Now that Finn has been in training for a little over a month
I am beginning to see a huge improvement in his movement and physiology.
Although I struggled with Finn’s poor hoof quality in the beginning, it has now
become obvious that his feet have healed and he is doing well! Finn is still
calm and easy to handle on the ground, but he has adopted a spunkier attitude
under saddle now that he is no longer sore. In the last week or two I have
begun working Finn on the lounge line; asking him to walk, trot and halt. This
exercise is good because it forces Finn to balance himself and use his own hind
end to maintain the circle.
When I adopted Finn he was lame in his left foreleg and we thought there was a chance he would never be able to stand up to eventing. In the last couple weeks, I have been thoroughly impressed with the way Finn moves in his new glue on shoes! Watching him go it is hard to believe he was three-legged lame a month or two ago. Now he swings his shoulders in the walk and trots happily.
Finn was completely lame when the vet evaluated him in November
Under
saddle, I have begun asking Finn to maintain a contact in the bridle, instead
of pushing him to carry his head low and travel more like a hunter than a
dressage horse, I have started pushing him to be round and use his hind end.
Finn has done a great job of retaining new lessons day to day; a great example
of his willingness to learn.
Finn trots well into the bridle
Physiologically,
Finn is beginning to gain muscle as well as weight. At the time of adoption
Finn only weighed about 900 pounds, while average weight for his height and
breed is around 1200 pounds. As of now, Finn has gained about 100 pounds and
has grown about an inch. To help Finn continue gaining weight, beyond adding another 1/2 quart of pellets to his feed, I have also added a weight supplement to his diet. Finn's changes in height and weight is typical of a 3 to
4 year old thoroughbred in his first 3 months off the track. As time goes on I
expect to see an increase in his height and weight. In the last couple months
Finn has also gained muscle in his top-line (picture below) and hindquarters,
which are improving his movement under saddle.
http://dmequinemassage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/sas_day_two_lg.png
Recently
I have introduced sets of ground poles to Finn’s lessons. By placing sets of
three or four ground poles on one side of the ring I am able to work on straightness
as well as pacing with Finn. In the last month or two, Finn has gone from
three-legged lame to completely sound and on his way to jumping soon. With
every success comes a new set of goals. In the next 60 days I hope to bring
Finn to a dressage show and begin jump training with small x-rails and verticals.
