Wide Open Spaces

My foot has been extremely painful since the young horse stamped on it last week. I could barely walk on it for five days and a problem with my health insurance means that I couldn't get an x-ray unless I paid out of pocket, so I don't even know if it's broken (though bet boyfriend it wasn't so hoping it isn't so I don't have to buy him sushi). Fuck this country's idea that health care should be tied to your job. But don't get me started on that. It seems to be healing okay and I think I'll be back to full riding capacity in a week or so.

Enjoying the dirt (because I'm not paying for shavings if they are
just going to get blown away)

 Anyway, he has been going nuts because I now have zero leverage over him. He's gotten loose twice in the round pen while I've been longeing him because I can't get enough power behind my yanks on the line to stop him from bolting. After our last rides, I was walking on air about my horse, and now I might actually murder him. So like, par for the course?

To prep for his move to pasture in what I hope will be early April (fingers crossed no more huge storms!), I asked my BO if I could move him to a big paddock, and last Thursday he moved! I wanted him to have more room to roam around before he has to live with other horses so he could get himself into a bit better pasture shape. Going from a small stall and paddock to a huge pasture where he will run around playing with other horses sounds like a great way to reinjure, well, something. 

So he moved and now I feel much better about everything and so does he. He's incredibly happy! His paddock is HUGE. Like I wish I could hang onto it (but it's too expensive to do for more than one or two months) forever. It's next to two horses, both of which are a bit playful, but there is hot wire so he won't be able to get himself into too much trouble. It makes me feel much better about giving him days off, and because Rico is coming back, I'll be giving TC a couple days off a week so that I can ride Rico more often to get him in shape for our adventures this year.

How much do we love our new giant house??

I am obviously worried he might hurt himself (please don't, also shout out to everyone who has been like "he is REALLY utilizing his space" because you'll be at fault if I have heart failure), but honestly, he's bound to do it at this point- I can't ride him or longe him under control with my foot the way it is. So he'll either bolt like he has been and gallop wildly around with me in toe not able to stop him, or he'll gallop around in that small paddock of his. Better to just give him the room to turn himself out. It's earlier than I wanted, but I feel like I have no other choice.

He already seems so so so much happier to have more room, and I can't wait to move him in less than a month (fingers crossed, weather, since it hailed yesterday) to pasture where he'll be the happiest!