He's quiet....TOO quiet.....

Yesterday was our first real ride in a LONG time, I think since the beginning of November. It was also the first ride since switching feed and supplements. He's been getting the TC Senior for about a week, and so far I really like him on it. He's getting 4.5lbs 2x per day plus his SmartCalm and U-Gard, and I'm also giving him alfalfa pellets as an extra meal. I think his weight is improving,  but it's only been a week so I want to wait longer for a more definitive answer.

He's been super quiet on the ground (not that he was ever bad, he's ALWAYS been an angel with great ground manners.) He just seems more subdued and happy to doze with his bottom lip drooping. Of course he still plays like a maniac outside and has gotten some well-earned battle wounds in the process. I don't feel bad for him--he brought them on himself for picking on the older boys.

They're all along the front of his face, so this photo cleverly disguises his ugly boo-boos. The outdoor ring was fantastic yesterday, so we were going to do mostly walking with a little trotting (trying to follow those eventing fitness schedules for horses who have been out of work for a long time.) He was a little looky at the beginning just because we haven't been up there in forever, but he was good. His only real "oops" was not standing still after I got on him. He wanted to jig and move, but getting him to settle and stand for a few seconds was much easier. We walked for about five minutes just stretching his legs and seeing the sights. After that we moved to one end of the ring to trot some circles.

He was a different horse.

He was more than willing to move forward if I asked, but boy was he QUIET. He started with a nice working trot, and I just floated the reins and my elbows to him. In Dressage 101 by Jane Savoie, she said a green horse learning to seek contact and be "low, down, round" should feel like a board with a rope on each end in a gentle stream. That's the most accurate description of how he felt. He was reaching LOW for that bit, and I tried really hard to sit up and sit back instead of leaning at him. He was good in his bad direction too. We did walk trot walk trot walk trot, something that normally blows his mind, and he was just as relaxed about picking up the trot as he was at the beginning of our ride. 

I'm so happy with how he went and with his new diet. The indoor ring is getting the footing on Monday, so I'll get photos of it when it's finished. I'm so excited to be able to ride regularly again. I think all this time off is going to help both of us a lot. I had plenty of time to read and learn so I can ride him better, and he had time to reshape his body and gain weight. 

We started putting together a schedule for spring/summer--getting so excited! I'm really looking forward to schooling at Gordonsdale in Virginia. It's XC schooling literally any day I want, just sign a waiver and pay $30. I haven't been in Virginia since I was a baby, so it will be exciting!