin not quite understanding the neck reining and contact. He did curl back and hump his back at me on the way home, but I really had to insist we didn't jog home. I don't think Fin likes me telling him what to do but that's too bad!

I had difficulty in getting Fin into his stable so our 'landlord' (for want of a better word, one half of the couple we rent the land and stables from!) took Quadi from me and put him away. This helped a lot, and I was really chuffed that Quadi seems happy around men again, and that he just walked into his stable. He's normally the tricky one!

The crack in Quadi's hoof is growing down with alacrity, and he's shedding the frogs in his hinds. I think he's blown an abscess through each heel in his fores, but I booted him up today anyway because he looked sound. He wasn't lame the past few days either. The boots didn't rub so all seems good there.

He seemed very happy having worked today. Fin felt like he needed a good long hack but whilst that wasn't possible it's good that we all went out. I don't expect the weather will be terribly kind to us this weekend so feel rather virtuous to have worked them today :)