My poor little Cocoa-Bean.

Well, thank God we had the summer together, because in late September, Cocoa started to show lameness again in a trot. He seemed fine in a walk, so I continued lessons on him just at the walk. We did some basic laps, and then some walking between poles, with backing up exercises. We did really well together in those exercises, and I was really proud of us. :) He gave it his all. :) But I could tell each time I'd tack him up, he'd be a little more sour. He didn't want to stand still for grooming and saddling, and he started jerking his legs away from me when I'd pick his feet. Dr. Mary came out to do a dental and fall shots, so I had her do another lameness exam. It revealed that yes, in fact, more calcium was building up on his knee. It was very hard for him to hold that leg up while she examined it - I could just tell that he was hurting. He'd been trying to tell me that for awhile. He could hardly put his foot down when she was done examining that leg. So, we upped his dose of Previcox to one per day, and I am going to try a new supplement that the horse chiropractor recommended. While I absolutely hope and pray that it helps him feel better, I am feeling pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to ride him again. I think I'm just too much weight for him to handle. So, what I do is go and hang out with him, letting him be his silly self with me, groom him and walk him. He likes it when I come and spend time with him. :) He's such a good, silly boy. I stand at his stall door, talking to him and petting his pretty head, and he sniffs me and rubs his cheek against me. He'll also twitch his lip back and forth on my shoulder or my nose, which makes me giggle. Tonight he kissed my hand for awhile - it was really sweet. :)

Even though Cocoa is not sound for riding, I have continued taking lessons with Ute, riding Dusty 2, the Haflinger that she brought to the barn this summer. He is a very well mannered, well trained horse, and we are getting along swimmingly. :) He's not Cocoa, but he sure is easy for me to ride. He responds to me, and I'm not afraid of him. At all. At first I thought he was pushy on the ground, but the last couple times I've dealt with him, he's behaved pretty well. Tonight after I went to hang with Cokes, I went to say hello to D2. Ute is in Cali for several days, so I thought he might appreciate a visitor giving him a little bit of attention. I haltered him and took him in to the arena just for a short walk. He behaved really well, and seemed happy to have someone giving him attention. Since it's pretty much just me who ever reads this, I guess I can just say it - I really like him and I've liked him since the first time I saw him. SIGH. That's for another post.