4 More Weeks

I haven't been quite satisfied with how Barokko's been doing in these past weeks since he finished treatment. He's slowly becoming more fit, he can go on a 1 hour trail ride (walk and a little trot), without becoming exhausted (he'll be tired, but I don't feel like I need to get off and carry him like I did in the beginning;-). He no longer hyperventilates, even after exercize, which is a big difference.

But he's still very unwilling to go forward unless he's either being pulled along by another horse, or he's high as a kite (for ex alone in the woods). In calm circumstances he will walk very slowly no matter what I do, and when I ask for tror he'll willingly transition, but after 3-4 steps fall back to walk. I've tried getting after him with the whip once, I just wanted to be completely sure that I wasn't being too soft on him because I'm worried, and he's just taking advantage of that. Well, he got pretty mad about the whip, and did run off, but as soon as I then stopped using it and rode properly again he went flat :(

I talked to the vet, and although she said it wasn't good news, she also said sometimes pneumonias take a long long time to clear up, even though all of the bacteria are gone. He's been in light work for 4 weeks, and she said to continue 4 more weeks. If he gets any worse I'm to call right away, as that could indicate a new infection. If there's no change she'll take a look at him after the 4 weeks, as it could be a sign that there's permanent damage to the lungs. If there's improvement, great, then he apparently just needed more time.

Our arena has finally thawed, so I've been able to longe him the past few days. He's seemed a bit more energetic, yesterday he even gave me a small buck and popped into canter - only for a few strides, but still, taking the initiative to canter at all is definitely a new development! So I'm keeping my figners crossed.