Reading the same book

Seems like 'Mr F' are back on the same page or at least back reading in the same book.

As I drive up to 'Farm hill' the next morning, I can see him grazing in the field with the others. In fact they are all quite evenly spread out in the field. On previous days he was hiding in the shelter. Mind you, on his first few days of being turned out it was hot  for April and already there were plenty of flies. 'Mr F' doesn't do flies ... at all.

He also could have a bit of a grass overdose although it's not a lush field. The downside of him currently not showing much interest in his food (he never did during the first week of full turnout) means I cannot feed him any help for his digestive system. I may have to resort to the syringe but am trying not to. It's going to be a cold week ahead. Let's see if that changes things.

Today 'Mr F' is certainly more upbeat about things.

I go get his feed in the hope he might at last eat it. It's not much, just a bit of a mash with his TB (Thunderbrook) base-mix. He comes willingly out of the field. I simply open the gate without even putting on his head-collar. It is highly unlikely for him  to go anywhere other than his food bucket. At last he eats it.

Once the morning routine is completed, all three go and lie down. 'Rookie' already flat out, 'Zac' joins at a bit of a distance. 'Zac' now very clearly 'above' 'Rookie' in terms of pecking order. 'Mr F' hovers around where I am for a while then goes and joins the others, picking a space very near 'Zac' to lie down.

I go and put the food bucket and other bits away (tackroom is on first level). As I come back after 15 minutes, 'Mr F' too is flat out on his side, sleeping. Not a care in the world.

'Zac' meanwhile looks grumpy a lot. I find that he is right now very desperately trying to find some kind of connection with something. He follows 'Mr F' a lot and stays near him. But he also watches me VERY closely and hovers around us at all times and studies everything we do. And I am only too aware of this. Very early on I realised that they learn something from us, desired or not, each time we are with them. 

I  need to leave for work.

As I return in the mid/late afternoon I again am pleased to see all three grazing the field at the very top.

There is no point in calling for 'Mr f' to come down. Why should he when he is having a simply wonderful time up there? 

I slowly walk up the field, examining the various heaps of poo on the way up, making note for tomorrow's poo picking exercise. Some poo is quite runny and right now it's hard to tell which who's horse's business it is. 

'Mr F' willingly lets me put on his head collar (no more running off) and follows me down the hill, 'Zac' close behind us, 'Rookie' galloping behind us with the odd stop for grass but never overtaking.

We spend some time out on the verge along the drive. Of course he now is not any longer desperate for grass and just picks some of the herbs that he hasn't got in the field. As we get halfway down the drive he begins to show more interest in his surroundings.  And as we approach the end of it, at the crossing onto a country lane, he wants to continue. He always does really. He also steps out much better now that his interest is up. OK. He may have some level of discomfort somewhere in his body / hinds but he wants to go and explore. He is BORED.

It's time to get a new pair of hoof boots, regardless of the size of my wallet. There was a pair of 2nd hand ones on eBay, exactly the size we needed. They shall be ours by the end of the day. The old set is too big now, but they are useful for turning out with a poultice. 

As we wander back, he looks at me quite often as we stand still. The expression in his eye becomes warm again, the muscles around the eyes are soft and wrinkly again rather than wide open or tense. His lower lip is floppy. It appears that he is satisfied that I got the message. In fact he can read me better than any other living being.

As we return I see 'Jake' is already in for the night so I take this as an opportune moment to begin with our solo stable training. 'Mr f' knows 'Jake', they spent the past weeks in the barn together, with 'Zac' in the middle.

'Mr f', seeing 'Jake' willingly follows into the stable. He looks intently at the middle stable where 'Zac' used to be, now empty.

He fidgets around a bit as I leave to make some tea and to get some feed and grooming mits.

I know he likes being in a stable, but he wants it done his way, with his mates next to him. Well I am afraid he cannot have that. His mates are not my horses. His mates are now going to be out till Autumn.

So 'Mr f' has to learn to be in the stable without mates. There are other horses around. Most are still coming in at night even now. Most others also are on restricted grazing. I groom 'Mr f' and every now and then leave the stable for a bit, chatting to other horse owners there. One has purchase a filly and it arrived today. 

A new voice to get used to (yet already loud), joining the others in their chorus of 'Where are you' - 'I'm here!'. 'Zac' is still shouting for 'Mr F' who now becomes fairly agitated upon not being with the others.

