This is Woody last year, with Anne Marie Duarte. I can’t wait to show you new photos from Florida.
Only one more business day before the circus leaves town. There are lots of things that can be done on the weekend, but there are so many preparatory tasks that have to be done on a business day. The horses see the vet and the dentist and get wormed, shots are brought up to date, passports are brought up to date and signed off by the covering vet. The girls also have their own appointments that they have to cram in, they are out the country for the next four months. Balancing the weather forecast with the date you get your export papers has been problematic in the past, but we are seeing a nice break in the weather on Tuesday/Wednesday to facilitate the northern half of the trip.
Benny and Rummy are off the riding list today. We are not looking to get either of them fit. Rummy still has a lot of weight to gain and Benny is asleep on his feet this morning. The past two days have been an exhausting upgrade in work and life experiences for Benny, as one of the biggest, and also one of the youngest, in the barn.
Today’s video is Benny’s second day under saddle. It was taken yesterday. As you can see, he is no more impressed by a pole in the ground than Rummy. They both seem to have very good brains. Selena will work them Saturday and Sunday and then they will have Monday off. Gradually as we get closer to spring we will work more days and take less days off.
We are fortunate that these two are so relaxed after time off. We are pumping feed into them and they are piling on the weight without becoming in any way unmanageable. We find that Purina’s Equilibrium Fibre Plus can be fed without them getting hot headed from the calories. They gain weight without gaining ‘silly.’ Plain salt to make sure they keep drinking lots of water in these cold temperatures and soaked sugar beet to add even more moisture to the overall diet.
We also give them Omega Alpha’s Chill and Gastra-FX to ensure they stay calm and focussed. We have no reason to think they are particularly anxious about being ridden, but we like to stay pro-active. Our theory is, that if we use Chill from the start to increase focus, and we use Gastra-FX to ensure the gut is comfortable, it cannot hurt for the horse to be more focussed and more comfortable. Pro-active supplementation! We will probably phase the Chill out and reintroduce it when we are presenting them with something new. The Gastra-FX, however, we will continue to use daily throughout their training. We give 60cc before putting the bridle on. This neutralizes acid build up in the stomach that could occur from the horse salivating on the bit. We find it very effective and we use it on several horses.
Foxwood High looks magnificent, even if I say so myself. He has muscles on his muscles, and Anne Marie Duarte and the rest of the team keep him looking sleek and immaculate, he looks ready to go in the ring every day Selena gets in the saddle. I cannot wait to see how he fares in this important year. I feel like he is coming into himself in so many ways. Let’s hope I am right!
