Last Friday (a week ago) Rory had an inspection and adjustment from the chiropractor. I'd noticed some newly prominent vertebral bumps along his spine, and that he was lying down outside a lot more than normal so I figured if the bumps were still there he could be inspected when the chiropractor came to do the brat. Rory was a good boy, but he was a little weirded out when she bent his head round to check his neck. The stepstool was a little daunting, but after the first adjustments in his neck he felt much better and was relaxed enough to stand quietly and trust that nothing bad would happen when she stood over him. There was a fair bit to adjust in his body, but it's likely that most of it came from some scramble or slip or some such. By catching it now I won't have to worry about him developing to support the misalignment. I am convinced that the brat's SI issues comes from when he was badly cast as a weanling. We were very happy to find that brat needed no SI adjustments this time!
The next excitement came early this week when Rory started staying out at night. He's now on 24 hour turnout. I've wanted to to this for a while now, but felt he was ribby enough that he needed his two grain meals a day. I am still feeding him his grain, but I will not be able to feed him twice seven days a week. He's gotten to the point where the ribs are easily felt, but just seen when he bends away and sticks his barrel out to one side. I brought him into the barn and put him in a box stall one day and he didn't know what to do with himself. He ate a few mouthfuls, turned around, looked through the windows and bars, checked the shavings, and so on. I ended up tying him because I didn't want him in forever, and he instantly relaxed and put his nose back in the feeder. Silly boy. He didn't mind being alone - no screaming or pacing or anything like that. Other times I have tied him outside the gate to his field with the bucket also tied to the fence. That is a non-event for him and he'll happily stand and munch.
One day we went for a walk around the track after he ate. Rory was good until we got about halfway round and spotted the other horse coming the other way. Rory got a little up and so I turned him around quickly and got him to settle then turned around to continue. The other rider had turned around too and the horse was going away from us, so Rory got a little up as he wanted to go faster and follow. We had a very little discussion about walking properly, and he was good until we reached the end of the backstretch and some of the horses in the fields whinnied at him. The group in the infield paddock actually galloped around a little bit, which naturally set Rory off more. We had a larger discussion and he reared and tried to pull away from me, neither of which got him anywhere. I did some very sharp turns with him and made him back up and move his bum sideways for a minute, and got his attention back on me. There were a few more times when his attention wandered and once he considered rearing when I wouldn't allow him to run off with the galloping horses, but I saw it coming and checked it before he got anywhere near doing it. Not the most pleasant of walks, but a good training session - I was quite pleased.
Another day he was very well behaved while getting his feet trimmed despite having to stand by himself for about half an hour partway through the process.
Today he had to stand and move with me out in the dressage ring as I helped a fellow boarder with her dressage tests. He had one little fit when the horse that had been working in the grass ring went back to the barn, but again I provided discipline, work and praise. He was actually very good overall. I showed him the paper tests right when we went out so I wouldn't have to worry about shuffling them later and Rory was so distracted by the noises from across the street that he didn't even notice the paper until I rustled it on his shoulder. He jumped because he hadn't been paying attention, but that was the reaction I was trying to get so that I could show him they were harmless. It only took about a minute for him to realize it was nothing to worry about and stand while I rubbed the paper over his neck, shoulders and back from both sides. Another good training session for him.
When I go out into the field Rory tends to be quick to come over now, hoping I'm there to take him out for his grain. I'm hoping he'll come when I call soon.
I've been admiring him while he's eating outside his field. Right now his body proportions are quite nice and he looks good. I'm just waiting for the next growth spurt.
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