Trooper Is Too Fat!

Sorry I have no new photos again to go with this post, been very busy! I have found an old one on my computer so you can see Trooper's pretty face. I have been trying to ride Trooper as much as possible so he can lose some weight so I booked the indoor arena again today. Luckily the sprinklers were not on this time so I was able to work him a bit harder!

Unfortunately he was struggling a bit with his breathing. I think this is because he has put weight on (I will get a photo tomorrow and show you!). He still has the dimple bit above his eyes but his girth has been let down a hole.

I was just working on his fitness rather than schooling him. He could trot for long periods of time but was struggling in canter. His breathing was also very loud so I kept walking him to get his breath back.

I have also been practising some sitting trot with stirrups. I haven't done this at all recently as I didn't want to put extra pressure on his leg after his tendon injury, touch wood, his leg seems fine now so I thought it would be OK to work on my sitting trot a bit. My legs were aching the next day though.

I have decided to put him back on winergy ventilate for a while. Last time we started him on this we saw an improvement within days so hopefully this will help.

I am going back to Wales on Friday to collect the last of my horse poo samples for my dissertation and drive them to Aberystwyth Uni to be kept in the lab freezer! I will then be doing the lab work for a few weeks in July if everything goes to plan. I am currently writing a review on the studies that have already been carried out looking at the effect wormers have on microbes, particularly those in the equine hindgut. There is not much information on this currently so I am having to start off quite broad with my research. I guess it means it is a good area to look into though as a lot is still unknown.

Love Laura
xxxx