But he doesn't fidget about all that much. We do all our physio exercises including the carrot stretches. He is certainly more sore on one side. It all began with the first day turnout. He must have overdone it a little. I am glad they have a big shelter which also protects them from the wind to some extent (Yorkshire boarding).

 Although it being no longer hot like the past week, they all now spend time outside. It's going to be a very cold week ahead especially at night and I am aiming to be able to bring 'Mr f' in every now and then especially if there is a lot of rain.

We spend some 40 minutes in the stable, 'Jake' at the far side. 'Mr F' is becoming more relaxed and looks almost sleepy. This is a good moment to get him out. He has learnt he can be there without his mate and just one other horse. He also realises again that the stable even though also outside basically,  is yet still more comfortable than the field shelter. 

I didn't want to spoil the pleasant time we spent together. There was the possibility of  'Jake's owner coming and taking 'Jake' out work. 'Mr F' wouldn't cope well with that. As I have seen him fall inside the stable when he fractures his hip, it's just not something I want to happen again. I am wanting to keep him as calm as it's safe for him. I don't mind him circling for a little while or calling for the others but trying to beach himself on the partition as he had nearly done so is a no-no.

Communication breakdown - "All work and no play makes 'Mr F' a dull (and sore) boy"

For the past couple of days, 'Mr F' has been grumpy and somewhat dull. He clearly also was rather sore. At first I thought it might be his hooves, I have taken him out on short walks on the tarmac drive a fair amount. The barefoot trimmer had pointed out to me that there had been some abrasion to his hooves because of it. This was particularly encouraged by coming out of a wet field right before the walk without hoof boots. The hoof is still wet and therefore softer and more susceptible to abrasion.

I am in progress of getting a fresh set of hoof boots for 'Mr F'. We always used to go out with hoof boots. 

2 days ago 'Mr F' suddenly started playing his 'catch-me-if-you-can' game as soon as he sees me enter the field with the head-collar. He doesn't just run off, oh no.  He makes sure that the other horses come with him too by trying to group them up and herding them away from me because he doesn't want to 'escape' on his own. This in turn confuses the other horses, in this case the youngsters. They look at me puzzled and worried and clearly realise that it is my appearance that triggers this reaction from 'Mr F' yet they don't understand why he suddenly sees me as a 'disturbance'. I am always aware that whatever I do in the field affects all horses present. I am fond of them all and treat them as I would like mine to be treated if handled by another person. I am always trying to make things as clear and simple as possible so that they understand.

Seeing that 'Mr F' isn't having any of it and stomps around getting more frustrated I drop the head-collar with attached lead-rope. I do not want to confuse the youngsters any further, they wanted to come and say hello but 'Mr F' didn't let them as he wanted to herd them away from me. There have been a few occasions in the past where he displayed this behaviour and it is always a clear message aimed at me: "You are not fetching me because you are not listening to what I am telling you."

I have clearly overstretched it again. Too many repeat exercises making him not only sore (bearing in mind that the exercises are addressing muscles he hasn't been using properly) but also bored. Coming out with me was no longer fun for him and he was also not feeling comfortable with his body. That was his message and I had better listen!

Having dropped the head collar and lead rope I sit on the ground in the field and let things be. 'Mr F' comes to me eyeing me up and then walks off. The youngsters too come to say hello and are calm again. After a little while I get up and fetch 'Mr F's feed. He shows little interest in it but that is not unusual. It's a new field with plenty of grass (compared with their winter field the had just left a few days ago) and other food was no longer interesting.  This will change after a week when the grass becomes 'boring' and the best blades have been eaten.

The following day 'Mr F' lets me put on the head collar but I can't move him anywhere. We've been here before. (see here - catch me if you can!) I have learnt my lesson, it's best to leave him alone for a day or two.

The next morning 'Mr F' looks like standing death. I have seen that before too. He showed hardly any interest in his feed (I only made up a very small portion to test). Very clearly, he is bored and in discomfort. After months of being in at night from approx. 4pm till 7am (average 15 hours indoors) he is now out 24/7. That is an extra 15 hours of moving, even if it is just grazing. But it's on a slope. And on top of that he has had physio, I did the exercises and overdid them certainly by doing them every day. It is impossible to tell just how the fractured him has healed up but it clearly was still easily aggravated. Not going to put him on bute again, last time he went very dull and it didn't make a difference in his mobility. In fact he was too dull to be bothered to move.

