Well there is a very good reason for a long break in the blog – Solo has been having a “long break” from work. His stifle is slowly healing and he started back on some loose lunging in the indoor arena this week, not very blogworthy.
Because he has a stifle strain, we cannot lunge him to bring him back into work. Nor can we pony him off another horse for two reasons – one, we have sold his favorite ‘ponier’, the only one that would willingly put up with his leaping and cavorting around, and two, it’s still a bit muddy and slippery out hacking, except on the hills, and we don’t want to do hills with a sore stifle.
Our answer to all of this has been to loose school him in the indoor arena. Fortunately he is quite good at it from having done a little loose jumping. He walks, trots, canters and halts to command. The arena is big and extra wide so that he is not continually turning as he would be on the lunge. We have him stabled down near the arena so that he doesn’t have to negotiate the hill every day on his way to and from the arena, I am hoping he can move back up to the top barn and he can go back out on turnout tomorrow. I will also start him back under saddle tomorrow. He is still not 100% sound, I can just see a little bit of weakness when the sore leg is to the outside of a turn. It has taken a long time and I think it has also been fairly painful, I don’t want him sore and grumpy. I hope to get him walking forward and underneath himself to strengthen his back end and that is going to have to be done from in the tack.
He has put weight on while he has been off work. He suits being fat. He has still not been clipped yet. If he had not hurt himself, he would have been shaved by now. It’s only a matter of weeks before he heads off to Ocala, I hope I can get him fit and strong in time. We have not decided if his friend Waldo is going to go to Florida with him. It will be a sad day when they have to say goodbye, they are very sweet together. Solo is all bother and fuss and Waldo is Mr. Laidback, they make a good pair.
