Bentley had his first real ride in weeks yesterday. We trotted for about a half a mile in the ring at first. He was still bobbing a bit but eager to be doing anything other than walking.
We went down to the valley next for a walk since I didn't want to push him too hard. We were having a nice walk around until the 2 mares which seem to ALWAYS be in heat started grunting at us and approaching Bentley. Lee was walking alongside us, and managed to keep them away mostly, but Bentley did start acting up. He burst into a trot, which I let him do because I figure, if he wants to trot, I will let him, but it soon turned into what I call the "Happy Hop."
He doesn't so much buck, but he does put his head down and pops up in a little skip fashion which isn't so much fun for me. He was doing it in his ring antics the few days before, but rarely tries it under saddle. He certainly is fresh!
Crossed the creek and separated ourselves from the herd and I let him trot again. Didn't ask, but did allow. However, he got fresh again and we ended up galloping down one of the smaller hills. Brought him back to the place of explosion and trotted figure 8s for what seemed like an eternity although I am sure it was only a few minutes of frustration. By the end of it, we were calm at least, but form wasn't too stellar, with him motorcycling into each turn with his shoulders.
On the plus side, when we worked on the grass, he was much better injury-wise. Bobbing only was apparent on tight circles, and still, barely.
We walked for another 2 miles and ended up our ride at a total of 5 miles. I think only about a mile to a mile and a half of that was trotting, but I am happy with that. It will be a slow comeback to make sure we don't do anything to re-injure him before his debut in August.
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