Fifth Ride

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I didn't think that Gambler's halter would fit under his halter. Well, I made it work. It doesn't fit very well - and the noseband may or may not be buckled under the halter while the rest of the bridle is over it - but it works for now. The goal is to wean him off of being led as soon as possible so I can ride him in just the bridle. 

Another benefit of riding Gambler w/o a handler is that Mom can get pictures of me riding him!

Posing as always.

The ride was quiet, simple, and our longest ride so far. Kezi was in the arena to eat her grain, so I rode Gambler out in the pasture.

On whim, I led Gambler up to the mounting block myself. Mom has been holding him at the mounting block because, as you will remember, he has been walking away and trying to bite and generally cause chaos during the mounting process. Well yesterday I led him up to the mounting block and leaned over his back and he just stood there! Apparently he has accepted riding as part of our routine. I think he likes it. I had Mom hold him when I mounted anyway because I haven't ridden him as a leader yet, just as a passenger.

Because he was wearing the halter and the bridle, I was able to start introducing the aids. It wasn't very consistent because the ground was a disgusting mixture of soggy grass and crusty ice. Gambler would step on the ice and it would hold him for a second or two - before crumbling underneath his hooves. In spite of the conditions, Mom led him in two large circles (dodging iciness) at a walk. I asked him to flex laterally in the bridle and cued him to back up. I think we practiced "woah" as well. I started squeezing with my legs a little with the cue to go and shifting my weight back to stop. So far, he seems to accept and understand the aids. Obviously when the conditions are better, I'll introduce the aids in a more organized way.

After we were done, I let Gambler out in the pasture with his hay. Then we cleaned the stalls and brought down hay from the loft and finished other miscellaneous barn chores. Just before we left, I stepped into the pasture to see Gambler. He was eating his hay and watching three deer that were standing just outside of the pasture. These pictures are grainy and dark, but if you look up in the upper right hand side, above Gambler's head, you can see three little deer.