Moose?!?!

I know I originally made this blog to document the progress of my OTTB Moose and here lately you haven't heard much about it! Let me explain.
Moose is doing well. Really well. There just hasn't been a whole lot to talk about with him. I have been soooo busy with all the races lately that I haven't had time to ride him near as much as Id like and the lessons I kept scheduling with my friend got rained out 3 weeks in a row!!! I have ridden him some. I'm pretty sure I've decided I'm going to try him on the barrel pattern. I had debated for a while whether I wanted to go English with him or try him on the barrels or something completely different but I think we will go the barrel route. All I have to lose is time and if in the end he doesn't like running barrels or blows up on the pattern I can easily switch over and do something else with him. It was apparent in his racing videos that he broke FAST from the gate. Almost always first and would hold in the first three until the last quarter of the race and than just fizzle out. Obviously not an endurance horse but quick short bursts of acceleration is exactly what I need on the barrel pattern. He is also built pretty decent for it. He stands naturally under himself which will help him get around the turns and he has a short strong back. The biggest downfall will be his height. Big, tall horses usually have a hard time getting down around a barrel but can sometimes make up for it with long strides in the straight aways. If you got one that can do both, your set!
I have ridden him about 2 or 3 times a week for a while now and he is doing good. He does best early in the morning when we are the only ones in the arena. When other horses are in the arena he becomes a total pill. He becomes incredibly hot and loses his focus. I just try to redirect his energy and get his mind back on me. I guess the more he rides with other horses in the arena the more used to it he will become. He gets extremely anxious and chews the bit like a mad man. Last time he even went so far as to back up and kick at any horse who came near him. His ears weren't pinned and it was easy to tell it was fear. He will stand tied to the fence sometimes and just kick if he gets bored, impatient or nervous. He has gotten better about it, now I just have to get him over it in the saddle. He is learning to relax his head a lot better and give to the bit. He keeps his head down much better now too MOST of the time. He still definitely has plenty of giraffe moments, especially in the canter, but we are getting there. He has filled out nicely and has a thick, woolly, winter coat! He grew much more hair than I expected but I'm actually happy. He seems to be staying very warm so far with good grain, plenty of hay and his thick fur!

I will post a race day recap probably tomorrow to tell you how the race went this past weekend! Hint: VERY good!