Like we've already mentioned there's a virus going around our barn so all the horses are in a 3-week quarantine: nobody in, nobody out. And until yesterday everyone was stall-bound for a few days, which for Big G. is like trying to contain a hot nuclear reactor. Last night we walked him around the outdoor arena in hand for about 45 minutes. Actually, it was good exercise for the human contingent and while Guinness didn't get any aerobic activity it was one of the few sun-breaky moments we've had here in the Seattle area. The pasty-whitest among us appreciated it. Although it was harder to appreciate the vast amounts of liquidy mud splattered about as the silly guy pawed the giant puddles every time we walked past. (But we're trying to foster his bold cross-country love of water!)
After the leg-stretch we gave Guinness an extremely thorough grooming in his stall (not an easy task given the massive amounts of mud in every orifice). Everything has to be done in their stalls these days (rather than in the cross ties in the aisle) to minimize the spread of any potential germs. Thankfully no more horses have gotten sick since the original two and we are all being really careful it stays that way.
We learned recently that Guinny is able to think more clearly under saddle if he's allowed to get his ya-yas out first on the lunge line or in a round pen. He prefers the lunge, as do we. So he cruised around flinging his limbs about and we giggled, thankful to be flat-footed on the ground while he performed his rodeo maneuvers.
Once that was out of his system Erin climbed aboard to get down to work. We've got a new super-special saddle pad that helps his back stay warm, which helps him focus better and be more supple while we work. His lateral movements are delicious and he's as responsive as a Maserati. SUCH a fun horse to ride, even when he's a bit of a handful!
Everything we asked him to do, he did with gusto. It's hard to tell who was happier, the horse or the humans. He is getting much better with others coming up beside or behind him in the arena, and since our facility is under quarantine there are 3 barns worth of horses who have to get worked without intermingling. That means that arena time is at a premium and that it's generally pretty crowded.
But Guinness was a rockstar and it was the most satisfactory ride we've had yet. His previous family calls him Lucky Guinny, but we're pretty sure WE are the lucky ones!
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