Two hour ride

Well, a lovely two hour ride.

We got out the gate without a fight.

We rode with my friend and horse for almost 2 hours.

We headed home across the desert trail alone and that is when my challenges started.

Tucker wanted to trot.  There's lots of gopher holes plus I don't want to trot home.

Tucker had a goal and I made it my job to thwart that goal by going different directions than he was planning on.

We did a number of one rein stops.

I worked very hard at staying relaxed, making sure if I pulled with one rein the hand moved up on the other side so I was actually only pulling on one side.

We made it out to the sand road and then I said go north across and into the desert on the other side.

Back onto the sand road for 100' and then south into the desert.

Tucker and I tussled and one rein stopped and tipped the nose and turned and turned.  We circled shrubbery and got on different rabbit trails.  We "whoa'd" and started again.

Tucker got his foot into a gopher tunnel and sank down.  He crow hopped or bucked out of the hole for a couple of bucks.  I had no problem staying on.

We got out to the asphalt road and he was trying to hurry.  I told him to go past the gate.  He slowed down then :)  We went about 300 feet.

We turned and came back and went past the gate again.  At the corner we turned and went towards the gate and passed the gate again.   We turned around.  I insisted that we check the mail box.

We got in the gate a trotted around the circle driveway.  I finally let him walk towards the back but then made him turn to the left instead of the right.  Into the round pen we rode.  I took his bridle off, left his saddle on and left him looking forlorn in the round pen.  After a couple of minutes of gathering myself up, I went out and got him. 

He was very sweaty so after I got the saddle off and brushed him, I rubbed him down with a towel.

The day was great but the last 15 or 20 minutes was sure a challenge.