I have to prove to 'Mr f' that I am listening to his message. If I get him to come down to the bottom level (we are on the third level) were the main yard is we can go for a stroll along the drive. He enjoys going out.

He let me put on his head collar this time and quite happily followed me out of the field. But he refused to go downhill. No chance to make 550kg of meat move by just pulling. Shouting at the horse is no use, especially not 'Mr F'. He cannot stand loud angry voices, he goes into distant mode and you might as well talk to a wall. To him, any kind of emotion is unpredictable behaviour and he doesn't see that as secure. That much I have learnt over the years.

At this moment 'Jackie' came to feed her boys ('Rookie' and 'Zac'). When they had finished I asked her if she could give 'Mr f's bottom a few smacks as soon as I ask him to move and he doesn't. I didn't have a wip or I would have used that for encouragement. Although I don't like doing it but sometimes, and its quite rare, I have to revert to this method of phases. I knew he wouldn't kick out, he is not that kind of horse. 

It took several smacks before he finally gave in and decided that it might be more pleasant for us all if he would get moving.

I wanted to get him to come with me to go and eat some grass along the drive, like we used to. I wanted him to understand that my appearance doesn't always mean work. Which of course it had over the past 3-4 days, especially when in discomfort. That's enough to 'Mr F' fed up even more so as he has now a nice field together with his young mates.

Eventually 'Mr F'  followed me willingly albeit with a concerned expression. I stayed out with him until he was in a better frame of mind.

There is no point doing anything with the horse if it isn't in a good frame of mind. It just won't work.

We walk along the drive for a while but 'Mr f' does a fair bit of neighing and replying to 'Zac's calls. 'Zac' doesn't like it at all when 'Mr F' leaves. It is rare that 'Mr f' calls out for any horses, very rare. It's always a sign that he isn't content / secure / comfortable. He either doesn't trust me right now (seeing me loose my temper, he cannot cope with that, and why should he) or he is in a fair amount of discomfort. Most likely both. We stay out long enough for 'Mr f' to settle down before we slowly make our way back. He is in no hurry to go back really. But more surprisingly:  he is not at all  keen to go back into his field, as I assumed he would be.

'What do you want?'  I wonder .... 

'Rookie' being gelded

Quick note:

'Rookie' was gelded today.  To help him recover calmly, 'Mr F' and 'Zac' were in the stabels next to him at daytime and in late afternoon 'Jake' will come in and take over while 'Mr f' and 'Zac' can go out.

'Mr F' still sore, too sore to do pole work. He will be getting used to moving around quite a bit more now they are turned out 24/7 in a bigger field than what they had for winter. And there is probably a fair bit of running around going on too.

Back to 24/7 Turnout - Back to field studies at last - a sore 'Mr F'

I have been waiting for the this time of the year; the days are longer again and the temperatures fairly pleasant already. Welcomed are the days of sitting in the field with the boys and observing, I enjoy doing this most. The boys have had time to get used to me over the winter months while I was hanging out in 'Mr F's stable doing whatever maintenance needed doing. The youngsters, especially 'Zac', watched us with great interest. The weather wasn't inviting to hang about with them in their field in winter, nor was the location 'private as it could be seen from the yard. Their new field however is at the very top of the hillside, beautiful far-reaching views and away from the 'hustle and bustle' in the yard. It will be months ahead of blissful field studies, including my insect photography.

The boys are going to be on full turnout from now on.  Their field also has a large field shelter. I know that 'Mr F' very much appreciates being able to go in and out of some form of shelter to get away from rain / heat / cold / flies / wind. 

We took the boys up to their new field in the early morning. The youngsters hadn't been up there before but 'Mr F' spent all of summer and beginning of autumn up there with 'Polly'. 

As usual, I was a fair bit apprehensive, hoping that they wouldn't charge about too much as I was still concerned about 'Mr F' injuring himself again. The youngsters did run around a little and 'Mr F' joined for a while but then the call off the grass is stronger than their urge to rid of energy. They have had access to grass every day during turnout so it won't be all that much of a shock to the system. 

