keepin up with chuck

So I came back from Kentucky 18 different kinds of motivated and inspired and eager to get back to work. Mostly bc I'm a creature of habit and missed our routine after having a quieter-than-expected April. But also bc... ya know, it's fun and I love it.

charlie and his doppleganger enjoying that lush lush lush grass

But a couple things happened this week that kinda had us sticking to a lower gear. Thing #1: I wormed Charlie, which I'm not convinced makes a difference, but with Sir's sensitive soul, anything is possible.

Thing #2: O.M.G. it got reeeeeal hot here really suddenly. Well, ok. Not like, July hot. And not obscenely humid yet either... But after a lot of very pleasant 50s and 60s, we were a tad unprepared for temps shooting up to the upper 80s and low 90s. Charlie isn't even fully shed out yet! (not that you can notice with his baby fine coat lol....)

yup, werkin hard on that grass baby!

On top of that, barn mgmt has begun transitioning Charlie's herd to grass this past week. Last year at Charlie's previous barn, there wasn't such a distinct transition from hay to grass since they just stayed in the same field and began eating the grass as it grew.

At this farm, tho, he's been in a sacrifice paddock on a round bale all winter, and this attached grassy pasture has been resting and growing and is now LUSCIOUS.

then walkin it out, bc homeboy felt like a bloated regretful kid after a birthday party after wayyyy too much cake

And Charlie is definitely feeling the effects. I can only guess that he gets out there and gorges himself like a fat kid in a donut shop. Or, ya know. Like a skinny TB who's sick of hay and has been smelling all that sweet sweet grass growing just out of reach for weeks now.

In fact, I'm pretty sure his extreme desire for grass is what has led to all these dings, the recent puncture, and that little splint on his legs. It's about 95% certain that he (and others...) have been trying to climb the fence to get to the grass. So. Ya know. I'm glad to see an end to that....

nice easy slow hack, pretty sure that extreme dip half way through are from crossing a deep natural ditch in the woods

He definitely doesn't feel good tho when he comes in off the grass. Kinda standing parked out with a leg in each corner looking pitiful. Not colicking, fortunately, but clearly uncomfortable. Like, third trimester grass baby uncomfortable. And has been reluctant to finish his dinners.

it's an ice loop - counter clockwise out around charlie's summer pasture (bottom right corner, up along the road, then through the woods, down another fence line, then the woods again before cutting back to the barn through another pasture

But that's ok, big guy. We can take care of your bloated belly. As much as I would love to do like, a nice flat school or maybe jump a couple fences, it's kinda been feeling a little too hot for that anyway.

Nothing feels quite so refreshing and irresistible as a carefree hack through the cool, shady woods!!

ok i still don't have pics from all my rolex shopping, sorry. you'll get those when we finally get dressed again for a real dressage ride. but here's a sneak preview for now!

Which, conveniently, seemed to agree with Charlie perfectly. He was happy to walk out on his own for a quick little loop through the woods, and chose a very pleasant yet active pace.

I used my new Altitude Profile app again (which will be a recurring theme for a little while, until I get bored of it, probably haha) to get a better sense of distances. This loop we did is one of the shortest but I was still pleased to get a measure on some of the gentle inclines, like that long straight line at the top of the satellite map - that's a nice flat fence line path and is great for a trot or canter too.

very pretty, yes? super lightweight too, and omg those spikes are so so grippy

Once we got back to the barn, I let Charlie nose through his dinner leftovers for a little bit, but he still wasn't super interested so I pulled him back out for a quick rinse off in the cooler evening temps. Luckily a barn friend was able to check in on him later in the evening and confirmed that he did finish his dinner by then.

Plus I left a note for the morning folks to keep an eye on him and he was totally fine by breakfast.

sir looking far less pitiful after his post-grass, pre-ride hose off

Same story tho the next day. And actually he was apparently so pitiful looking after coming in for dinner that a couple other boarders reached out to the barn owner and manager letting them know Charlie might be in distress.

And he definitely was.... very sad looking when I got there just a little while later. Very sweaty all over his eyelids and forehead and ears and neck and shoulders. Basically, a hot mess. Emphasis on hot. Esp since the winter windows are still installed in the barn, so there's limited air circulation.

remembered my lovely bonnet from Liz + Snappy this time, bc Sir has FEELINGS about gnats

Again, tho, not colicky. Just... uncomfortable. But he turned around to greet me as soon as he saw me approaching, and was happy to eat his new favorite treats that were given to all FMF entrants that he's pretty sure are made of pure uncut horsey crack cocaine (Purina's apple + oat biscuits, if anybody is curious).

the woods are so so pretty this time of year tho, and so refreshing during this current heatwave

And again I just pulled him out immediately to our lovely al fresco wash stall for a quick rinse, and to dry off in the breezy shade while I brushed his mane and tail. This revived him significantly (see above pic where he looks pretty normal) and by the time he was dry, another barn mate was ready to head out for another quiet hack through the woods.

the bugs are getting worse out in the fields but it's still nice to get out! also, anybody remember that green rolltop?? lol...

Charlie's a lovely horse on the trails, whether in company or by himself. I think he prefers company tho - don't most horses? He will lead or follow comfortably, too, mostly choosing to lead if other horses are going slower than him.

Sometimes tho I think he likes following. He's generally a very thinking horse, but it feels like when he's got a horse in front of him leading the way that he just... will turn that off and follow along kinda mindlessly. Almost a little bit trance-like, he just follows right along.

my hacking buddy on this ride has been at the property for years and clearly knows how to work the hills!

It's kinda nice, honestly, and I think he enjoys being able to take a break from thinking and enjoy some mindlessness. It's certainly nice to have a horse that can turn off like that too, considering some horses, uh, just... ya know, don't. Like, ever.

she also showed me a few new places in the woods, and knew how to really use all the available space

It was also nice getting to ride with this barn mate since she's been at the farm for many years and knows the trails like the back of her hand. Plus she does all her conditioning in the woods - being too bored by endless loops through the fields and appreciating that the ground stays softer in the woods. So she really knows how to capitalize on all the hills.

Actually, a couple hills (like the field in the top left corner) she had us tackle differently: going diagonally across from right to left, bottom to top, instead of hugging the upper tree line like I normally do. This makes for a longer, tho slightly more gradual climb.

Anyway, tho, by the end of this ride Charlie felt like a million bucks. After the hour long ride he was warm but not particularly sweaty, and marched happily down the driveway back to the barn. Then tucked immediately into his leftover dinner once back in his stall. Perfect!

Naturally we'll keep an eye on him over the next few weeks and I'm hoping barn mgmt will agree to continuing the gradual transition to grass. But I'm also gonna maybe experiment with muzzles, at least for a couple weeks. I have very low confidence that Charlie will agree to wear a muzzle, since he has declined every fly mask I've tried... But we'll see.

Does your horse struggle with seasonal changes? How have you managed? Do you get to control their introduction to spring/summer grass? Or kinda just hope for the best with whatever plan your barn adheres to?