The Big Green Ball Part I

I finally brought the big green ball out to the barn on the request of the other boarders. I've been so busy I'm never around to hang out with everyone and they really want to play with the ball. It was an interesting sight getting the ball in and out of the mini fully inflated. I'll say this, filling up the ball using the exhaust port on the shop vac worked like a charm.

So Axel is feeling a little better. He's still puffy, no better or worse. His knee is still a little swollen but he's walking better. He only had bute on Friday when he was really lame. J said he was running around all weekend with his tail up in the air so I guess he was feeling pretty good. He took it easy in the arena this time. Maybe another week if taking it easy will help and I'll be able to ride or lunge him next week. He actually knickered at me when I came out tonight, I guess he's expecting his medicine + apple sauce + grain mixture. Too bad for him he doesn't have any antibiotics left. Though I stashed a thing of applesauce in case he needs some bute. He wanted around the arena a bit and tried to bite the big green ball but he wasn't getting too riled up about anything.

Cody wasn't as excited to come in the barn. But I haven't groomed or done anything with him in a while so we needed some quality time. For a few minutes I thought he was swollen on his belly just like Axel but I think that's what you call fat, something Cody hasn't had in a year.

Cody wasn't scared of the green ball at all but he wasn't interested in it either. I free lunged him a bit, he was reluctant to trot. I finally went to get on bareback for a while. I guess nearly two months off has made Cody forget how to stand still at the mounting block. We had to do a lot of circles (these he wasn't so reluctant and even cantered when he knew I meant business) before he would stand stil, even then it wasn't perfect. But! Cody is now a decent weight to ride bareback and not feel like you're sitting on a 2x4. Yay! We mostly just walked around and tried to push the green ball but Cody wasn't too sure about that idea and kept going around it. We ended with some acceptable rein back before he got to go back outside (not sweaty this time).