Chrome Ride 146 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 32

  Notice anything about my handsome boy?

I trimmed his mohawk!  Not very well either lol.

It was starting to fall over so it needed done.  I had to go pretty short because I waited too long.

 He is so relaxed during grooming.  He loves it.

I rode around the yard for 55 minutes.  We started off slow, just warming him up, but I did do some cantering at the end of the ride.  Notice anything about the driveway in the above picture?

Hubby used the bush hog and bucket to clean along the sides of it.  The brush used to come right up to the driveway.  There is a reason for this (other than making it look nice), but it's a surprise so you guys have to wait hehe.

He also made a path into the trees.... but again it's a surprise hehe.

Caught him shaking his head.

 Chrome was pissy during the ride because the flies were awful!! Even with loads of fly spray.  :(  I hate those stupid green headed flies....  He was shaking his head (I forgot his bonnet....), randomly stopping (because he wanted me to slap the flies off, which I did for the ones I could reach) and would NOT stand still.  The not standing still was getting seriously frustrating....  I feel bad for letting it get to me.  He was miserable.  It was so hot too.  We were both pouring sweat, even when we were just standing around.  The humidity is horrendous.  Remind me why I used to like summer????

 We still had a good ride when we weren't being tormented or fussing with each other.

LOVE this picture!  We were looking at the garden.  Hubby has done an amazing job with the garden. I will try to do a post on it tomorrow.

 He walks right up to the tractor with it running so I can talk to hubby.  :) So brave!

We were standing in the shade waiting for hubby to come back outside to get pictures of us cantering.

As I mentioned before he did not want to stand still.  He was pawing in the above picture.  Brat!

 I forgot to crop this one.  It's off of hubby's phone.  

He took it to show me how Chrome was standing.

 He stops and gives me this look when he has a fly. This is how he shows me what side it's on.

 Once I smack the fly he walks off again.

Cantering pictures!

He was so eager during the first canter.

Then he decided it was hot and a lot of work...  

See NuzMuz he definitely doesn't always have his ears forward.  

Oh and ignore my crouching forward, I was encouraging him to jump into a canter (which he did) and apparently I lean forward when encouraging him haha.  I do sit back up though...

More crouching eek!

It's probably a leftover bad habit from when I first started cantering him and he'd jump into it so fast it would catch me off guard.  I was very defensive back then.  Now it doesn't scare me at all, but I guess the habit lingers on.  I need to work on that again.

Just ignore me.

We were flying for the last one!!  I can't wait to gallop him.

He switched to his right lead and was downhill because he was tired. That's why this was the last canter.

My favorite thing is when we're done he goes right back to walking on a loose rein.  :D

I had fun cantering in the grass for a change.  I think I want to tie Rocky up and try cantering in the pasture again to see if I'm still too chicken out there.  Chrome did get to where he was anticipating, but all I had to do was say "eh eh" and he would go back to walking.  It was actually kind of cute, but I won't make the mistake of letting him get away with that.

We did have to have a serious discussion that involved using a tiny branch as a whip.  He was not wanting to go up the driveway and was doing that stupid throwing his shoulder right and then ducking left to try to turn around thing.  So I used the stick on his right shoulder to make him stop popping it out.  Once he would actually walk a straight line I praised him big time and called it good.  I hate having to discipline him, but not doing so could be extremely dangerous with a 1200 pound horse.  He didn't hold a grudge or anything though.

Hubby told me I should have taken a picture of the stick to share with you guys so you could see the massive thing I was beating him with... haha.  That's sarcasm by the way.  I actually popped my own leg on purpose to make sure I wasn't hurting him.  I baby him hehe.

 After the ride.  Tired, sweaty pony!!

Even his haunches were sweaty.  We didn't even work that hard! It was just that blasted hot and humid outside... we've been very fortunate this spring so far and it is June so I guess I can't complain.  It's normally this hot the first of May.

 So sweaty!

 Sweaty ears from the bridle.

I took him to the pasture to let him get a drink before taking him back to the yard to let him graze.  I love that I can lead my horse to water and actually have him drink!  I got some cute pictures once he was finished drinking.

 So itchy!  Poor guy!

 Look at this precious face!

 

 He couldn't figure out why I was crouched on the ground and was staring at me.  So cute!

 Grazing in the yard, all sweaty.

Then he had a bath!

 After his bath, still wet, grazing while he dries.

I washed him all over with his itch soothing shampoo, then scrubbed his shoulders and legs with dishwashing liquid because nothing else gets the Desitin off that I've been using on his sweet itch, then I washed his legs in betadine because I'm wondering if the flies are infecting the sweet itch sores and making his skin funk worse.  I also washed his tail twice because it was just that nasty.  I got his entire tail in the bucket, even his dock as far as it would go. He's such a tolerant horse.  Now he has a clean tail bone hehe.

I want to dye his tail white... it is so yellow and gross.  The funny thing is I can't find my big car sponge that I usually use for bathing horses, so I used one of my small kitchen sponges that has scotch brite on the back.  He LOVED being rubbed with the scotch brite.  It must have felt so good on all his itchy places.  His favorite places were his neck, chest and, believe it or not, between his sheath and thighs.  He must have been so itchy.

After his bath I was exhausted and dizzy and out of breath.  I got way too hot....  that's how bad it was outside.  Normally bathing a horse isn't that big of a deal, but when it's that hot and humid it sucks!

 Looking sexy after his bath!!  His legs and belly were still wet here.

His tail is soooo much whiter at the top now!

 I cringe at the bad job I did on his mohawk lol.  It doesn't take away from his cuteness though.

Tail is still yellow at the bottom.  I think I'd have to wash it everyday for a week to get it clean....
I'm going to have to get some of the whitening shampoo....

 His reward for his patience is green grass!  His favorite. :D

 Ugh!!! I see so many spots I need to fix!  Love his neck though hehe.

When I went back out several hours later to get them some more hay (having to feed square bales until our suppliers cuts more hay... it sucks!) he followed me a short ways and then stopped to pee.  I waited for him while hubby and Rocky walked on ahead.  When Chrome finished peeing he stepped forward with his hind legs, reared halfway up, lunged forward and galloped to the hay feeder!!  I was worried I might have overworked him... I guess not LOL!

Well that's all for now.  Be safe in the heat guys!