Today was a great day at the barn. Spartan was SO cute, I wanted to melt into a puddle and baby-talk with him for endless hours. The last few days I've been back from India, he's been rather distant with me--you now, when your horse passively accepts your presence and goes about his day as you go about yours, not truly ever acknowledging each other. Poor guy probably thought I abandoned him forever past the 6 week mark, hah. But anyways, he was back to his sweeeeeet, needy self today and I'm just in a happy mood :) I had had him be turntout (super good syntax) during the day today while I was at work, since he's currently in stall-limbo while I figure out a pasture to put him in at my barn, BUT I'm 95% sure the feeders forgot to feed him dinner out there. When I pulled up in the parkinglot across from his turnout, he was calling and calling to me in a frantic manner that I'm sure translated to feeeeeeed me, mom, feeeeeeed me! There was no residual hay in the turnout and judging by the way he stuffed his face when I brought him his pm grain, I'm sure he wasn't fed. Ugh. And the feeders were off work by then so I had no hay to give him. I felt like such a bad mom.

Have.not.been.fed.in.days. Pleasehelp.

I'm pleased to say Spartan's overall demeanor looked great today, though, and I know it's only been a few days but his condition is already improving drastically now that I'm home and meticulously tending to him. His ulcer meds arrived today too (happydance) so he got his first dose tonight for his tummy!

To celebrate the beginning of a good barn-day, me and Spartan went on a little trail-ride for his 10min walk rather than just tracing circles in the indoor. He was fabulous for his first outing in ages. He seemed super surprised that we were riding out and he was very attentive towards everything, but he never put a foot wrong, the sweet sugarpie. He is kindof annoying in that he's not really naturally soft in the mouth, and so steering was rendered rather nonexistent during our escapade, but I know that is something that gets 100x better once he's in work and we're both working on improving communication together.

Weeeeee!

I was a bad owner again, too, and did 20seconds of trot in the indoor to see if he felt lame, shhhhhh! Everyone said he looked sound, but I don't know. His lameness was always a subtle thing in the first place (not sure 20 second trot would give it away), and when I lunged him super briefly today after my ride (30 seconds each way) he still seemed ever so slightly wonky. However. It could honestly be from him being too weak to trot in a 25 meter circle properly. Very likely, actually. Let's just go with that. Haha. I just don't want to get my hopes up guys. If I expect him to be lame, the worst that can happen is him, uhh, being lame! No biggie, no shocker there!

But really, I absolutely love this horse. I've said it before and I'll say it again--he'll have a home with me no what the ultimate prognosis. He can be my glorified dog/gorgeous pasture ornament/flashy lawnmower til his whiskers are grey, because he's one special kid. :)

I do NOT want to face this direction for some reason, and you should most definitely not be attempting to take a one-handed pic right now with your new Iphone, mom.