12 weeks of progress: from box rest to performance

Flynn the Second arrived just before the Rehab Reunion in September and though that seems only yesterday he has - incredibly - been here for nearly 12 weeks.  When he arrived he came straight from box rest so he has had a steep learning curve from then to now.

Stacy, his owner, came to see him this weekend and we had a couple of great rides out (although both he and Dexter were feeling a little too full of beans on the second day, and we had a job keeping a lid on their enthusiasm).  Although his rehab is far from over, Flynn is now capable of canter work, hill work and is doing about 12-15 miles of road work each week.

Flynn is doing a great job of growing himself new hooves and you can see the dramatic difference in his hooves in the photos I posted last week.  There is no point in growing better hooves, however, unless they are also allowing Flynn to move better and to be sounder.

This is a still from his original footage where you can clearly see his long toes and the fact that his landing is incorrect - you can even see the stress that is put onto the rest of the limb when a hoof doesn't land heel first.

What a contrast in this still from yesterday - a heel first landing and a much more stable limb.  Of course he has a long way still to go and more improvement will come, but Flynn the Second is on track and looking good and both Stacy and I are very pleased with him.