Day 9

I should come up with better titles, but I am not that creative, sorry!
Yesterday was a good training day. It wasn't a dust bowl. It wasn't blistering hot. And Lisa was there to witness his training.
I started by doing his back exercises with a carrot. He loves them and will almost bend over backwards for them. LOL
Then I brushed him and saddled him. He didn't really want to be saddled. He kept moving a bit and I would have to bump him to a stop and continue saddling. Plus, he was telling me he didn't like it by swishing his tail some. But I got him saddled and he then started to come into me, but I shewed him away and he went at  canter again. It is like he thinks I want him to take off fast all the time. I don't think he really tried to buck. I let him go round a few times and changed directions then took the halter off and worked him til he decided to come to me for rest. He did it the first time and I let him rest for a minute, but then the second time I let him rest for a good while. I worked in disengaging him and moving his shoulders. Which he does pretty good. I cracked the whip and he moved off so I kept that up until he decided to ask to come to me and when he did (after several laps in both directions) I let him in and quit cracking the whip. Then I cracked it and he stood. I took the saddle off again and a few minutes later I put it back on.  He stood this time without any swishing of the tail.
I did some flexing and some turns on center, then I got on him and let him move off. I asked for disengagements and he did them well, only a little bit of pressure and some leg on him. The right side is more difficult for him because of an old shoulder injury that is painful for him, maybe. Anyway, if I bend him too far there he doesn't like it. He tried to bite my boot. Then I discovered if I don't bend so far and add just a little leg he disengages really soft. I even got some vertical softness from him on both sides. We did a few leg yields, not perfect of course, but he did them. We monkeyed around working on these things and getting forward motion from him then I got off. I got on again and he didn't like that but I stayed on him until he calmed down then got off again. I took the saddle off and put it back on again, then started exercises to prepare him for ground driving. I finished with working on his backup and I think some flexion.
It was a good session for him.
I learned that with him I can be softer for flexion than what I have been, but he still has issues with some pain, maybe in his shoulder which will have to be considered in his training.  We will see how it goes later.