GOOD baby!!!!!

Danny boy was GREAT today :) I'm so proud of the little pipsqueak! I'll be honest... I haven't done much with him lately. He's just been... a horse. But today I decided to do a bit of work with him. Partly because I had time and partly because he made it blatantly clear he was bored and wanted to play! 

First he got groomed and then he wore a bridle for about 10 minutes. He chewed the whole time, but didn't really do anything else. It's Roany's old bridle... it is cob sized and it fits him everywhere except the noseband. That barely fits! I'm not really sure why... I don't feel like he has a big nose???? Oh well. Then I put his new Chifney bit in... (or is it Chutney?? Why can't I remember that?!). It's the ring/bit thing they use for stallions and racehorses. I didn't have the crownpiece for it so I didn't make him wear it, just put it in his mouth. He did not like that much better than his bit. But you know, at least this way I can have some control when he gets bouncy. 

 hee hee.... Goofy boy!

Then I put his regular halter on and we did some in hand work. He's a bit off from where he stepped on his heel bulb and it's now sloughing, but he was good. We did the "you stay at my shoulder no matter what" game.... I sped up, he followed. I slowed down, he followed. I halted, he halted. I turned left, he turned left and I turned right, and he stopped and let me turn around him. We even did a few little short trots and he behaved!! (Without the chifney... hee hee... he's trying to prove he doesn't need it, I guess!). No turning at the trot yet... baby steps again! 

So then... I took him to the round pen and did two circles each direction of "lunging" on the lead line. Just at the walk. I was aiming to get him to respond to my body position and also to learn to respond to voice commands. He was good so I took the lead off and tried it with him loose. At first he bounced up and came at me - wanting to play! Not menacingly. I growled at him and chased him back and then made him back up. Even though it was play.. I am NOT a play friend. So then he went left and then right with my body positioning and then I got brave and asked for the trot. :) He was pretty darn good!! He took a few canter strides at first, but then trotted and then walked when I asked. I did each direction for less than a circle really. Then I asked him to halt by squaring my shoulders and he did. Then I looked at him and he lowered his head and licked his lips. Then I turned to the side and he walked up to me!!! YAY!! So he got TONS of praise and then dinner. 

I'm just so proud of him. And a little bit of me too. Maybe, just maybe, I can create a nice solid citizen of a horse.  

Oh, and then after dinner we were snuggling... waiting on Roany to finish eating. And I started scratching the insides of his ears, like how Fleck likes it. He was enjoying it. :)