The blind pony update...

Today I FINALLY made it back out to the barn to work Gus. Bad news is, he's definitely blind. Good news is, he's sound.

So, I haven't actually worked with Gus for a few weeks - since I noticed his vision was going. So today's workout was interesting, to say the least. Gus was a good boy but it's very obvious that his vision is impaired. Watching him lunge was quite comical. He's having to tilt his head at an odd angle so he can see out of his right eye. Poor Gus!

But, overall, he was a good boy today. Not necessarily well-behaved on the lunge but under saddle he was a trooper, as always. We did our "usual" warmup - 10m half circles followed by 1 1/2 laps of shoulder stretches, both directions. Then we did some trot work. Actually, we did more trot work today then we've done in a while. Probably about 5-7 minutes of trot work. I was proud of myself to be able to keep up with the posting ... I've definitely lost a lot of muscle memory (and muscle) since I became pregnant. So all that posting trot really does a number on me - totally worth it though. We did end up the ride with a little canter both directions. Gus willingly took both leads and was good boy about carting my big butt around. I'm very proud of him.

Gringo just got a good grooming today. He's almost entirely shedded out. If I had the opportunity to groom him daily, he probably would be done by now - but unfortunately that situation isn't on the books at the moment. He's such a good boy though. He meets me at the gate every time I'm out to get him ... which is really nice, considering how much of a muddy mess the barn is right now.

Anyways, both boys are doing well. I hope Gus continues to improve ... but I guess only time will tell.