Back to blogging. What a whirlwind. Get another horse and then you look at time, you can’t remember where all your time went. I brought Little Dude (aka Reeses) home labor day weekend & life has not been the same since.

Paul has been continuing to try riding lookie in dressage. He has some success with it. We have also been driving him a lot more. I think it is helping him strengthen his back a lot.

So, let me formally introduce little dude. he is 7yr old 39″ mini. lots of trust/handling issues. I don’t know if he will ever be completely sane, but I love him too bits. he is getting the driving thing SLOWLY but surely. I had to get him a custom harness in order to get one to fit him correctly. We have wrecked a couple times already. It is always for something you didn’t plan or train for when you long-line/drag.

The first time he wrecked the cart, his back foot slid & his breeching bumped into his rear. he bucked up & put his back feet in my face a couple times. Then, he got a leg over one of the shafts and the cart rolled. I got tossed, but I held on to the riens and I got him stopped. he busted up the harness, but the cart was fine. the lesson learned was that he needed to be a little tighter in his rig.

the second time, we got too close to a jump in the arena (note: he doesn’t like when one of the cart wheels leaves the ground) again we bucked, legs went over the shafts & again I was tossed. cart got some very bent shafts and I a very bruised hip. He went back to ground driving until I could re-evaluate the driving issues.

I decided that …
1) he needed a better fitting harness
2) he was getting a kicking/bucking strap
3) he IS going to learn to drive & be a proper young gentleman.

So, fast forward 2 montths from the last wreck. We have been working LD almost everyday & he has been getting better. With the better fitting harness, the kicking strap, and a repaired cart, I think we might be able to a competent driver one day. Lookie has been helping show LD that he can do it. Lookie acts more like a big brother to LD. I am still a little gun shy, but Paul has demonstrated that in his new rig LD can’t get the cart flipped.

Time will tell. Lookie & LD are attending a driving clinic with bob giles in the first part of april. LD MIGHT be going to the port mayaka may day HDT. I have to see how his driving progresses.

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