Good News!!!

He DOES KNOW!!!!!

Told yah!

So... On Wednesday Fleck and Dan and I met up with Missy. It was fun although Danny was a total butt for the first 15 minutes... Baby brat!! Poor Fleck was walking faster than he's ever walked before... I think trying to lose the kid! Ha! But Dan eventually settled down and we had a good ride. We went to the lake and Fleck marched in much farther than he has before! I"ll get him swimming yet! At the very least he's "icing" his knees... Although the lake isn't that cool with this weather. Danny played around a bit too. So then we headed back home.

When we got back I tied Dan to the trailer and took Fleck into the ring and..... HE WAS SOUND!!!! Like really really sound... happy to go forward and even bouncy!!! And that was even when he was long and low and I wasn't holding him up. Whoo hooo!!! He felt so good that I was seriously tempted to jump him around the course that was set up. Missy even asked if I was going to! So yay!!!!!! I only did about 4 minutes just to feel him out. So...whooo hooo!!!

I'm back to being cautiously optimisitic!! And today he got his final IRAP. He even had good joint fluid in his pastern joints and the left knee. The right knee didn't have much this time but it did last time, so.... fingers crossed it lasts! I know that a few minutes in a great ring with great footing after three days off is not any indication that he'll continue to do well. BUT... it's a start!! And I'm allowing myself to be optmistic. :)

Of course this brings up a whole other set of worries... Am I going to push him? Is he happy and non-painful or just being Fleck and doing it because he likes it and it's what I want. Sigh.... I'm hoping our relationship has healed enough and that he has forgiven me so that he feels comfortable saying "nope, sorry Mom.. it hurts"!.

But... time will tell. He gets off until Wednesday because of work and the time off from the IRAP. So... on Wednesday, another trail ride... and then we'll cautiously, carefully and gingerly put him back to work and see how he feels. Please pray for us!