Blow off a little steam

I don't know if I mentioned, but Walker is currently on quarantine.  I guess the second morning at the barn, he sneezed and had a runny nose, and the barn manager swiftly put him in another wing of the barn.  I can't say that I blame them, since it's a new horse to the barn and they knew he was sick for two months, but frankly I think they may have overreacted.  When I went out that night, he had no runny nose or a cough, and he hasn't had one since.  If you ask me, it was just a case of the morning snuffy nose.  Everyone gets that!

Anyway, Walker isn't taking to quarantine well.  Mostly because there are no other horses in the wing with him, and he doesn't like being alone.  I find him really anxious, pacing in his stall, calling out to anyone who will listen.  I feel really bad for him.

So today I asked the barn manager for permission to let him run free in the indoor arena.  I guess they don't normally let horses in there because they dig holes and chew on wood, but I promised that I would be watching and that it would just be for a few minutes.

Well, needless to say, I think it helped blow off a little steam.  I'm pretty sure he galloped for 4 minutes straight - around and around and around the huge arena.  Then he showed off his beautiful extended trot and some flying lead changes.  He even did some beautiful serpentines for me.

I think it really did the trick because not only did it exhaust him, but I think it's the first time he has been "turned out" since arriving at the new barn.  He only got to be with the other horses for one day before being on quarantine and only from in his stall.  He took the transition to the new barn quite well, so it's such a shame for him to be anxious and cooped up now.

Since he hasn't coughed since, the barn manager plans to put him back with the other horses in a day or two, and by next week, he should be getting regular turnout.  Today showed me that perhaps he has more energy than I thought, despite the weight loss, so although I don't want to rush it, we may be able to work him up faster than I thought.

He grabbed his grooming tote and threw it through the air for me

Also, quick question, but for those of you who post photos from your phone to the blog, are you finding lately that the quality is a bit distorted?