Getting Better

I haven't really been able to do much with Stitch since his osteopath appointment last week. That appointment came in the middle of a heat wave (our only one of the summer this year) which was immediately followed by air quality warnings.

I bought the nebulizer knowing that it would get use every summer due to forest fire smoke. 

What I have been doing has been focusing on strengthening work at a walk. Raised poles and backing up have been happening on the regular. I even found a slope that works perfectly for backing up a hill - not an easy exercise to make work out here on the flat prairies. 

Stitch loves the poles, as I knew he would, but isn't as happy with the backing up a hill, although when cookies are presented he seems much more willing to march backwards.

I've popped him in the arena a couple of times to see him do a quick trot and thought he was looking better, but still not where I wanted him to be. 

On Saturday I put him on the lunge for the first time. He started out moving evenly behind, but kind of tight and not pushing from behind. Someone else was in the arena and agreed with my assessment of how he was moving. 

I didn't plan to do much with him, but I wanted to see if he got better with a bit of movement. After some transitions he started moving forward more and loosened up behind . He picked up both canter leads easily and had a relaxed canter. 

And then he big time stumbled behind on the last canter to trot transition. I admit I sucked in my breath.

Stitch typically has one hind end stumble every time I lunge him, so I'm trying not to read too much into this one. He hasn't been doing it under saddle, so I'm chalking it up to loose unfit young horse issues. But I cringe inside every time I see it. 

The plan for the next week is to continue with the hand walking/poles/backing up, hopefully mostly outside, and lunge every second day. I'm also thinking of bringing out the Equibands and adding at least the abdominal band for our hand walks. If he continues to look better I'll hop on him in another week or so and see how he feels.

We're also set to be able to attend the obstacles day at the new county-run facility in the middle of the week. I'll just do them in-hand, but it will be a good experience for Stitch. I may or may not have a friend meeting me there with her horses - she won't know if she is working until the day of. So there is a possibility that I arrive with Stitch and he is the only horse there, and I don't know how he'll deal with that. I guess we'll find out!