The shelter of course has to be explored and is immediately accepted by all three ...

All three accepting the field shelter straight away, 'Mr F' already making use of the shadow ...

... which goes to proof that I was right when I said that it was 'Polly' that stopped 'Mr F' from accessing the field shelter in the other field last year. (see this post) She wouldn't go near it most days, especially when it was windy.   'Mr F' however went straight inside but as soon as she spooked and dashed off, he followed her in frustration because  he didn't want to be alone and he also was running short on patience for her being so flighty. 'Mr F' likes calm, peaceful field mates and doesn't settle well with the dizzyhead-types such as 'Rose' (the other TB ex-racer that arrived with him all those years back).  

Much of the calmness in the shelter is thanks to 'Zac', who takes most things in his stride. 'Rookie' is a little less sure but seeing that the other 'big' guys are in there, he deems it reasonably safe.

Having a field shelter and knowing that they will make use of it makes thinking about rugs simple. He does have a summer rug which I put on if temperatures are below 10 degrees at night IF there is also strong winds and rain. Dry nights are fine. .

'Zac' and in the background 'Mr F' with his summer rug as described above

Later in the afternoon I return from work and take 'Mr F' out for some body work. He is NOT happy about coming out. 'Zac' isn't happy either and does a lot of neighing and running around as he sees 'Mr F' leave the field. Meanwhile 'Jake' who had been used to the boys' company when they had come in at about 3-4pm  was neighing too as he sees me walk past with 'Mr F'.  The air was filled with their calls. I recognise them all by the sound of their neigh and it's a bit like a telegraph message starting with 'Zac', going to the girls and finally reaching 'Jake' in the stable all of which are replied to by 'Mr F'.

We do some work in the indoors school and despite not being pleased at all, 'Mr F' does what I ask him to do. 

I however notice that he seems rather sore and I can see in his eyes and facial expression that he is not comfortable at all. 

My guess is that 

a) They have been running around quite a bit in that new field after I had left for work. 'Mr F' most likely joined it for parts of it. It'll settle.
b) I have overdone the exercises prescribed by the physio. Not listening to the horse again, being too keen ... one day I will learn ... 

Well, the new 24//7 turnout will give his body plenty to do over the next week or two. The gentle slope will make him move up and downhill which will all be good exercise. Carrot and limb stretches will suffice for a bit until his is a little more comfortable.

'Anne' the ACPAT Vetenary Physio - Start of body work programme

'Anne' came today to assess 'Mr F's body fitness. She is an ACPAT registered Veterinary Physiotherapist and was mentioned to me by 'Jackie' who attended a speech held by her in the local Vet's practise. (mentioned in previous post). 'Anne' requested to have the Vet's consent prior to starting a physio programme. 'Suzie' (our vet) very helpfully supplied 'Anne' with all information about 'Mr F's condition / injury.

As I mentioned in the previous post; I would have preferred Neil to come and treat 'Mr F' but he is just too far away to fit in a single trip in a hurry.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised by 'Anne', she is a calm and caring lady and she listens to what the horse has to say while she treats it. I also appreciated her ability of explaining things in an easy to understand manner.

First off 'Anne' had to get an idea of 'Mr F' mobility. We went into the indoor school and after some warming up circle walking, we did some pole work in large circles.

I have never worked with a physio before so I was keen on learning which exercises will be good for us and how I can help 'Mr F' to tune his muscles in the needed places. 

What I aim to achieve with the physio treatment is to help 'Mr F' getting his body into shape so that he carries himself better. Which in turn should offer him more comfort as he grows older.

'Anne' was impressed by 'Mr F's ability to do the pole work without hitting them. 'Mr F' and I have done pole work for some months but not very often.

She said that if I was wanting to ride him again, we would have to very much work on his back muscles. He's always had a rather strong sway back, more so of course after the injury and following months of recovery in which he did very little exercise.

I have been given instructions for carrot stretches, limb exercises and pole work. 'Anne' said walking uphill would also be good for 'Mr F' (just what I thought in the previous year when he and 'Polly' went into the top fields).

Next appointment is arranged in a few weeks, giving me enough time to begin doing my part of 'Mr F's body rebuilding programme. And this time I have enough information to more or less know what I am doing (or supposed to do).

