Chuckles turns 8

Yesterday was Charlie's birthday - happy birthday big guy!

I mean, sure, he "turned 8" with all the other 2009 thoroughbreds on January 1.... but we all know the truth. This guy was actually born 21 years old. We can delude ourselves about his 'relative biologic age' all we want haha, but the reality is that this horse has never been a 'baby.'

handsome boy got a gorgeous sunset for his birthday. but also his sheet bc boo rain and storms....

For real, tho! I've tried to get his former connections to send me pics of him in his relative youth haha, or even as a baby. But none have come forward yet. Which obviously leads me to conclude that they don't exist. Charlie has just always been a mature, stately gentleman. I'm convinced.

Lol.... seriously tho, I made sure to give him a couple extra carrots after our ride. He already gets his face stuffed with food whenever I see him bc #skinnyottb, but what's a little extra every now and then?

pink skies!

He also got a very nice surprise in the mail too - a Thoroughbred Incentive Program reserve champion ribbon from Loch Moy a couple weeks ago!! This.... may have excited me more than the horse lol, since signing up for a TIP number was maybe one of the very first things I did upon adopting my ottb. And I've been lusting after their gorgeous ribbons FOREVER. But it still counts as a present for the big guy, right? Haha...

sure, the colorful skies foretold the storms to come.... but pretty!

Charlie's also been keeping busy on the schooling front. Actually with lots of schooling out in the fields, since they opened one for an upcoming equi-trials at his barn. I'm not sure we'll participate (trying to decide on the relative merits of using it as a schooling experience vs going to our normal OF lesson) but we've popped over the field jumps (some pics coming eventually) and have been more purposeful about flat work on terrain.

such drama!! 

Plus his flat work seems to get better and better. Obvi that's all relative haha (you've seen the pictures, let's be real). But it's happening. I'm not sure it's related to using that Myler or not (we only ever rode in it that once) but there's something that feels a little bit like 'give' now, something that feels a little bit like 'change of bend.' We have three semi-confirmed gears in trot (normal shuffle, slow shuffle, and speed racer) and canter transitions have been freakin wonderful. We might yet be ready to canter in a dressage test!

So. Maybe now that his body is slowly catching up to his more mature and aged-like-a-vintage-fine-wine brain, maybe we're actually going to start seeing some real progress on the flat? One can only hope! And in the meantime, hopefully the big guy is enjoying the few extra little spoils ;)