Monday was such a lovely, cool day. Suki was restless on crossties calling to some unknown friend. Banker was in his stall right next to where she was standing, so I don't know what that was about! Because of the cool evenings Suki has been able to wear a fly sheet over the shell, which helps protect the sad little garment. But the days ahead are expected to be blistering hot, so I will cross my fingers that it holds!
I decided to use Suki's restlessness to my advantage and lunge her. After a short warm up I started a bit of interval training....2 minutes of trot followed by one minute of walk. You know how horses are with repetitive work. They become intuitive about the timing. So after two repetitions Suki started to do the exercise on her own, with very little prompting from me. We changed direction and started again. I started with the first command then Suki took over. After 8 repetitions (the same number that we had performed in the first direction) she stopped and looked at me. I couldn't help but laugh! "Clever girl", I said. "Are we finished?" I walked over to my beautiful girl and wrapped my arms around her neck. Suki responded by lowering her head and pressing it against my back. That is her version of a hug. And it is glorious! I could feel the tears coming. How is it possible that I almost lost her? My heart aches for those who have lost their beloved horses in barn fires...or under any circumstances that brings the friendship to an end all too soon. We invest our heart and souls into our equine friends, and even once we are separated by their passing, we don't forget. My memories of Jenny sometimes bring tears, but for the most part spawns smiles, because although she was taken from me far too soon, I have a memory bank filled with shared experiences.
I am hopeful that once the report from this meeting is complete I will have July and August to really focus on training....Suki and Nikki. So much to do!
Today the humidity has increased, and Suki was slightly sweaty in her stall wearing her shell. The bandage was missing, but it was loose yesterday, so I was not surprised. The graft looks great (I foegot to take a photo) but the skin was dry. After a quick shower for Suki, I slathered the entire area with moisturizer and put the shell back on....leaving the graft area without bandage! Since the insert for the shell has softened a bit after rain exposure maybe there won't be any bruising. Tomorrow temperatures are expected to go into the 90's so Suki will be naked in her stall during the day. I will see the results of my experiment tomorrow!
Baby Suki: 3 months under saddle
I see all the pics you post of her, how dear and sweet Suki truly is, and end up wanting to reach out and cuddle her, too. my gosh, she is beautiful, absolutely stunning. you both have really been blessed.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy. You are so right. We have been blessed. Sometimes I think I forget how truly fortunate we are. I greatly appreciate your support and kind words.
ReplyDeleteFran