April: Spring is trying hard - Body Building

For the first time in months it is warm enough to put on the summer rug. 'Hill Farm' is very exposed and what feels warm in town, up here with the wind chill it's just still rather chilly. 'Mr F's summer rug is waterproof over his back and at the front. The rest is just a soft but robust mesh. It also helps to keep off the tiny flies which are already annoying the boys.

With not much grass in the field 'Mr F' usually already waits at the gait when I arrive or comes to the gate as soon as he sees my car.
Once the boys are in their spring/summer field with grass it will be a case again of: 'come get me if you want something, I'm here grazing.'

'Mr F' - "I've been waiting. Can we go where somewhere, do something? Ideally grazing, you know what I like ..." 

But hurrah - the grass is growing at last! Soon the boys will be changing into a different field. The winter field they have been using needs a well deserved rest and some serious maintenance.
Their new field has a big field shelter and I am glad about that as 'Jackie' will have her boys out 24/7 over spring/summer. As 'Mr F' is not yet safe enough (for his own good) to be in the stable on his own he too will soon be on 24/7 turnout. Knowing him he'll be most happy as he really appreciates the grass more than haylage. 

It'll be time to further progress with his stable training - learning to be on his own. I don't like doing it to him but it's important to know that he can cope, just in case of emergency. I wonder if I get him to accept it without him throwing himself over the stable doors. The first training (accepting the stable) took me 4 weeks - if there is time than 'Mr F' can have as much time as it takes him to accept something new. I much prefer him to get accustomed to changes in a way where he can cope. This way he knows he can trust me. If I just throw him into new situations which he doesn't understand he will stop trusting me. This was one of the first things I learnt. And it has applied to any other horse I have handled / looked after.  Be calm and wait ... if you can. It's the least we can do for our horses who so readily trust us if we let them. 

If I was a horse, I would be a nightmare. (in every meaning). I certainly wouldn't want to be close to humans. I sometimes struggle doing so as a human now ... 

And on our walk we find that the fields suddenly have turned back into a lush green colour.  

It is now almost a year since we arrived at 'Hill Farm'.

Over the past view weeks I have been looking at 'Mr F's body shape. He is rather out of shape, especially his back / top line. He's always had a saggy back. Below some comparison photographs:

'Mr F' in May 2013 (aged 20)- I had just started looking after him (and the other ex-racehorse 'Rose'). 

'Mr F' in August 2014 - Officially under my 'wings'. Back then I had no idea about working the horses' body. We hadn't been doing much riding as we had no tack and my budget was extremely limited. We did several short rides with different saddles until we finally got our own 2nd hand. I spent much walking  'Mr F' in the open fields, sometimes I rode him.

'Mr F' July 2015 - We have just started riding with the 'Barefoot' physio pad. I had enough of saddles that didn't fit (neither of us) and after much research and talks with professionals on the matter I decided to go for the 'Barefoot' Physio pad. It's described in posts back in 2015. At long last 'Mr f' didn't walk off anymore when I turned up with the pad, where as if I turned up with the saddle he'd walk off. I tested it several times. 

At this stage (at the time the photo was taken) we both are building up our muscles in the right places (for me mainly the inner thigh muscle as I spread my weight down his sides through my thighs so I don't touch or press on the spine) for this new to us new way of riding.  We had been on very short outings once or twice a week. The difference in freedom of movement however was phenomenal, most prominently noticeable because 'Mr F' was making longer strides, stumbling a lot less and also breathing more freely. Although the pad is quite heavily padded on each side of the spice, through the lower part of my thigh and of course the calves I can feel a lot of his movement which I before could not. It was much easier for me to be balanced with him, something I was not able to do well in the saddle, I found that the stirrups where in the way, either to far back or too far forward. While riding in the saddle I had to concentrate to be balanced in the saddle, never mind to be in balance with the horse. The saddle never fitted correctly, so it must have felt most awkward for 'Mr F'. I may be small and light but must have been a nuisance for him, rocking around in a saddle that seemed to stop me for sitting naturally all the time. At the time I put it down to my lack of riding experience /skill. 

