New Shoes and a Good Ride

The farrier came out this morning. This time Barokko was less worried about the smoke and noise, so he was able to hot set all 4 shoes. Hopefully, that'll help them stay on ;) And I just want to say, I LOVE my new farrier, it's not easy to find one that's technically good, a good horseman, friendly, smart, and last but in no way least - PUNCTUAL!! :D

After his pedicure I hopped on for a ride in the arena. We're both really out of shape and out of the dressage mind set, but I'm ready to get us back to work now, and today was the first serious attempt at a dressage ride since we moved to AG. It worked out pretty well, I just wanted to loosen him up a bit, get him more accepting of the bit again, and check that the buttons are still in place. His forward button needed a bit more pressure than normal, but it improved a bit throughout the ride. An interesting development is that he got mad if I used the whip! I just tapped him once, and he pinned his ears and threatened to buck. Hmmm...

He felt good physically, only issue was that he coughed a few times in the start of the ride. I sure hope his bouts with coughing through the winter haven't become more permanent. At least now he's on 24/7 pasture there's no problem with dust etc. I think I might put him on shavings when he comes in again in the fall...

Anyway, it felt good to really ride him again, rather than just puttering around. I'm already looking forward to riding again tomorrow :D