Well, the Super Bowl is over...wrote about that on my "political" Blog. Meanwhile, over here at my horse blog what's happening? Well, after riding Tamara 3 times she developed a small knot on her right hind leg below the swollen hock. No lameness but, I'm not riding until that goes away. I massage it daily and I've decided that after a small incident yesterday that I wouldn't turning her out.
Yesterday I did turn her out (with her hoof boots) for about an hour only to watch her from my kitchen window as she instigated a galloping and bucking session with the other horses. When one horse starts, it turns into a frenzy of horse play (pun was intended) so I decided not to risk another busted lip or worse, and brought her in. The ground was just too slippery, and I question turning horses out in such conditions in the first place. Just seems like an invitation for disaster.
I hear riders complain about the treacherous riding conditions after a good rain which is often the case here in Germany. Still, I don't understand their logic. When the horse is under the saddle, the rider should have control. Which doesn't sound nearly as dangerous to me as turning a horse out uncontrolled into a icy, muddy, and slippery pasture. Yet some folks seem perfectly willing to do this with less reservations than they have about riding in such conditions. Maybe it's because their own neck is not a risk, just the horse's.
Update: after a careful inspection of the pasture, I decided to turn her out today (bare foot) for a limited time. I figure the being barefoot, she might be more careful. The ground seems soft enough not to hurt her feet. The problem is, I just can't stand watch her standing in the coral alone and depressed.
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