Sid's diary

Sid seems to have got over his couple of weeks of being Mr Nasty, he is more or less back to his old self. Having said that he did snap his teeth at me in the shelter today. I responded by making him step back and he didn't do it again. Cheeky sod!

We had a nice ride, though he seemed a little underpowered and has lost loads of weight, I am going to have to buy a new girth. Perhaps I should up his feed a little bit, but he is still quite chunky...
 
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My vet used to say that he wouldn’t be happy with Ben’s weight until he could see every rib. Only then would he be allowed hard feed. We never saw a rib, could barely even feel a rib!
 
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I prodded Sid like mad today. Still no ribs. Dear oh dear.

We had a lovely hack with my friend Uta, an hour and a quarter of slow walk, brisk trot and really fast canters! Everyone had a good time, Sid's ears were hard forr'ard the whole way round. It's so nice for me that he really enjoys going out.

My sharer has been trying nil by mouth = no treats hand delivered to Sid at all, and says that his behaviour is very much better as a result. Today I tried this - no treats - and also tried tacking him up the way she does: give him a hay net, tie him up and get on with it. He was so much more relaxed than tacking up the way I used to do it with Ziggy, which is loose. When he's loose he gets stroppy and opinionated: when he's tied up he just, well, relaxes. I suppose it's what he's used to. I shall stick to that for now - it's important that he's happy, and when he's tied up he doesn't grump, just eats his hay and chills.
 
Trimmer came again today and exclaimed with delight at Sid's feet. There is still about a centimetre of old (pre-me) hoof but the feet are looking just great. Sid is so good with Trevor now, completely chilled and seems to enjoy his pedicure. It makes me so happy that he is doing well barefoot, I hated those big clunky shoes.

A bit of hoof porn: left fore

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His front feet are quite, quite round, the backs are longer. Trevor explained why this is (back feet are for propulsion, front feet are for support and balance) and described the very different physiology of the front and back feet, from the joints downwards. Very interesting. Sid has ENORMOUS frogs and mighty bars, a structure which seemed to be almost absent in Ziggy's feet. Those feet are up to 500kg of sportive cob!
 
Sid has been stamping his right hind. After asking for advice on here I searched his feathers and found that the bulb of the heel was pink and sore. I oiled it yesterday and treated it with Hoof to Heal today. I've got some Frontline in case it looks as if it might be mites.

Poor boy.
 
Poor Sid - I love Hogan's feathers, but mites are my nightmare - hope it's not that.
 
I lost my mojo for a couple of weeks running up to and after the cafe closure. This week I have to get it back! I started off today by taking Sid for a walk, a long walk. It was intended to be a couple of hours but ended up as 3 hours because of a couple of napping incidents, though honestly they didn't last more than 5 minutes each, and because our return bridle path was closed due to fallen trees and we had to take a long diversion. I was knackered and so was he!

We walked partly on roads and partly on bridlepaths. He was mostly very good, walking without complaint past, through and over:
  • fields full of horses galloping over to see him, snorting and carrying on, trotting beside
  • a cement lorry depot with crashy bangy things right beside the bridlepath
  • wooden footbridges
and all the usual traffic and such.

He was concerned by:
  • Fallen trees, especially freshly broken or sawn ones, and a field where someone is taking in trees and garden waste for chipping
  • A children's adventure playground, with slide and swings shining in the sun (and the swings moving in the wind)
  • Another playground with a red engine in it close to the path.
The last 2 caused napping but it wasn't that serious.

He was doted on by 2 tiny children, one of whom was so small she could barely get her arms around his muzzle. She was only just over 1. He dotes right back, he is so sweet and gentle with kids.

I was very happy with him, though exhausted by the additional distance and the very steep, deeply muddy track we had to come up. I was so tempted to turn his lead rope into reins and let him take the strain, but he was heaving himself through the mud and I thought my balance might not be up to it bareback.

Tomorrow or Wednesday - riding!
 
We rode today, a short loop around the Heath. Sid napped twice. Once was in the drive of the house where we go to use the school. I rode him past it without incident, but then a car came and I had to turn back to the drive. When I asked him to leave it he was cross and very rudely gave a little buck (more a vigorous hump). I laughed and administered a Pony Club kick and he went on without complaint.

Then about 400m up the lane something made him stop and stare. hHe started walking backwards. I kept just enough rein to keep him straight and let him. When he stopped I praised him. I asked him to go forward and he did 2 steps and stopped again: rinse and repeat.

I couldn't see what was bothering him for the life of me. After about 3 or 4 minutes a lot of backward and not much forward I turned my rein ends into a wip wop and did a quick wip wop. It worked: he walked on (and got praised) and I saw that up on the bank there was a truck and trailer fiddling in the hedge. He really doesn't like strange things above his eye line.

We had no more nonsense after that. I was hoping for a canter up the grassy firebreak but guess what, it was closed because of fallen trees. I am getting fed up of this! I was going to show him the new log stacks on the heath, but the feller-buncher was working nearby and I decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

He was very chilled on the heath, a lovely long swinging walk with his head and neck low. So comfortable and relaxing!

ETA he was a toad to groom and tack up today: he managed to open the shelter gate and run away (having untied his lead rope) and then walloped about on the end of the rope like a large, heavy pendulum. I had to growl at him to get him to stand. But never ever do I feel unsafe with him, nothing he does worries me. He is just a cob who knows all the ways that he has got out of working in the past and will try them sometimes. When they don't work, he really quite enjoys his hack, and he is lovely to sit on. Silly big bugger.
 
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I’m a coward I’m afraid, if I get Belle in and she’s just in one of those moods I don’t bother, it’s not worth the arguments for either of us, fortunately it’s rare.
I think sometimes a bit like humans, they just wind themselves up to a point where everything is a massive problem, but you got there in the end and felt quite safe so all good.
 
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