Touching Wood - a little Alf update!

Auslander

Auslander

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2010
Messages
12,816
Location
Berkshire
Visit site
Alf has finally (after two years of very careful management, and lots of dull walking on the roads) been passed sound enough to start doing a bit more proper work. He went in the school yesterday with mega fan Vickijay on board - and he looked pretty damn fabulous. He doesn't believe in taking the easy option, so there was quite a lot of passage offered, when she realy wanted him to just trot - but they had a whole lot of fun!
I think he's looking pretty fab for an old crocked carthorse!
11822320_10152977687122109_2225858002007818245_n.jpg


and a bit of unprompted passage!

11057378_10152977686912109_4578719399691669478_n.jpg


Vickijay (being the Matchy queen, and the queen of pink) insisted on dressng him in pink, which he wasn't terribly impressed by

11796179_10152977687917109_177932382886541179_n.jpg


And he finished off with a really good back scratch!

11800423_10152977689437109_5501131843995970912_n.jpg


Onwards and upwards - hopefully!
 
Omg just thinking we hadn't had an update from you for a while! Lovely to see alf doing so well, I'm with alf about the pink!

Hope all is well in your new house.
 
wren123 said:
Omg just thinking we hadn't had an update from you for a while! Lovely to see alf doing so well, I'm with alf about the pink!

Hope all is well in your new house.
Click to expand...

Life is pretty much perfect at the moment! Except for the pink! Definitely not his colour!
 
I luffs him lots and lots <3

I can feel my legs today though, which is unusual even though I ride a lot of horses each day!!

He is awesome though and I feel very privileged to be allowed up on him xxxx
 
Vickijay said:
I luffs him lots and lots <3

I can feel my legs today though, which is unusual even though I ride a lot of horses each day!!

He is awesome though and I feel very privileged to be allowed up on him xxxx
Click to expand...

Snorts - he did make you work!! I think I shall be working on making him a bit sharper off the leg if he's going to be doing more fun stuff!
 
FfionWinnie said:
He looks great. What was wrong with him and how did you get him sound?
Click to expand...

He has advanced dressage horse disease! DJD in both hocks, and suspensory issues. The suspensories have been the biggest headache. He had a course of shockwave, and PRP injections into the worst lesions, followed by a long period of rehab. He lives out 24/7 and is unshod, which seems to suit him pretty well. He'll never be 100%, although you'd have to be fairly eagle eyed to spot the unlevelness at the moment, but he's immeasurably better than he was a few years ago. We must have walked 1000s of miles on the roads during the rehab process - at one point, I never thought I'd dare trot him, let alone take him on a surface again!
 
Tiddlypom said:
Alf looks great! Hee hee, the pony's face is a picture!

Do you have any pics of Alf from when he was competing?
Click to expand...


The pony is 15.2hh! He's a big old boy, so makes everything look small!

I only have one pic of him competing, with his original owner. I've never competed him, as he has been unsound the whole time I've owned him!
557517_506352876045179_1924645017_n.jpg

and there's a vid of him on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEGxpTMC_IE
 
He looks fab - lovely to see him back. Long may he stay there (sorry am with the anti-matchy brigade too)
 
I just watched the video. Pleased that it looks like his rider is still working pretty hard hahahaaa. It makes me feel slightly better about my sore legs ;)
 
And to counteract all the good stuff - the silly old fool has decided that he is NOT inclined to agree with my decision to buy him some hoofboots to hack on our stony local tracks in. He has adopted the "I won't move, and you can't make me" method. I put them on him in the field yesterday, and left him to work them out. 20 mins later, he was still standing where I'd left him, with a mutinous expression on his face. He tried one step and decided they weren't to his liking, and now he won't move at all.
 
He's looking well! I'm stunned at the three different sets of bandages in one session though...I can't even be bothered to put on one set! :D

My boy still does Spanish walk if I put on a pair of brushing boots; lord knows what would happen if I tried hoof boots! Thankfully his feet are now tough enough to stomp out over over stony tracks but we did have to go through a few weeks of verge-diving and slowly picking our way through stones.
 
j1ffy said:
He's looking well! I'm stunned at the three different sets of bandages in one session though...I can't even be bothered to put on one set! :D
Click to expand...
He doesn't usually wear different sets in the same session - but Vicki brought sets over to try on him

EquiEquestrian556 said:
He's looking fab! :) Not too sure about the matchy matchy though, especially pink, on a gelding.....
Love the photo of him rolling too! :D
Click to expand...

The pink was a joke! He doesn't like pink, and neither do I! Vicki loves it though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top