It’s been all “Sadie and Merlin” mode over here lately, mostly because they’re adorable and nothing has been going on with Henry anyway.

He had a week off after he tried to rip his foot off, and he looked sound last Wednesday in the round pen but since I was leaving to go see Sadie and her baby I just gave him off until Saturday. I did a light hack in the ring on Saturday morning and he felt AMAZING – that first week after a Pentosan shot is always lovely – right up until he didn’t. Because Henry is kinda crooked and base narrow in front, he tends to interfere a lot. Specifically, he tends to whack his heel bulbs with his other front foot. He managed to whack his grabbed spot a couple times and stung himself, taking some lame steps before he worked out of it and went back to amazing. Sunday we went on a walking only trail ride at Granger Lake and he did it there several times too. First I tried with a bell boot which seemed to only serve to irritate it more, so obviously it’s just really sensitive still. And he can’t seem to keep his feet off of each other well enough to not sting himself continuously, because he is a derp.

We’re supposed to go XC schooling this weekend, which we really NEED to do, so he’s going to get a few more days off and then a really light end of the week in the hopes that his owwie toughens up a bit by then. Honestly he kind of seems like a big baby considering how non-wound-like his “wound” looks. No broken skin, only a few top layers missing. Technically he’s sound, but then he whacks it and it stings, so technically he’s not. We’re in that lovely in between phase. Hopefully a few more days and some venice turpentine will do the trick.

Otherwise we continue to basically just stare at each other and be really boring. I groom him and give him cookies and slather various ointments/sprays onto him. Yesterday as I was putting my stuff away I realized that I had used fly spray, fungus among us, heal quick, listerine, venice terpentine, and fungus spray all in one grooming session. I really need to ride again so I have something to do besides slather this horse in product from head to toe.

In other news, it looks like I’ll be back at AETA next month, which I’m pretty excited about. Another entire weekend of cool horse stuff everywhere! Brace yourselves for round 2.