Working up a sweat

Team Tucker worked up a sweat today.

We warmed up with a few groundwork exercises. Just a few.

I got on and we warmed up with a walk on a totally loose rein for a few minutes.

Then, in the home pen still, we jogged, trotted, walked, jogged, trotted, walked and turned at the fence, trotted while turning, jogged while turning.

Keep your hands low, Liz.

I got off and we took a little break. Then we walked together out to the big pen. No hassle to ride him in that way and a change from how we have done it before.

100'x100' of work room. I remounted on the nice log round I put in there this morning.

We walked on a loose rein but then trotted when we got to the gate area. Loose rein, trot or jog or walk away.

We then jogged and trotted around the shrubbery but really went to work near the gate with some tighter circles and figure 8's.

Jog all the way around the arena. Walk, trot all the way around the arena, walk.

Went for the straight line from the bin to the barrel at a trot. Whoa'd him when he did it really good the first time and told him he is a good boy. Took a little break.

Want to be on the fence line looking for your buddies or go to the gate? Great, let's trot and circle and trot and circle.

He decided to trot to the gate so I really, really asked him to trot and trot and trot near the gate but then I turned away and asked him to walk.

I did a lot of trotting near the gate and relaxing away from the gate.

I dismounted in the pen and just walked around with him. Then we went out to the obstacle course just to walk around and cool him down a bit.

On the way back I tried to have him stop at the mounting block [heavy duty chaise lounge made out of real metal :), very stable to stand on]. He took a couple of tries. He did get stepped up properly and surprise....I loosened his saddle.

Walked to his home pen with Tucker behind me. I froze, he had to back. I froze, he froze. I froze, he had to back. I froze, he froze. I froze, he froze. When he got it right, I told him what a good boy he was.

While I am sure the barn sour/buddy sour issue has not gone totally away, I feel real progress has been made.

I quit after an hour. It is mentally and physically tiring for me to be on top of the reins and the standing for this and sitting for that and turning me to turn him and all the rigamarole it takes to ride this horse :)

I think you can see in the photo the leather string hanging down. I only had to use it a couple of times. No, nagging. When I said trot or jog, I meant it and he knew it. It's small string, I am not doing anything that would actually hurt that horse.