August 24, 2011 - Testing the tune-up

Last night the BO picked up an outdoor wood furnace and left it in the yard.  Rory was very concerned about the foreign object and slid over behind me, then peeked out at it and moved his head up and down to try and get a better look at it without going any closer.  I led him over one step at a time, and eventually we got right up to it and he sniffed it and touched it on all four sides.  He was still suspicious and kept a wary eye on it as we went into the barn.

While I groomed and tacked up, he was a little more interested in getting carrots than usual today.  I reminded him that he doesn't get carrots every time I go past his nose.  I groomed him and tacked up and we went out to the arena to pick up the longe whip.  I thought Rory might be concerned about the jump fillers that had been used for serpentine markers, but he really didn't do more than glance at them as he went past the first time.

I longed each way for a couple of minutes just w/t, then hopped on.  I used the big 3 step mounting block in the corner of the ring today - first time and Rory was just fine about getting into position next to it.  We did walk/trot for a bit with circles, serpentines and changes of rein.  Then I asked him for canter.  we got the wrong lead the first two times, then got it right every time afterwards.  The transitions were quite easy and smooth and he had no trouble with the left lead at all.  We went all the way around the ring on each lead.

I dismounted, opened the gate, remounted and went for a tour around the property.  When we got back to the ring I asked him to walk across the mud edge of the puddle we'd gone through on Monday.  He didn't want to but did cross the mud.  I worked him over to the water and he balked.  He stepped sideways.  He swung his bum sideways.  He backed up.  He dug his toes in.  And with some patience and persistence (and carrots when he stepped forward) he eventually rushed across at the narrowest point.  We went across a few more times with progressively less thinking each time.  The last time he walked across and then broke into a trot on the other side.

The wood furnace was still rather suspicious looking.  I untacked him, gave him a quick brush, fed him a snack and then took him out to graze for a few minutes before he went back to his paddock.  He was a good boy today.  No pics or video today as my camera batteries needed to be charged.