Well, I looked at the forecast for the weekend and it doesn't look good. Cold at night and not much warmer during the day. It sounds like my ring will freeze and stay that way for awhile. I gave Penny a call and asked if Tom could come over this afternoon. She said, "Sure!', so off we went.
Penny's barn is set up so each stall has a paddock chute out a back door. In Tom's stall (Penny was very generous to move her 17+ hander to the end of the hall so Tom could have the biggest stall) has a long paddock runway to a big pine tree and a small opening where she puts the hay. I walked Tom out there to show him around, brought him back in the stall and let him go. He took off and galloped down to the pine tree to find the hay. Penny started measuring out afternoon feed and the others started coming in. Tom came barreling back and galloped into his stall. Yikes! He was so excited! "Look, Mom! I'm in... and then... I'm out! And then I'm in again!!!" He'd grab a bite of grain, run out to his pine tree and then run back in for another bite. I wasn't sure if I should worry more about colic or a broken leg. When I left he was quietly eating hay. Outside. In the dark. I hope he can find his way back in tonight and not take down all of Penny's electric fence in the process. He hasn't been out overnight since he was three. When I turn him out at home he begs to come in promptly at 4:00. This will be interesting! If it works, it's probably the best thing for his EPSM. More reason to move around. Not galloping into the barn full tilt would be nice.
I'll attempt lunging him in the arena tomorrow.
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