First Bath. . . Sorta

Today was my first session with Gambler since Tuesday. There were ups and downs. Literally.

The figurative ups were that Gambler and I worked on walk-canter transitions and he did quite well. He picked up the wrong lead a couple times, but when he did I brought him back down to the trot and asked again. The literal ups (and figurative downs) were that he bucked quite a bit with the saddle and reared once. 

It was the result of a combination of things. First, he was wearing the saddle for the first time in five days. Second, there was a tractor grating the driveway. Third, I was introducing him to trot poles while wearing the saddle. We worked through it and it was a great learning experience. I didn't think he was in the right mindset to be ridden, but I did give Gambler his first bath!

Spring is here, and with it seventy-degree weather (Fahrenheit). After trotting over poles and learning walk-canter transition commands and bucking and rearing, Gambler was quite sweaty. Part of the problem is that he still has the last shreds of his winter coat. So I decided to give him a bath. It wasn't a legitimate bath, because I didn't have any shampoo at the barn, but it was a good learning experience for Gambler. 

At first, he tried to walk away from me. He even threatened to kick when I sponged down his hindquarters. But by the end he was (irritably) standing still. I've met fully trained horses with worst bath manners, so I think he did well for a first bathing lesson. 

YAWN

Trying to convince Gambler to eat his sand clear.

Post-bath grooming session