Explanation. We have a horse on stall rest following colic surgery. This has taken over the blog. Mostly. [Begin, Phase IV]
Took the horses for a walk last weekend.
Wasn’t expecting much. Which is good. We didn’t get much.
This wasn’t going back to work.
This wasn’t even the first day of class, handing out the syllabus & putting covers on books.
This was driving past the building saying here’s were your classes will be.
The horses are unfit.
I mean, we knew this. Three months of utter idleness will do that. We watching muscles melt off and top lines sag.
It’s one thing for a horse to lose form along the back and hindquarters. A nice rounded, muscled topline is hard to maintain. Rodney has lost topline along his neck. He looks like a ewe-necked three-year-old. I didn’t think Thoroughbreds could fall that far out of condition.
And all he did was stand and watch.
Milton has same level of activity – or inactivity – plus a massive physical insult to his system.
We know it’s going to be a long, slow road.
Halters on. Let’s go.
Last Sunday we took them for a short handwalk. Along one side of the pasture, to the corner at back, twice.
Everyone behaved. Feet on the ground. No running off. So, gold star there.
In every other way, more of a work in progress.
Milton went charging off. Second pass, less charging. Maybe he settled. More likely he ran out of steam.
Rodney also went charging off. Got upset when we got behind making the turnaround. His was more mental than physical. Forgetting his manners. Getting anxious.
Later, I went up to the barn to check. Milton got all up in my grill, ‘That was a lot of work. I deserve cookies.’
He was not wrong.
About the effort, at least.
He also got the cookies.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 
As we’ve said before, this makes raising a child look easy.
May you be given strength and grace.
❤️
Nah. They get upset when you lock a kid in a box. But thank you for the thoughts.