One Step at A Time

This is what Salem spends most of his time doing these days: eating. And then some walking. And then some more eating. He's a bit on the thin side, with slightly protruding hips and visible ribs; it's nothing drastic, but I would like to see him a bit more round. He's eating six quarts of Triple Crown Senior and six quarts of alfalfa pellets per day (divided into three feedings), so it's only a matter of time. Now, if I could only get him to eat more hay! I bought ten bales of the expensive, low-sugar, always from the same source, nutritionally tested timothy hay, so of course he's only picking/nibbling it and using the rest for bedding. He wants the sugary Cap N' Crunch hay! :-/

Behind Salem is the little four-stall barn that he shares with his new best friend (Pippi, an ex-Premarin mare). While it isn't as fancy or pretty as the main barn, it's far superior if you look at it from the horse's perspective: the stalls are bigger and breezier, the horses can hang their heads out and see everything going on in the arena and paddocks, and it has all the amenities of the main barn (rubber mats, auto wateres, and ceiling fans). Plus, it has a small fenced area around it, so I can leave Salem's stall door open at night and let him roam around and munch grass. Yeah, no-brainer in my opinion.

Since I can't ride Salem right now but still want him to get some exercise, I have been taking him for long hand-walks. Yes, he's my giant Labrador. :-) Once he can be ridden, I'd like to take him on trail rides, so I'm using this time to get him used to being off the property and away from other horses. We started out with the avocado grove behind the barn, then progressed to short walks down the street and into the grove/fields across the street. Salem can get a bit ostrich-necked at times, but for the most part he has been taking it all in stride.  

Walkin'

Munchin' grass in the grove across the street



Here, we're in a field that connects to the grove

We spent about an hour walking up and down the street, into the grove and around the field. It made me very excited for when we can do this with me on his back! Afterwards, it was time to head back to the barn for a nice refreshing shower.

And then it was back to his paddock for more food. Yes, I'd say he's fairly content with his new life.