2011 – Rock & Roll – 12-23-11 – OUTDOOR SNOW

12/23/11: Everyone got turned out today in the snow. Roll had a really good time in the dressage arena and even began to lunge a half circle in the open without a lunge line. At one point, Steve was brushing the snow off the roof of the barn and spooked him, so he ran off through the snow and then got tall and sorted at him. He was really funny! Rock was having a difficult time walking and I suspect he had just gotten up from a nap. He was listing badly to the left, so I did some traction on his rear end and that did help a little. Then he began doing circles to the right and lost his balance. He fell onto his left side into a snow bank, but got right up again. I decided to go ahead and walk him through the hourglass pattern in the field both directions and that did loosen him up some and helped him regain some balance, but he is clearly not doing well today. I think we are going to have to take a chance and get him to the indoor arena twice a day again to keep him off the hard ground. He managed to tear his knee wrap, but the way I wrapped it, it did leave some of the top and just split out above the knee, so it still is protecting the sores. I didn’t change it, but I will keep checking it to make sure it is doing its job.