9/7/05 Log note. Email from his mom. Cut is healing fine. Yay.
9/5 Randy went home with his mom.
8/31 His left hock looks better all the time and he never favored it and continues sound. The cut on his left front is now wrapped during the day to make sure that the flies stay out of it, but I put on a fly wrap only at night to allow is some space to breathe, yet stay a little protected. It is on the right track and he remains sound, active and unhindered by the cut and amused by the wrapping...
8/29 Poor dear looked a little rough around the edges this morning. I had left his
leg unwrapped overnight to let it get some air as it was scabbing up nicely.
Sometime during the night he must have bumped it and it was bleeding somewhat.
Not a gusher, but on that white leg it looked dramatic. He also is a little warm and
stocky below his left hock. I cleaned him up and made a big fuss over him and he
liked it. I longed him briefly to check his soundness and he looked very good. I
dried and re-wrapped his leg. I am using a newborn diaper, Mikillick's powder and
vet wrap and it stays in place without being constricting. I later watched him trot
out to the herd in the pasture and he looked great there too.
8/26 He is sound and moving around with the herd normally. The leg remains wrapped and the swelling is on the low side of moderate. The wound itself looks good, with nice scabbing.
8/25 Randy came in from the pasture with a cut and contusion on his left front cannon bone. It iwas on the outside halfway between the knee and fetlock. It looked like a blunt force trauma--probably a kick or play injury rather than a wire fence. it cleaned up nicely and is in a spot that I doubt can be stitched. I put McKillick's powder, a drying agent, on it and wrapped it with a cotton and vet wrap to keep the flies out of it. He is sound at a walk and doesn't seem bothered by it. I assume he is unsound at a trot, just from the contusion. Not an alarming amount of swelling. I called Lou to let her know and told her about it in case she wants a vet out to look at it too.
8/24 I rode him in tha arena. We had some nice walk work, but when I asked for trot he had a few gooses with his back legs. He got a bump from me for it and cut it out pretty quickly. His canter work was really excellent today in both directions. After the arena work we went out in to the pasture for a walk on a long rein. He was better than he has ever been. Really felt relaxed and solid. It was a nice glimpse of the future horse he is going to be. Horses at this age (3) are a lot like teenagers; you get a lot of party games, but some days you see the promise of the adult they will become.
8/20 Quite hot. Rode him in the afternoon. We started out in the arena with some walk, trot and canter work and had good success at all three gaits. Took him ou in the pasture for a hack at a walk on a long rein and he was relaxed but attentive. Good day.
8/18 Schooled in the arena to start out. Very nice start. Relaxed walk. At the trot he swung his hind leg up high underneath his belly a few times. I thought he was swatting at a fly so I ignored it. When I put my leg on to ask for a canter he did the same thing and bucked, for which he was roundly growled at. He stopped it then, but he tried it again next time. He is always thinking of some party trick! :-) We had success on both leads and some nice trot work. We adjourned to the pasture and had a nice relaxed walk around there to end the ride.
8/16 School in the arena. He was really a joy. Walk trot and canter on a loose rein. He had just a few unbalanced moments in the canter departs, but he was just great once in the gait. I realize that days like this as a young horse are few and far between, so I celebrated with much praise.
8/15 We rode in the arena. Warmed up with some walking which was very attentive but relaxed. Then some walk figures which went well. Trot work was very good and the right lead canter was picked up on the first try. Then I asked for the left lead and got that and then when we went back to the right it took a few tries for him to get it. But he did and rec'd much praise. Very good. As an aside, some horse-knowledgeable friends came over yesterday and they said that Randy has gotten taller since they saw him last, earlier this summer. That might explain why I can't keep weight on him despite a lush pasture and twice daily Ultium!
8/9 Rode in the pasture and he was a little sassy. 3 bucks and one slight attempt to get fast, nay bolt. He got over it and ended nicely, so that was good. My intention is that he got the continuing lesson that crime doesn't pay. :-)
8/8 Worked in the arena and had very good success with right lead canter. We also had some nice walk on a long rein. Goooood.
August 4: Worked in the arena and had some very good success with his right lead. Also spent a good deal of time convincing him that a slow trot isn’t such a bad thing. He did very well.
August 1 and 2 entries eaten by the server demons.