'Mr F' in May 2016 (standing in background) - With his best mate and my 2nd favourite horse 'Luke'

'Mr F' in Sept 2017 (with 'Polly') - New home 'Hill Farm', 8 month after his hip fracture (January 2017)

The first 6 weeks of 24/7 turnout after initial recovery was in a flat field. Then they moved to a field up the hill with a gentle slope. It thought that it would be good for 'Mr F' having to move uphill to graze. After just a few weeks in there I could see quite noticeable changes in his hind, which had become more rounded and less 'pointy'.

'Mr F' April 2018 - clearly lost shape again. Especially over winter. Thinking about it: they have spent the nights in the stable. Out at 7am in the  morning, in at about 3pm. 8 hrs turnout, 16 hours indoors. And while turned out there wasn't much moving going on as grazing wasn't all that abundant and so one stands around the spot where the haylage is. All in all not much movement. And although the stables are 15 x 15 feet each, it only stops his legs from swelling up as he has freedom of movement but it's by no means exercise. It's an extremely fine balance to get the timing right during recovery. To me it right now seems clear that due to him being stabled every night his top line sank due to lack of stimulation. Right now I really am telling myself off for not doing a photo comparison sooner! 

He had 15 months of recovery, it's time for body building. We have already done pole work over the past months although not very regularly. But I am rather in the dark with regards to what his exact needs now are to rebuild his shape and it's time to call upon professional assistance in the matter.

'Jackie' went to a speech held by one of the local Vets. The lady that gave the speech is an ACPAT Chartered Physiotherapist. I was given a copy of her leaflet and those that went to the speech thought she was very pleasant and of course very knowledgeable. 

While I would like Neill Saunders (see posts in the past) to come and treat 'Mr F', it is a long trip for him to come up and he'll be unlikely to do it unless he can combine it with other clients which are nearby to make the trip worthwhile. Neill's work is very different to what a physiotherapist does, that I am quite sure about. He helped 'Mr F' in a great many ways. But I right now am after some bio-mechanical information of the entire body and it's muscles. While I am very sure that Neill could assist with that too, his work is reaching far deeper than muscles. He just has a gift. If my budget allows I will try once more and see if I can arrange for a visit of his at some point. 

'Anne' (the physio) is local and therefore much more readily available. She will only work on a horse if she has the consent of the responsible Vet. I shall be booking an appointment with her for 'Mr F' hopefully very soon.

Perhaps, if me and him get it right, we can go out hacking once more and go and explore the countryside. But I enjoy his company in so many ways that it doesn't matter much. Yet the riding does add an intimacy to being together, to feeling his body move under mine and to be part of it, more, to become one unit. In the past there have been a few occasions when this did happen and when it all was so simply natural, no words were needed. Often I only had to think about a gait change or stop and he would do it as though my thoughts went straight to his body, perhaps they did. The less my mind was distracted, the more we were together, simply, naturally, blissfully, peacefully.

'Mr F' with our bareback physio pad. It was my last resort solution after being very frustrated with unsuccessful saddle fitting. Only later came I to understand that his conformation would make it very difficult for fitting a tree. I have once tried a treeless saddle (borrowed) but it didn't work as it didn't offer enough clearance for his high withers and I didn't feel comfortable in it either.

Looking at the white hairs on 'Mr F's withers (pressure marks, hair goes white when it has experienced too much pressure) I can only guess that even his racing saddle must have put pressure on him. 'Mr F' already  had these marks when I took him on so it wasn't me.

'Mr F' didn't fuss about when he saw me come out with the pad the other day. He seemed almost expectant ... 'Are we going out?' - 'No not yet chicken ... all in good time.'

Although 'Suzie' (our equine VET) did say that I could ride him 'Just ride him to the local pub or something and see how it goes.' But I have decided to wait because I am not happy how his hind limbs work. There is a distinct lameness, not extreme but it is present and I don't think it is caused by pain as this didn't change even when he was on bute. 

My gut instinct tells me that there is a severe imbalance in his bio-mechanics ... muscle mass displacement and compensation and it all seems a kind of diagonal. 

To me this is not a body that is ready to be ridden. 

Meanwhile the April weather is true to its name: changeable. From warm spring weather we go back into cold rainy days. Rain brings mud, and 'Mr F' is straight in there as always. I haven't seen a horse roll this much indeed.

'Bleh ... can we go into the stable ... it's no fun out there."

'Mr F', 'Zac' (who is equally a stable 'potatoe') and 'Rookie' who generally prefers to be outside, but on this very foggy day even he had enough. 

