Ground driving

Since Dani can't be ridden for quite awhile yet, I really don't want to start back at zero when we finally do get the green light from the vet. So, since I've been ground driving Shelby, I thought Dani could learn that too. It won't put any extra weight on that leg and we're only talking about a few minutes here and there, so unless she panics and injures herself, there really isn't a worry, health-wise.

After working with Shelby, I left the equipment out and got Dani. She was her loving, happy self as I took her into the round pen.

First, I sent her in a couple of circles to see if she could free-lunge, and of course, she did great. A few little bucks and she wanted more speed, but it was purely joy, no maliciousness involved. I mean, we're talking about Dani here.

Then, I did the same with a line attached. She felt the weight and slowed right down. Both directions then on to the surcingle. She didn't mind it on her back, but tightening it AT ALL was not comfortable for her. Not sure if it's that she hasn't been ridden in months or that it was not a saddle and she just wasn't used to it. Eventually, after many times of just laying it on her and taking it off, then pulling the belly strap just touching her belly and taking it off, she let me put it through the buckles. She didn't take off, she didn't panic, but I could tell that she was wondering what in the heck I was doing with this microscopic little "saddle".

So I free-lunged again and, again, the happy little playfulness, but once the line was on her halter, it was all business. I put the long line through a ring in the surcingle and she didn't mind at all. In fact, she listened quite a bit better and was "hearing" the cue through the surcingle very well.

Then...a moment of silence...I attached the long line on the off-side. We were still in the round pen, so nowhere to go, but I thought she might get panicky with too many lines dangling around. Nope. No big deal. Soon, she was going at a calm walk in both directions and stopping with little effort on my part.

Out we went into the pasture. She got coiled up a couple of times, but figured out very quickly what I was asking and went right to it. We went away from the other horses very easily (something I still struggle with driving Shelby) and circled the round pen twice. I drove her back to the gate by her buddies and let the surcingle fall off her rump. She did great. Since it's a little hard to snap pictures of myself and Dani while driving her, no pictures today.

I changed her bandage too. She is so good for it. Just as calm as you please. Faith likes to help and I let her wrap the Elastikon at the end. I like to get it rewrapped as quickly as possible to avoid flies. I hate flies. Nasty, nasty creatures.

The leg looks the same as the last bandage change. One part doesn't seem to be healing much. It's like there's a pocket, or hole, of some kind that just isn't closing. I'll need to take another horse in soon, so will bring her then to have Dr. Krebs check it out. It doesn't smell so wonderful, but I think it's that she likes to play in the water and it's always damp and gets kind of musty.

We groomed her and fed her grain with her supplements after her less than strenuous workout. She loved to be pampered. Faith put sparkles in her mane and tail. I think she kind of liked it.