Bo Decides to Play

I had a really fun session with Bo yesterday.  Because he wasn't ready for the kinesiotaping, I have added some different stretches and exercises to his PT routine.  So now in addition to his left, right, and "downward dog" carrot stretches I'm also doing some hoof circles and gentle forward limb stretches with each leg.  I think he's enjoying them, he makes all kinds of happy sighs when we're doing them.  His entire attitude is changing, he's eager to come greet me at the gate and stands quietly for all the stretches, I don't even need to halter him.  He just is turning into an amiable sort.  He follows me around his paddock and is friendly to the people here he knows.  He's still cautious with strangers, especially if they look like riding lessons (read:  young kids and adults new to horses), but Bo had become kind of a love when I work with him.  He immensely enjoys his grooming time, has gained weight and muscle, and generally has become a more contented gentleman. He's about due for some new progress pictures showing his changing topline.

He demonstrated a big change in his demeanor yesterday afternoon when I took him out for his walk over poles with the bells on his pasterns.  Usually he's very calm and measured in his walk, and once he's warmed up a bit he starts to take longer strides with more swing in his step.  Yesterday, however, he was ready to PLAY.  He followed me around as usual while I set up the poles patterns, but once we had walked over them all he began pawing in the freshly worked arena dirt like he wanted to roll.  I told him we can't roll just yet, and he started to jump around and squeal at Miles the dog!  Bo really wanted to play with me, roll, then race around and frolic.  This playfulness is very new for Bo, his current owner hasn't seen a cartoon-y side to him at all before.  I have to wonder if Highboy has been convincing him how fun it can be in all his efforts to get Bo to play with him over the fence.  I got Bo paying attention again and we walked to the round pen, where I turned him loose and he could play without building up too much speed because it's a smaller area than the arena.  He just jumped around a little and mock-argued with Cole over the fence, then settled down to do his stretches.  I'm really pleased with the physical changes I'm seeing in Bo now, as well as his temperament changing to something more playful and happy.