Chrome's Monthly Progress Report

Date: 7-19-11
Age: 26 Months
Height: 15.1hh
Height Gain: He grew maybe a quarter of an inch at the withers, but look how butt high he is!
Weight: The weight tape says 895lbs . . .
Weight Gain: . . . which means he gained thirty five pounds! Wow! He must be doing some filling out. :) He still looks gangly at times though. I think he's about to go through a growth spurt. Check out the pictures below and you'll see what I mean.

Progress: I feel like I've done really well this past month. Now that my husband has a horse I feel more motivated to get out there and do something with Chrome. Company is amazing motivation . . . or maybe it's competition haha just kidding. :D I was worried about Chrome becoming buddy bound with Faran, but I'm pleased to report that so far he isn't. When we take Faran out he plays with Zep or grazes and when we take Chrome out he listens to Faran's neighs, but doesn't act up or get anxious. He very rarely calls back. I'm glad he's confident enough to go out on his own. :D

Goals: I want to continue working with him as consistently as I can. I want to continue to work on his shoulder yield and just moving his body and getting him more flexible and sensitive to me. I also want to practice some massage techniques on him because he's tense at times. I really think his odd way of moving and stiffness are growing pains because of the awkward stage of his growing body. I'm hoping it's something time, work, massage and chiropractor can work him out of. I'm sure his clubby feet will always affect him to a degree, but it shouldn't prevent him from being a trail horse/lower level dressage mount. :) So my goal this month is body awareness and massage. I think Chrome will like this . . . well for the most part.

Check out these cute pictures. He was being an impatient brat and didn't want to stand still so my husband did some trotting with him while I took pictures. He was running ahead of Chrome so he wouldn't be in the way of the pictures, but it also created more tension on the lead rope than I like. Oh well. Chrome is a tolerant boy.

I love his expression in this picture! He looks so sulky and petulant. If you enlarge the picture you can see his bottom lip is relaxed and droopy lol. He's so cute!

My husband asking him to smile. This one shows how tall he is (and butt high). My husband is 5'10" and Chrome comes up to his chin. :)

Chrome yawns whenever he's bored, impatient, anticipating food, etc. It's funny because my Appaloosa mare I grew up with did that too! :)

This picture shows that he actually does step under himself in the walk and that's even his stiff side. It's in the trot that he seems to short step. I think it's from being butt high or something in his back, hip, etc. He doesn't act like he's in pain though so it could just be that he's that one sided and stiff.

Dainty little trot. The giraffe neck I think is from the pressure on the lead rope, although he does trot high headed due to the Friesian in him (Arabs do it too actually).

Doesn't he look all gangly right now? All legs. His neck looks really short too right now.

So downhill. I can't wait for him to be fully grown and proportionate lol. :)

I think this is my favorite action shot. He's so cute!

Sorry I posted this a day late. The pictures and measurements were done yesterday though. :) I was just too sore last night to sit and edit pictures. I'll post Zeppelin's video tomorrow.