Chrome Ride 135 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 21 - Rocky Ride 11 (with us)

 I was laughing at his forelock sticking up.

I hopped on Chrome after work, bareback in his halter, just to see how he was doing.  I rode for thirty minutes and he did great!  He was eager and forward.  His stifle didn't give out until later when I was grazing him after the ride and I wasn't even on him.  It's so random!  The ride was walk only.  Hubby even joined us halfway through, bareback on Rocky!!!

This was his second time riding Rocky bareback.  Rocky did AWESOME!  I was so impressed.  He eagerly walked up the driveway thinking (and dare I say hoping?) we were going out on the road.  He didn't want to turn around and walk back to the house.  Then as we were walking down the driveway he kept trying to turn around to go back up to the road!!!!!  I was so shocked and happy, even though he was trying to turn without permission.  At least he wasn't being barn sour lol.  The best thing about it was even though he tried to turn around several times, it was very calm, gentle questioning.  There was none of the resisting, fighting, almost rearing crap he's done before.  He would just try to turn and hubby would gently turn his head back the way we were going.  Rocky didn't fight him.  :D  Apparently the attitude adjustment (longeing him) made a huge impression on him.  He has been such an angel!

 I love the sunlight in my hair here.

Chrome kept wanting to go up to the road too, but that is normal for him.  He was a really good boy, even when I spent five minutes or so talking on my phone, riding with one hand.  He is so close to figuring out the neck reining.  I need to take dressage lessons soon before I turn him into a Western horse haha.  At one point when I was talking on the phone, he reached around to chew on an itchy spot and I pulled my leg back and up thinking the itch was in the girth area.  Nope!  It was back where I had just moved my leg so he shoved my leg with his nose and almost threw me right over his other side.  I cracked up!!!  I didn't know he could push that hard when twisted around like a pretzel.  Silly Chrome!

 The donkey brayed and his head popped up.

This is the only picture I managed to get of hubby and Rocky, 

because if they were moving it was too blurry.  Oh well.

I'm happy to be back in the saddle... err back on Chrome!  I've missed riding.  I'm glad his stifles are doing better.  They did get trimmed on Sunday by the way.

Yesterday I got Chrome out to do his exercises and check to see how he was doing after his trim.  I ended up working with him in hand for thirty minutes.  We did our walking, then I started working on backing him, but he kept sticking his head in the air which doesn't really help, so I started teaching him to put his head down and keep it there.  He used to know how to lower his head when I put my hand on his poll, but I never taught him to do it by putting gentle pressure on the rope.  He also used to yo-yo his head.  He would put it down and as soon as I removed the pressure he would pop it right back up.  Yesterday (and today when I checked to see if he retained it) I had him putting his head down and keeping it down.  :D  Then we worked on backing again, but he was still popping his head up.  I think it's because of his stifles.  We will keep working on it.  We also did some refresher work on turn on the haunches and yielding his hindquarters.  He's so much fun to work with.

Oh I almost forgot to mention, while we were doing our walking I started putting pressure on his side where my knee goes and I had him leg yielding across the driveway!  Then I would reel him back in to the side I was walking on and yield him across again.  It was so cool!  That's the first lateral work while moving that I've done with him.  I had tried to do it before, but it wasn't working because he was getting confused and not going forward, but since I've been encouraging him to go forward for a week, he figured it out this time!  Now I just have to translate that to under saddle.  :)  He's so smart!