Indoors school finished - Snow (again!)

The weather forecast did warn of snow but none of us wanted to believe it. It is April after all ... it is supposed to be spring. There was supposed to be warmish sunshine that would make the grass grow at last. Mind you, several here at 'Hill Farm' would be happy without much grass growth as all horses are on restricted grazing. The exception are the boys and the shire mare who can all eat as much as they want.

Easter Monday but I still get up at the usual time of about 4:30am. As I look outside while sipping my 1st cup of tea I find a layer of approximately 2 inches of snow that has been deposited over night. 'Well, perhaps I shouldn't buy winter tyres next year, since I bought them we had loads of snow ...'

This time however it is a heavy kind of snow, laying on a thick layer of slush, making it feel as though the car is a boat. There is hardly any grip at all. Still, I make it up to 'Hill Farm' OK. 'Jackie' and I have already agreed that we are going to leave the boys in for the day to protect the field most of all. The snowfall is going to turn into heavy rain any moment as it is warming up fast. There will be a lot of floods later this evening ...

Approaching the yard from the other end ... in the first wooden stable is 'Rookie', then 'Victor' and furthest away 'Slippers'. The boys are in the bigger building in the background. At least it was not windy so their stables are still dry.

I have my usual breakfast with 'Mr F' and set him up for his day in the stable. Before I leave for the day I take him for a quick leg stretch around the block. 

As I return later in the afternoon I spy on the boys through the Yorkshire Boarding. They haven't seen me arrive yet and are busy with their own little entertainment.

 'Mr F' is rather enjoying his grass block while 'Zac' is so very much hoping he'd share a little.

Sometimes 'Zac' tries and licks 'Mr F's tongue. I watch them for quite a while and am having a difficult time trying not to laugh out loud.

But there are noises, it must mean some humans are about to turn up, perhaps with food?

Are they coming from the left ... 

... or the right?

I cannot stop myself from giggling and 'Zac' of course hears me so they know I am here ... 

It is still raining and much of the snow has melted away, resulting in large pools of water on the roads. The fields will be a right muddy mess tomorrow .... 

But there are more news: The indoors school has been finished previous day!! Material for the floor had all been spread out and flattened. Time to go and introduce 'Mr F' to the School. 

Every time we walked past while they were working on emptying the barn, 'Mr F' wanted to go in a explore. Well he can now. 

He wasn't so sure at first but gingerly stepped (a large wooden 'doorstep' is preventing from the flooring to flood out into the yard) into the school. It is a fair size, it certainly has a good length. Main thing is: it is wind protected and allows us all to be in privacy, undisturbed and nobody watching on and in summer we can work with the horses away from the flies. The floor is lovely and soft. It is a sort of waxed sand mixed with new fibres. 

There are now 7 parties that will be wanting to use the school. Good thing is that we all have more or less different timings. Some will be evening only, others that no longer work will have time during the day and I am the mid afternoon 'crowd', usually on my own. So it naturally should work out well with spreading the use of the school equally. And we still have the menage, too.

Indoors school finished

The first time we entered the school 'Mr F' wasn't so sure about it. His heart-rate was up and he was quite fidgety for a while. We spent some time in there, exploring everything and sometimes just standing still until he was calm.

The 2nd time round he was much better and very quickly relaxed enough to pay attention.

'Mr F's and his 'I-am-not-quite-so-sure-about-this pose'

One excersise I often repeat with 'Mr F' is for him to stand still and wait while I walk around. This regardless of what is going on. 

Up at the menage at first there was some distraction in shape of other horses and green grass withing reach but he is mostly very willing to stand still and wait.

It took a little longer for him to stand still inside the school as he wasn't so sure yet about his surroundings. If 'Mr F' isn't sure about things he tends to stick to me like a shadow. 

'Mr F' is a fair sized horse, some 16+ hands (I think it's 16.2). Either way, his rear end / withers are taller than me (5 feet). This gives a fair idea of the width of the hall in comparison to the horse.

He can't quite contain himself and tries to follow me but I stop 'Mr F' with the usual hand signal.

It'll be most handy to have this indoors school. Mind you it will also be easy to get your horse to do things your way in here as it is not distracted. It is certainly safe as he can't away / jump out which leave room for further experimenting.