Our California bred OTTBs were the receiptants of the April grant!  Our grant will get the OTTBs all kinds of healthy with dental work, vaccinations, and fecal tests.

Yes, I said fecal tests, not de-worming.  Several years ago, we started fecal testing the horses rather than just give them a random de-wormer.  We did this for several reasons - why give the horses chemicals they don't need and these fecal egg count tests help manage internal parasites more effectively. Using the appropriate dewormer, as needed, can be cost effective and can help lessen the chance of parasite resistance to deworming products. 

Winter barely bothered to show up this year. We had one day where the arena had snow, and by the next morning it was gone. That was back in November, and 'winter' apparently clocked out after that.

The OTTBs didn’t mind. They’ve been in steady work all winter, but we kept the focus on the basics: trot poles, cavallettis, trail‑type obstacles, all the good foundation stuff that makes a horse stronger, straighter, and more thoughtful. I didn’t even drag out the jump standards until today and even then, we kept it at a simple 2 ft. The goal wasn’t height; it was balance in the turns and a consistent, rideable pace.

Chewy walked in like he’d been waiting for a jump to appear again. He didn’t miss a beat. But what really caught my attention was how much better he’s gotten with the trot poles. Last year, he’d clip at least one with a hind leg every time, sometimes a little stumble, sometimes a full “oops.” Not today. Today he floated through them with rhythm, confidence, and zero drama.

That’s the payoff of basics. Ground poles don’t look flashy, but they’re some of the best training tools we have. It’s not about jumping bigger or going over and over again. Horses already know how to jump. What they need is strength, balance, coordination, and a rider who doesn’t skip their homework.