Yeah, it looks like the effects may reach into the New England states . . . . I know they could use some rain, but not like that.
Margie, a sensible horse is such a pleasure to work with, isn't it? So glad your big boy has brains as well as brawn.
When I felt Syd was ready for weight bearing, I has her pack bags of feed from the car to the feed room for me. It was kind of funny watching her figure out what she had to do to balance the load. She went from that to carrying my daughter without any problems (frankly, she probably found it a relief - at least the kid would try to keep herself centered, the feed not so much!) Since everybody's too big to ride her now (she's 10 hands), whenever I think she needs a refresher, I get out a 'dummy' made from an old pair of jeans. I put fish tank gravel in the legs; so it weighs about 40 pounds. Not quite a substitute for a real rider, but at least it lets me know where her mind is.
Since we are now working on cart-training, Syd is back to hauling feed, this time in a garden cart. I've been long-lining her for ages, and she pulls a drag OK, but she still gets kinda wiggy about the shafts - so no way am I getting into anything she is hitched to. I really don't have the facilities to do this right, so I'm improvising left, right, and sideways - and hoping we all come out all right in the end.