todays post

This is for yesterday and today.
Yesterday: Robbie did real well. I worked him around the tarp and pole and got him going over them good. Then I flanked him out. He did buck some, but not as intense. Then I saddled him and worked him out the rest of the time with the saddle. No bucking or desire too.
Star was good as well. He was following me alot more than before. I saddled him and moved him around the tarp and pole. He was alot more comfortable with the tarp. I gave him lots of breaks and played the yo yo game. By the end he was following me much better. The last ten minutes I rode him doing YH and YF exercises.
Today: was much like yesterday with them.
Robbie again worked around the tarp and it was like it didn't exist to him. He didn't mind it being on the ground at all. I also flanked him out again and he didn't hardly buck at all. He humped his back once or twice but I could tell he was thinking twice about it. That was good. Then I put the saddle on him and we spent the next half hour going through the exercises and trying to put him in a position where he would be tempted to buck. He never once offered to try to buck.
Star did a good job today too. I moved him around a bit then put the saddle on him and moved him around and over the tarp. I played the yo yo game with him too. He was following me more today. Then I ground drove him about 15 minutes just practicing stopping and doing serpentines to teach him to follow his nose and ended that with flexing. The last 20 minutes I rode him around. doing lots of YH and YF and then let him step out forward until finally we were riding all around the arena and then I would ask him to bend and YH and YF and move off again. we did lots of stops and backups and resting. There was a little bit of scare to him towards the end. There was some movement and noise he couldn't see and he did not want to go to that end of the arena. I just kept his feet moving and bending and so on. Then we quit with flexing and some backing. I unsaddled him and walked over to the tarp in the middle of the arena and he followed me. I folded the tarp and walked back and he followed me. Then I walked to the other end of the arena and he followed. He followed me all around the arena and then I quit with him for the day. It was great to see that trust and that he was looking to me as his leader.