A Few Observations

When I lunged Walker on Sunday night for the first time, a few things came to my attention.

1. Weight

I'm content with his weight now, although he's definitely what I would call "top heavy" because of any lack of musculature in his hind end.  He doesn't look nearly as emaciated, so I can check that off my list of worries.  Now it's just a matter of turning that fat into muscle.

2. Fitness

He's really not using himself properly.  I distinctly remember complaining that I had a hard time making Walker collect compared to other horses, but watching him trot on the edge of the lunge line confirmed my suspicions that he at least used to use himself a bit more properly.  On Sunday, he ran around like a giraffe, neck straight in the air, hollow back.  He never looked like that before so at least there used to be some level of fitness and desire to use his hind end.  Now I'm really going to be back a few steps because he is barely reaching under himself with his back legs.  Of course, I don't fault him any of this, considering his extended break, but it might take slightly longer than I originally thought to bring him back to full fitness.

3. Manners

Despite a few naughty moments on the end of the lunge line, I do think he's going to remember his manners pretty quickly.  He spooked at some weird noises, but then again, it's a new barn, and he has never actually done any real work there yet.  Although at one point he got scared and stuck his tail almost vertically in the air, once he calmed down, he was back to being a gigantic puppy.  I think he just needs a bit of a refresher on that end.

According to the barn manager, he finally got out with the herd today, and he already has a buddy: a mare named Zeva.  I'm not surprised in the least.  Walker has always been a lady's man!