Lame.  Offside front.  No swelling or heat.  Suspect he may have been kicked.  Yesterday we had a storm.  Very little rain but it came with a blast of cold wind which coincided with us calling the horses up for dinner.  They came roaring up, tails aloft, bucking and farting.  Pagan shot through the gate first.  Balthazar was clearly in second place with Dakota bringing up the rear.  Something happened at the gate for Dakota came through (he's  boss cocky and rules the other two with barrelling hind feet and bared teeth) but I didn't see it as I was behind the water tank.  Balthazar leapt and cavorted around the peach paddock before settling down to eat (we'd put out hay instead of a mixed feed).  Noticed then that he seemed to be moving a little unevenly.  Today very evidently lame.  He even had a little trouble standing for the farrier.  Trust that time, the great healer especially where horses are concerned, will tell.

Farrier comes tomorrow, two days short of 6 weeks between trims.  The difference is obvious between getting them trimmed every 4 weeks to six weeks.  Haven't ridden out because of not wanting to force the easy boots on. 
     So that meant we had another 20 minutes under saddle in the arena.  Too hot and humid to do more.  I don't think we need to make what should be fun miserable by persevering even under crummy conditions. 
     Again, Balthazar made it obvious that he knew what the pattern was during the weave.  Why do we insist on thinking animals can't.  Think, that is.  He needed very little direction to walk through the weave.  Was too hot to trot but I walked very fast so he did trot a little and still did it correctly.  At the end I am asking him to side pass (full pass) to the far side of the drum so we can start the weave again.  He 'got' that today too.  Much much better.  Ridden work was very good.  The weave, cantering all good.  What we worked on today was bending through the corner in the arena going to the right.  Getting that correct is important but what is more important is being able to ask him, to work on it without him getting all stressed and turning into Pretty Pony No One Home, or PPNOH for short.  We weren't perfect today but he was much better about accepting the question and not getting stressed.  If I don't ask we go through the corner like a banana bent the wrong way.  We need the curve of his body to follow the curve of the turn which means, at this point, that I have to ask a little with the inside rein. 
     It's nice to have a plan.  Suspect that if we can work on these small things, not only to improve them, but to improve the trust that being asked is okay, it will have brilliant repercussions through the rest of our relationship.  Hung out together afterwards, all very low key, familiar, NICE.

A few days ago, at the canter, Balthazar became this plunging leaping head tossing monster.  Our ground work had been fine, our ridden work, to that point, ordinary.  Well, on second thought, no it wasn't ordinary.  He'd reverted to Pretty Pose Pony at the trot because I'd asked too much.  We were practicing the weave and in hindsight I should've done much more mounted work at the walk before advancing to the trot.  Consequently he internalized that fear energy  and it busted out when we leapt into canter. 
      I'd been a bit blase about our cantering.  It was getting more and more 'old hat',  This was a blow.  I was never in any danger of coming off but that doesn't stop the adrenalin from flowing and the heart from pounding.  At 57 I don't bounce and I definitely don't want to hit the ground. 
      Today we spent 15 minutes or so on ground work.  He is improving all the time with full pass on the fence and off.  Not perfect by any means but I am asking for more and more importantly waiting for him to deliver.  It's hard to remember everything sometimes, to form good habits about using the phases, to drop back to one if I've had a reaction at 4 or to go to 4 rather than idling at one while he daydreams of  lush paddocks and I lose focus. 
     The ridden work was great.  Cantering fine.  Overfaced him and asked for a canter depart from the walk which he didn't do but he didn't get upset because of being asked either.  The weave at the trot was excellent.  We're getting it done, except for the circle to the right at the last barrel, with weight and body position alone.  If I do use the reins it's very quick and quiet.  He has trouble bending to the right, as usual, so our circles to the right tend to be somewhat wonky.  One of the surprising things is his taking the correct lead almost every time.  Used to have a terrible time with that now he just takes it.
    Made certain that we did the weave at the walk mounted and unmounted, quite a few times before attempting at the trot.  On the ground he was okay at the trot.  Am trying to go to the end of the 12 line for it but not quite there yet.  He is understanding what is required.  I can see him doing the weave, thinking for himself, not every time but sometimes.  Good thing.
     Out for a pick afterwards.  Yesterday found him in the yards at 3pm decided to throw a halter on him and take him up the road.  I like spending time with him with no expectations.  We had a little adventure by scrambling down the bank to the (dry) creek.  Had to maneuver a little bit to reverse out as we eventually couldn't go any further forward.  He was good.  Time spent like that is gold.

Although I haven't written in over two weeks, I have ridden Balthazar.  Granted until today I haven't done anything except take him out for pick since 29 November when I took him up the road in his new boot and didn't have to get off once to adjust it!
       Motivation melts in the heat.  Today 36 celcius, tomorrow 41 or 42.  The horses came up last night with dried salt sticking their hair together.  They all looked bright enough but it must be hard on them. 
      Yesterday, because it was too hot to do anything else, I watched a couple of Parelli videos. The most helpful for the stage we're at, was the weave pattern.  So this morning I set up 5 20 gallon drums in the arena and got the boy.  Warmed up with some of the seven games in the usual sequence.  Must admit we usually skip the squeeze  and the friendly games.  He was fine, a little slow to start.
      What I found with the weave pattern is that it showed up  our weaknesses, in particular with driving.  If I led him through the weave, he did well.  If asked to take himself through the weave (me driving) he'd stop particularly at the trot.  We'd practiced a few changes of direction on the circle beforehand using the draw and the drive.  After watched PP yesterday I wanted to get it done without Balthazar coming into my space.  He's always had the tendency to push into me during the change, to the point where I'd even take a step back.  Today I pushed back, made him give way.  As a consequence our changes were snappier and he was more lively.  And the ear pinning disappeared too.
      But back to the weave.  Once he had the idea I tried it at the trot.  Everything fell apart.  He'd circle at the trot but he wouldn't be driven.   He'd slow to a walk or stop.  We had to practice just being driven up and down the line without attempting the weave.  After he got the idea we tried the weave again.  It overwhelmed him.  He went into his Pretty Pose trot where he looks very pretty 'on the bit' but is actually mentally somewhere else.  It seemed the only way through this was to keep driving him.  It worked.  It wasn't easy for him but he seemed to finally pay attention to this thing that was after him and when he did, driving him through the weave at the trot was a success.  We did it a couple of times then quit.  We spent thirty minutes in the arena to get it.  Tomorrow, our really stinking hot day, if I can get organized early in the morning, we'll after another go before the heat becomes intolerable.