I finally got to ride after the SI injections. First impressions? Nice! Canter was three beats even when I had him on a contact. He was perfectly happy to stretch over his topline in the canter. Simple changes felt good. The clarity did fade as the ride went on, but if he's been struggling with this for awhile, it's going to take some more repair work to get him straightened out. I'm taking it as a good sign that he was willing to canter in both directions with no resistance while on a contact. Light years better than before, even if it's not perfect.
And then, while stretching him out in the trot, I heard a clunk. I had bell boots on but apparently pony's got mad skills. I didn't see a shoe on the ground and with his bell boots I thought he had both fronts but if he was forging that hard, he must be tired already. 25 minutes of work but the first collected request I've made in weeks and after five days off. Okay, he's tired and I need to stop, I hopped off.
Wait, you had four shoes when I walked into the indoor. I know you did.
It took some hunting to find the shoe but sure enough, when I heard that clunk, he'd ripped his left front off. A frantic text to the farrier got me a 9am appointment. Papi went right back in the stall he'd just managed to escape. I still have hope that I'll get to show on Sunday and I don't need to risk a stone bruise. He did a number on his tootsie (as he does).
At least I got to try out the new systems before he did that.
I'll make the call on the show on Friday. By then Theo should be used to his new normal and I'll know what kind of canter I'll have. And whether or not he's going to be fit enough after all of his little breaks in July and early August.
Oh horses!
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