Lunge, ride, graze and groom

Today was hot, 90s hot, so I left Bestie's door open to encourage the air to circulate while I was poking around the barn. She took the opportunity to lick up her neighbor's grain crumbs.

Then when he came over to check her out, she gave him the cold shoulder, but it was kind of a mixed message - one ear back, one ear forward. Her whole posture was saying, "I'm not looking at you. And I don't know who licked up your grain crumbs." So mare-ish.

She had just had a drink from the blue bucket; that's why there's water all over the floor. It's funny - that bucket is for the dogs, but whenever Bestie has access to it, she guzzles from it, even if she has water in the bucket in her stall. The grass is always greener...

Sunday when I got to the barn she was in major heat and pretty crazy, acting like she hadn't been out of her stall in FOREVER, and whinnying at the horses in the barn and in the fields. We went out to the indoor with the lunge line and I just let her run. She hasn't done that in a while, so maybe she needed to let off some steam. We had the place to ourselves. Afterwards, she wandered around the indoor checking out the poles, and muck buckets, and new waterers while I picked up poop.

On Monday she was a little calmer, but still kind of on edge, so I lunged her again.

I rode on Tuesday in the indoor. We did a lot at the walk, with some trotting. We've been doing a lot of serpentines. One curve would usually take us by the open door, so she got to gawk at the horses in the adjoining field, but she didn't try to head out there.

And now, with temps in the 90s for three days, I'm just going during the day to get her out for some mid-day hand grazing and to groom her. Today I scrubbed her back legs with Betadine; she's got a bit of the crud going on. I'm not  hand grazing her very long because she's had pretty loose manure for about a week since we got new hay. The hay looks great, it's dry and green, really fresh looking, but maybe the combination of that with the overnight turnout is giving her too much green. I took her off her supplements and just put her on the probiotic today, and we'll see how that goes. She's totally perky and eating and drinking normally, so everything seems ok, but I hope her poop firms up soon ... if only so that I don't have to inquire when I get to the barn, "How's her poop today?"

A gorgeous day for a little ride

So beautiful at the barn today! When I took the photo, the horses had their heads out, but because most of them are black, they're not visible. :) Bestie's is the second stall on the right after the center hallway.

All in all, this week has been gorgeous with sunny skies and really pleasant temperatures. I didn't ride on Monday because when I got to the barn, Bestie was in the line-up for a trim from the farrier. On Tuesday we spent some quality time doing serpentines in the indoor. She has been a little sluggish. I don't know if she's tired during the day from being out all night, or if she is just being a stinker (nahh, I don't really feel like trotting), or if something is bothering her. 

I had her chiropracted a couple of weeks ago - after my lesson - and he said she was in good shape for a horse of her age, and only pointed out a bit of arthritis in her left hock. She just turned 21 at the end of April, so I was pretty happy with his assessment. I put her on a senior supplement that has a bit more "joint juice" as well as Devil's Claw for discomfort. The problem is that she isn't eating it. I've tried to entice her - chopped up peppermint candies to mix with it, and Horace at the barn has doused it with corn oil. The oil seems to do the trick, so guess I'll be buying oil. 

With three days of rain beginning tomorrow in the forecast, I decided to ride again today. We went in the indoor for about 15 minutes, then strolled around the paddocks. No one was out, even next door - I think that the neighbor must also be doing evening turnout - but Bestie seemed fine with that. The walk around the paddocks offers a couple of little hills, so it's good work for her. After we were done she seemed to expect her grain and turnout, but it was a bit early. Her inner clock was off. I headed for home to mow more of the lawn before the rain comes.