stall kicker; sore pectorals; bees

[Sally Spangler <stepnout@swva.net>]

In re Donna's query: "Kick chains" helped cool my TWH mare's kicking
somewhat, but...  She still knocked the heck out of the trailer walls if I
made any sudden moves (like stopping unexpectedly, or hitting bumps) and she
became impervious to the chains after awhile if she had to stay in her stall
more than a few hours.  She actually kicked boards off one day when her
pasturemate left.  ***This behavior vanished when I moved her to a different
herd in which she was at the bottom of the pecking order!  The kickchains
are simple affairs, about eight inches of heavy link attached to 2" wide
fleece lined nylon webbing collars that fit loosely around the fetlocks.
Never any abrasions or other injuries from the devices, and she gave them a
workout.

Commentary on sore pectoral muscles, anyone?  My Spanish mustang returns
from rides incredibly tender to palpation between her forelegs, but only
when we have done a fair amount of downhill trotting.  She's collecting
herself a bit better than formerly, but with any speed that tends to vanish...

I'm trying to find a workout routine to develop the belly and quad muscles
to help her work off her hindquarters better.  Trotting over ground
obstacles (cavaletti, etc) and doing lots of transitions seems to make her
drop her head and round her back.  Anyone have additional suggestions?

BTW, pat us on the back...we flushed our first nest of yellowjackets on a
narrow mountain trail (steep downhill, of course) and maintained amazing
decorum.  Ie, she jumped around a bit, no real bucking, then went forward as
requested and stopped as requested...well, actually we sidepassed real fast
for about 50 feet then stopped.  

Sally and Misty in Floyd, VA