Rainy days!

It has been raining hard for the last few days. Boomer had a few days off and it showed yesterday! He got Thursday off because I was in a particularly easy going mood and decided to just bond with him and clean up around the paddock. Friday he got off unexpectedly because my mom came up to visit us! Saturday it was raining all day so he got that day off also, but my mom did get to see him, even if he was all soggy! Sunday was gray and overcast but didn't do much more than sprinkle. John and I headed out to see Boomer and as he was covered in mud and it was drizzling, I decided just to take him straight out to the longe line and not worry about grooming him. He was feeling good for sure! He had a hard time listening to me and staying at a walk while I warmed him up, he really wanted to go! I worked him pretty hard, doing lots of trotting, trying out the canter a little, and utilizing the whole paddock by walking 5-6 paces down the line of the center so that he was longing an oval instead of a circle. There were a few low spots that held water, but little to no mud. There were also a few small swells in the ground. He got to work a lot on keeping his balance, paying attention to where he put his feet, self regulate speed, and deal with ground variances and puddles. I worked him pretty hard for about 20 minutes, let him walk a few minutes both directions, and then asked him to trot a few laps each direction before stopping for good. It was about 25 degrees cooler than it had been the last few weeks and he didn't even break a sweat. He is really looking very fit and his body is very lean and toned. I am really happy with how he is shaping up!

After his workout I let him cool down a bit and then fed him. I didn't hose him because he didn't sweat and it was supposed to rain again in a few hours. After he ate I realized that his hay was already low so John and I took him for a walk up the road to the field with the yummy grass. We walked on the gravel and he made it twice as far on the gravel without showing signs of soreness than the last two times! It seems that walking him on it a few times a week will really help his feet! I was especially surprised because his feet were wet and soft from the rain.

It has been drizzling constantly today and I am waiting for it to let up before I head out there to work him again. Maybe we will just work in the rain...