Or...Perhaps it's the Mare!!!!

I have decided, that's Red's extremely erratic behaviour of late - lies directly with the mare and foal that were placed near him. He's obsessed!! I'm inkling towards the idea that he was cut proud and is exhibiting some stallion-like behaviour. He's always done the whole stallion head-toss/wring ... now he's decided to take it to a whole new (and highly irritating) level...

Today - it took me over half an hour to catch him. He simply refused to stop running circles around me and around his 1 acre holding paddock (holding him, while his 3 acre paddock has a rest) ... After 15 minutes of no success, and chasing him to keep him running, I decided to fetch the lunge whip ...

Bugger him. He was going to RUN until he decided being caught was the easier option. Enter the lunge whip, an idiot horse, a now irritable owner, and a no-fill combo rug. I would push him to do several laps, and then provide him with the opportunity to end it all by asking him to come in. For a further 15 minutes we did this dance. Me pushing him on, then asking him to come in,... and him ignoring me.... Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

When he finally stood to be caught (and I had previous failed attempt where he rocketed off aagin), he was blowing like a steam train. I mean really blowing. I'd have felt sorry for him, but it was his own choosing. He would have had over 10 opportunities in that session to come in and end it all. But noooooooooo. I finally haltered him and took off his rug (now completely lathered in foamy goodness.)

There was no way I could work him today. None. He was blowing, lathered, and pretty much exhausted. So what I did do, is hand walk him for 10 minutes, before hosing him down. After hosing, I took him into the arena and hand walked him over trot poles and around some tyres... I then took him to a nice patch of grass and let him graze for about 15 minutes before walking back to the paddock, rugging back up (with a dry rug) and feeding.

I've swapped paddocks with Huey - so Huey is next to the mare and Red is further away from her. Will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

-sigh- No steps forward, 10 steps back lately....