day 2 for Caesar

Today was a good day for us. Beautiful blue sky and in a round pen with a horse. It doesn't get much better than that. I did a quick rehash of yesterday. I wanted him to hook on to me and that didn't take very long. I flagged him out with my whip and stick and then put the halter on and went to work on flexion laterally and softness downward. He did very well. Lisa did a good job at this. I then worked on disengaging more. I got after him a few times but he got better and better. I then worked on backing him up and boy is that lots better. I want him to back if he even thinks I am thinking it. I need to work more on moving his shoulders but we will get there. I kinda do that as I am sending him back and forth between me and the fence. I have noticed that he is pushy if I let him. So there has been a few conversations with him over that. When I had him doing that all pretty good I got the scarey stuff out. The noise bag was a little bothersome to him, but he relaxed. I really worked on the tarp with him I want him so relaxed that he would carry it like a flag with me on his back at some point. After a few minutes of that I was on his back laying on him from both sides he seemed to handle that well. I know that he has been ridden so I wasn't too surprised by that. However, what I wasn't expecting, though I knew it was possible, so I was ready, but at the end I decided to see how he handled the saddle. Well it didn't bother him putting it on or cinching up, but then the explosion. He bucked like nobodies business. I am so glad I never take anyone's word for how their horse is. No offense Lisa. I just let the horse tell me where they are at. He didn't like that one bit. Now, to be fair, I did have the flank cinch on him without having flanked him out yet. That is on the agenda for tomorrow before I saddle him. He might have handled the saddle fine without that extra touch on the belly. But anyway, he did a full fledged buck for a few laps. I made him go faster and wouldn't let him stop moving until he settled down and relaxed. Then I changed directions a few times on him and let him come to rest beside me, just not too close. I didn't want to be too close if he decided he wanted that saddle off. Nevertheless, when he settled down which wasn't too awfully long, I let him stop and took the saddle off.
So I accomlished several goals with him today: I wanted to refine his back up, sending both directions, changing directions, moving his hindquarters and shoulders. I wanted to desensitize him more, get him flexing laterally and be on his back using the Jeffries method, as well as see how he handled a saddle.
It is all improvement and refining from here.
He is a pushy horse, but seems to be a fast and willing learner. We will see. In two hours of work we have accomplished alot.