Ride 75

It finally stopped raining!  Yay!  So as soon as I got home from work I grabbed my bridle from the car and ran all the way to the back of the pasture (ten acres) to get Chrome.  I had to switch the reins from the halter back to the bridle so I hung it on the fence and did that.  Chrome and Zep never saw me even though I was thirty yards away in plain sight and the goats were staring at me like I was a monster.

Chrome finally spotted me and spun around with his head in the clouds.  He stared at me while I continued to put the bridle together and ignored him.  Then he walked closer, stopped, stared.  He made it halfway to me before I finished and turned to walk to him.  He immediately recognized me and walked to me, then stood quietly while I bridled him.  :D  I'm kind of glad to know he's leery of strangers hehe.

I do have a question that I keep meaning to ask!  Chrome is great about being bridled, but he keeps hitting the bit on his teeth when he takes it, no matter how I try to do it.  It's making him want to avoid the bit and he's starting to pull away.  I don't want him to get bit shy or to become difficult to bridle!  How do you teach them to take the bit without banging their teeth??  It's a D-ring snaffle...

After bridling him I led him to the fence and climbed on him bareback while he stood perfectly still.  It was very windy and a bit cool, so he was fairly energetic.  We walked around out in the pasture, then I had to work on having him stand still because he wanted to walk to the gate leading to the yard.  He hates being out in the pasture.  Too boring I guess.  When he refused to stand still I just did a one rein stop.  He eventually figured out it wasn't worth it and he stood on a loose rein.  :)

Then I walked him to the gate and opened it from his back!!!!!  The gate is built like this |___| so there is no walking around the gate.  I had to stick his head over the gate, lean forward, unwrap the chain, pull the pin and then turn him sideways and pull it loose.  Then I had to move him over (he hasn't learned to sidepass, guess we need to do that) and pulled the gate further open.  I did that until I had the gate open far enough to squeeze through without hanging my knees on either side.  I walked him through, then had him face the gate, leaned forward to grab it and had him back up while I pulled it closed.  Then I walked him up next to the pin and chain (there are no bars on the outside so he can just stand parallel to it on that side) and secured the gate.  Good boy!  I'll get pictures sometime to show you (or video) because I don't explain things well lol.

We rode around in the yard where he is much happier.  After warming up I did some trotting and then some cantering (second time cantering him bareback).  He was great!  He spooked forward once when a tree limb fell behind him in the woods, he refused to walk through a puddle (but we worked on it until he did) and he did not like the gas grill my parents were cooking their supper on.  I told him if he ever made me angry that's what he would smell like... hehe I know that's a bad joke, but I thought it was funny because obviously it would never happen.  This horse so rarely (if ever) makes me angry.

While cantering I lost my phone out of my pocket so we went back up the driveway looking for it.  When I found it I had to get down to pick it up.  Getting back on him bareback is impossible for me without something to stand on so I just called it quits and unbridled him so he could lick the salt block.  The ride was just under forty minutes.  Sorry there were no pictures.

P.S.  I measured Chrome to see what size blanket he should need (76) and also checked his weight.  He's up to 1200lbs!  He's not overweight either because I can feel his ribs.  :)