We have to do exercises.  Well, my horses, that is.

Obviously the young ladies don’t but they are always first up offering to participate (read, annoy!)

Klaengur, with his recent injury, has his shoes off and is not being ridden. The exercises are therefore to keep him mobile.  He has to walk backwards every day.

We started on the flat and now he has moved up to walking backwards up a slight incline.  While he is happy to work in his field, the others do laugh and point so there is much bribery involved with these exercises.  He also has abdominal crunches (core exercises) which he really struggles with (falls over).

Haakon and Iacs or the Kray twins (Ronnie and Reggie Kray were English criminals and twins responsible for organised crime in the East End of London from the late 1950s to 1967) as I like to call them.

Haakon hates working in his field (we had an argument yesterday) so he goes into the school (but today I did carrot stretches outside). Haakon’s stifles are not brilliant so he walks backwards too.  I am trying to strengthen him as there is definite muscle mass loss.  Having said that, Haakon is very good at his core exercises.  He can find a carrot anywhere.

When I did carrot stretches with Klaengur, I had Sóley poking her nose in, offering her services.

I know I won’t ride Haakon again but I can make him feel less achey and old.  Meanwhile, I fully intend (farrier and equine physio permitting) to get back on Klaengur again, though he is not very impressed with the exercises to be perfectly honest.