Moving

Cupid moved to a new pasture, still at the same facility just on the other side.  I knew this might be hard for him since he is so attached to Bruno, so before the move my sister came out and we took Bruno and Cupid on a little trail ride together.  We went on a busy road for a little bit, and both horses were really good despite the cars, motorcycles, and RVs zooming by.  Cupid was startled by one car, and Bruno got scared by an invisible bush monster, but for young thoroughbreds they were both super.

Cupid is in a transition paddock adjacent to his new pasture so he can meet the new horses across the fence.  He was curious about his new neighbors, he is friendly and likes everyone.  I think he will get along with them, there is just one Fresian that is only turned out during the day that is a bit of a bully.  Hopefully Cupid will just stay away from him.

 

Curious George

Cupid is a very curious horse (or maybe just very hungry).  He likes to investigate everything.  He even likes to dumpster dive!

He is also very friendly.  He seems to like all horses (even if they don't like him) and people.  Some of the very young lesson students wanted to say hi to him in the pasture, and he was very patient.

After a few somewhat rough rides where we couldn't get the left lead canter, we got it (after a few attempts) last night.  So far I haven't found anything that works consistently.  He on occasion gets it wrong going to the right (so does pick up the left lead the wrong way), but usually the right is good.  Otherwise his training is going along very smoothly.  He leg-yields quite nicely now.  I ordered a Myler comfort snaffle I want to try on him.  I've tried several different bits - plain dee snaffle, copper full cheek snaffle, snaffle with copper rollers, and a double jointed snaffle.  I didn't see much difference amongst these, we'll see if he likes the Myler.

Storm

We had a major storm hit our area yesterday - 50 mph winds and over 6 inches of rain in 24 hours.  I was very worried about Cupid being outside.  He was bundled up in his warm blanket with neckpiece, and a fleece cooler underneath for extra warmth.  The stable did a great job monitoring things and keeping us informed.  Luckily everyone was okay and there was no major damage.  One tree fell down, but luckily not near the horses, and some of the roofing was blown off.  I went out to see Cupid first thing tomorrow and he was standing at the gate looking surprisingly clean and dry, and no worse for the wear.  He just wanted his food! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cupid was lame on Tuesday - he seemed a bit sluggish at the walk but when I asked him to trot he had a slight head bob.  I realized there was a little heat and swelling in his right front leg so I called it quits, gave him a little bute and the next day off.  By Thursday, Thanksgiving, he seemed fine so we went on an easy ride around the property bareback with just his halter and lead tied into reins.  He is not the most comfortable bareback horse, but it is fun to do every once in a while!  We also worked on going down the one trail he seems scared of.  At first I thought it was the electric fence, but I'm not sure.  The path goes downhill and there are bushes on either side.  I used lots of treats and pats to encourage him to walk down.  Hopefully a few more times and he won't be scared anymore.

On Friday I did another ride around the property, this time fully attired with saddle and bridle.  We didn't go towards the scary trail.  We finished up our ride in the arena, where Cupid decided today he only wanted to canter on his left lead, which he normally doesn't like.  On Saturday we worked a little more on our canter leads and did much better.

Saturday and Sunday it was cold and rainy, so I put Cupid's new extra warm (mid-weight) blanket and neck cover on.  Maybe he felt a little silly but I feel better about him being out in the rain if he's more covered.