Spring is here (!?)

Gunny's back seems to be a lot less sore. I gave her about 4 days off, and I rubbed liniment on her back to help ease the pain of the muscles. I rode her a little on the trail today, although we didn't go far because the mud was deeper than I thought. She did, however, cross 3" deep puddles without even thinking twice. I was SO proud of her!

I rode her in the arena...just lightly. Walk/jog and a little bit of an extended trot. I worked with my legs to keep her on the rail, and she's getting noticeably better at not darting into the center. I just have to be consistent and know when she goes off the rail to prepare to correct her. She's keeping her head down quite well at the jog. She doesn't stay flexed at the poll, but she keeps her head down..so that's a start. I think I made her sore by pushing her too hard, too fast, so I want to take it easy on her and build up her endurance to the training.

I've been giving her a little bit of grain (Nutrena Safe Choice) after each ride, too. She really enjoys that. Only about 4-5 pounds, once a day. So it's just a "treat". Until I can find a hay probe to use to get a hay test (since I board at a barn...I can't just cut open a ton of bales for a test), I hope a little grain will help make up for any protein she might be lacking. I'm going to see if that makes any difference in her top line definition.

For some reason, I've never noticed any salt in the paddock in which she's in. They usually give them scoops of mineral salt (loose) in a dish every day, but every time I go out there, it's empty. I don't know if they have a block somewhere that I didn't see, but I hope that she's getting enough salt. I was thinking of possibly giving her a little sprinkle of salt on her grain, just in case. She has access to free choice, fresh water from a Nelson Automatic Waterer System.

All in all, she seems to be doing well. It was overcast today, but 60 degrees, so it was a nice change. Rain is supposedly coming the next couple days, so I have a feeling I'll be staying home and studying!