Growing Up!

Calvin is loosing his bottom baby teeth!  I found out because I was bridling him and noticed that he had 2 sets of teeth on the bottom; he's is growing up!

Hard to see, but the new teeth are on top pushing the old ones out on the bottom (new ones are more opaque). I couldn't get a great picture as he kept moving.

Calvin has finally lost his shaggy winter coat and is looking very spiffy with his summer coat! I decided today would be a good before/after day!

 Before

Before shot. This was the day I picked him up in the beginning of March.

 After

After! Taken today, soo shiny! By the way doesn't he look like a Thoroughbred racehorse? I think he has Secretariat in him ;)

The top "before" picture is deceiving as his winter coat makes him look scruffier, but you can see that he has gained both weight and muscle! His tail has also grown...but barely.

"Stop taking pictures and feed me!"

You can see his muscling better in this "after" picture too. He has a great topline (back muscle), shoulder, and hindquarter muscling now. He still has some growing to do as his croup is higher than his withers, he's going to be a tall boy! I'd like to see him fatter, but at least you can't see ribs anymore.

Gain weight Calvin!

I was tired today, so I decided to have an easy day just hanging out with Calvin. I rode him bareback with a halter/leadrope and just wandered around. I let him eat grass and talked to some people at the barn. It's kind of crazy because I went on some trails with him and I can basically point him in any direction on the trail (paved or brush) and he'll climb it. I pointed him up a hill and he just went right up, no problem! The bad thing about this is that he's getting too good at off-roading so when he's naughty, i.e. "I want to go home and eat, not walk the way you're directing!" he'll kind of veer off course. I then try to persuade him by letting him eat when he listens to me, seems to work. 

Heidi is not quite sure how to be a country dog. Here she is eying the creek bed, but unwilling to go down that hill. She was very cautious about balancing on that hill!

I love easy days like this, it reinforces to Calvin that a person on his back can be fun. Instead of always "going to work" or training.