The scholarship boy, new pals and progress

M, the Rockley scholarship boy, finally arrived this weekend. He is a TB (ex-racehorse) who has had lameness issues for around 2 years which remedial farriery didn't improve.

As usual with new arrivals, once he had been filmed and photographed he went out with Charlie and Felix. M quickly realised that Felix was the main man, but Felix had decreed that M could not join the cool gang until he had completed a refresher course in basic social skills with Charlie (Felix sent him back a couple of times just to make sure...).

Having passed Meeting-and-Greeting 101, he graduated to mingling with Legend, Abbey and Dali. I suspect he will need a few days in the relatively undemanding company of the boys before he is able to tackle meeting the girls, but we will see. I will of course post his hoof pics in the next few days.

Finally, by Sunday night the boys were all able to mooch together out in the fields - a lovely sight on a June evening...

The girls have also made progress recently.  Roo has started work under saddle and has proved a pleasure to ride, even though she makes some of the most evil faces you can imagine at the boys. Pics of her (and Abbey and Legend) are to follow this week, along with RRR 2012 news, so the blog will be busy.

Eva has also improved and I am including this clip for her owners, who have been away and so haven't been able to see her for a few weeks. On MRI she was diagnosed with a severe DDFT tear to her RF which extended from the pastern to the insertion and she was given a poor prognosis for a return to work. 

I don't have comparison footage, and the usual caveats about my arena (which has a very tough surface) apply, but Eva was still significantly lame RF/LH a few weeks ago and has made good progress since then. Although she still has a way to go, I hope her owners are as pleased with her as I am :-)