Starting off with an answer to an earlier question, Clay and I determined that Eddie was about 16 hands high, maybe a wee bit bigger.  Either way, that’s a pretty big horse and he really looks the part when he draws himself up and stands high.

[NOTE: Horses are measured in units called “hands”.  A hand is 4 inches and you measure a horse from the top of the withers (shoulder blade) to the ground.  So, if Eddie is 16 hands high, that means he measures about 5’ 4” from the ground to the top of his shoulder.]

I spent some time with Eddie and Clay the last couple of days and a couple of things for the news and notes page:

–          He developed a small abscess in one of his rear feet which seems to have already resolved itself.  Clay is going to give him today (Sunday) off and then he will go over to the track to start jogging over the surface tomorrow (Monday).  That will give us some time to determine just how he’s doing after a few weeks of R&R and good nutrition.  Even with a small abscess, Eddie still hasn’t so much as taken a misstep or shown any discomfort whatsoever.  If all goes well, he is still being pointed to his first race for us the weekend of May 31^st.

–          We are looking to claim again.  If I had to guess a level, I would say $12,500, but it really depends upon where the opportunity is.  Our budget could allow us to go as high as $16,000.  Again, it depends upon where the opportunity is.

–          Eddie has an edge to him.  He isn’t afraid to let you know if he doesn’t like something with a little bit of a nip or a snap at you.  Nothing too harsh, but enough to warn you that whatever you just did – don’t do it again.  That could stem from the way he was handled in the past or just his personality.

–          Eddie already looks very good.  His coat is shiny and he looks to have put on more weight.  A lot of improvement in just 2 ½ weeks in Clay’s barn.

The watchwords going forward are cautious optimism but so far, so good.