Leggs handed me this blanket and said "here, see if this fits dusty."
"OMG! it looks like an old school blanket! so cool. It looks like Abercrombie and Fitch's version of a horse blanket!"
I picked it up and flipped it over...see the letters on it??

Deductive reasoning with horses.

Get horse out of stall and put him in the crossties.
Grab curry and start circling on shoulder.
dancie-dancie "NO".
Put less than favored curry back in box.
Take out Soft brush.
(no curry=no hard brush)
start brushing shoulder.
dancie-dancie "NO".
face.
dancie-dancie "NO".
butt.
dancie-dancie "NO".
Horse in good mood.
?
legs.

see ankle swollen like big fupa.
place hand on ankle.
horse stands still.
Lowers head.
Licking chewing.

that's pretty much the system of talking to a horse.
Isn't it wonderful?!

"Thoroughbreds. I know. Right?"

Here is Dusty (16.0h) standing next to Belda's Holstein-prehistoric-beast, Fidelio. Dusty is in the pasture with Fidelio's friend, Kaileif and he really wants to join them. I'm not sure Dusty is in shape enough to run from that thing but it's looking like later rather than sooner. Even though I'm sure they will get along together, over the gate they were playing lets bite necks and faces as I watched Dusty kick the gate. When I went out to get him I noticed some blood on his front fetlock. Felt it. Tasted his blood. HAAAAAAA just kidding. NO biggie, a little scratch. I dressed it. Hosed it. Gave it a kiss.
Well, TODAY his left front fetlock was so swollen that I could barely see a fetlock at all. (this is when I take a deep long breath alllll the way from my diaphram) and say..."Thoroughbreds. I know. Right?"

I have a cannon of an arm that can fire a dandy brush at his head faster than madge to kaballah school.

Dusty has been ultra sounded and cleared for walk, trot.
whew.
whew.
yaH.
FUCK YAH!!
I kinda knew he was ready. He was pretty much telling me, with his out-of-nowhere outbursts of temper. His really lovely shark bite when I'm least expecting it is nice, his rearing out-of-nowhere while being led is pretty great too. No worry, I have a cannon of an arm that can fire a dandy brush at his head faster than you can get madge to kaballah school. But really. He was feeling like cantering around the pasture. He didn't want to canter at all when he was hurt and in a decent size pasture. He's feeling good, doing flying changes so smooth it made me pee my pants a little.

Don't worry, I didn't let this happen for long. I was running out to the pasture to be the party pooper. He's in a smaller pasture when I'm not there.

I've ridden him a just few times since the vet saw him over three weeks ago. As I placed the saddle pad on his back for the first time after five and a half months he stepped aside and turned his head. He wanted to see it. That's it.

He wants to see everything. If I try to pick his feet before showing him that I have the hoof pick in my hand he will not pickup his feet. He'll just keep tickling the back of my neck with his nose if I try. I know this sounds like a bad habit to some, but he's still a young horse. I let him and encourage him to show his youthful personality (as long as he's not being snarky). Maybe he's a very visual horse as I am a very visual person. He's smart like me because knows the power of the tickle...
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It was ultra fab to be on his back again as we walk around. He is absolutely (even after all his time off) the best moving horse I have ever worked with. Granted, I have never got to have a full lesson on a school master, and a lot of my feeling is because he is the youngest horse I've ever worked with but really, you would like riding him. I sure do.