May 1, 2010 – What happened to my little foal?

Brat on the left, Rory on the right

I went out to get Rory yesterday and found him standing next to the brat at the fence as the herd watched the new horses in the next field. I took a bum shot of the two of them just to record how close Rory is to the brat's height already. I was looking at the photo again today and Rory's knees and hocks are larger than the brat's. So obviously I realize that he's grown up a lot, and is no longer my little boy, but when I saw the photo of me standing next to him I was shocked. He doesn't look that big from my point of view when I'm standing next to him! Three of the horses in his field are very big too (16.3 and up) and so I'm most often seeing him as the little boy next to the big horse.

After the photos I took him for a walk around the track. We had to start with some more involved in hand work in the sand ring and around the jumps because he decided that he couldn't walk. We walked around the jumps, halted backed up, moved his bum over, and so on. Rory eyed the horses in the paddocks, and settled down. We walked around and over the cavaletti and he did his figure eight around/over one cavaletti (while I stand in the middle) exercise. He didn't do it as well as he does inside, but there were a lot of distractions around. At one point he managed to step on a tire and it didn't fizz him at all. He stood there sniffing another tire for a minute before stepping over them. Once he'd settled down we did go for the planned tour around the track and he was good. We had to halt and back up a few times when he got a little ahead of me, but not too many. When we came onto the stretch towards home the horses on either side of the track ran over to the fence to see Rory, and then ran up and down in their paddocks. This was rather a lot of excitement for Rory and we had to turn around several times before he and they settled down enough for us to walk politely back to the barn and out to his field.

May 19, 2009 – The swan emerging

I took Rory out to the arena for a little schooling on Sunday. He was very good and we only had one Rory meet wall event during the trot in hand practice (I've got to RUN to keep up with him though). We walked over poles and around objects. I got him to walk around the mounting block alone and come back to me. It's coming. Before I took him back to his field two people brought their mares into the arena. We went to say hello to one of them who promptly told Rory where to go - and he did the baby mouthing thing! So I guess it's just geldings that he doesn't worry about.

I had to put his leather halter's chin strap out to the last hole. He's almost outgrown it. I'll have to start using the one he wears at night.

I wanted to take photos yesterday but ran out of time after I'd looked after brat's stuff. Rory's shedding in patches and looks motheaten with his sleek summer coat peeping through the gaps in his winter shag. His head is almost clean - just a bit of fuzz left on his cheeks. He's cute in a scruffy-bum kind of way.

September 15, 2008 – Growing up!

Saturday morning I had to give the other foal his syringe of stuff before he went out. The two doors to the mares' stalls latch to each other and I unlatched them to get in to deal with the other foal. While I was busy, Rory's mum slid their door open about 12". Rory spotted the gap and headed out to do some exploring.

Fortunately I was close and saw him squeezing out and was out quick enough to catch him with an arm round his chest just as his bum cleared the stall. He was disappointed, but backed into the stall (I pushed the door wider so he had room) obediently enough. Then I closed the door and the head gate so mum couldn't open it up again.

Last night I was scritching his neck (both sides) and I realized he was getting his chin up above my shoulder level without any effort at all. He'd put his chin on my shoulder before, but had to stretch to reach. His bum is about 1 1/2" below the top of the solid part of the stall wall - withers too, but it was his bum I noticed. He used to have to lift his head right up so he could see over the wall. He can look out the head gate without choking himself now too.

My little boy is growing up!