Gia - session 233 - lunging and chiropractor

 I didn't have as much time to work with Gia today at CDP as I usually do.  So, I decided I would just work on our lunging routine.  She was a bit nervous as I got her groomed and tacked (just in case I had time to ride).  I had parked the trailer in a different spot, and there were new things to be worried about out there, namely the shavings pit with a slightly blowing tarp to cover it.

Once we started lunging, that part went really well.  I worked on what Charlie had showed me to do with her last week - send her away, making sure she steps away from me, not towards me, and when I ask her to halt, she has to turn towards me without stepping towards me.  She quickly remembered last week's lesson.  She barely stepped towards me, only a few times, and I could tell that she did it by accident because she quickly corrected herself and stepped back.  She was very quick to turn and face me most of the time, even when she got distracted by other things, namely another horse acting up.  

After our brief lunging session, Cameron was out to see Gia again for a chiropractic exam.  He said she looked great overall.  She is a little stiff on the right side of her neck, but not too bad, and the stretches we are doing already should help.  She still carries her haunches slightly to the right, so we will continue to use the Theraband pad on her right leg to shift her weight to the left.  And the swollen areas, just behind her saddle that he noted last time, are doing much better.  We will continue to treat those, with a little massage, as we have been as well.  All in all, a pretty good checkup!

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