Little bits and pieces

Wow. When I read all the adventures it makes me kinda embarrassed to blog my bits and pieces but it also encourages me that I will get back in the saddle. As my boy is in a relatively small pasture (10 acres) I have made a commitment to see him for a bit every evening when I get back from work in town. So far I have made good on this and always seem to find something to work on. Mocha is in with Spike, a filly who has not had the tincture of time Mocha has and has demonstrated a desire to not be haltered unless she is in a round pen. Thus much of my time is spent cooing to my good boy and re-educating this curly girl about the benefits of being haltered. A couple of times she has flared away from me and Mocha left but gave back to me after only a short walk. I realized that in my greener training days - when I first started Mocha - I neglected the being friends and just "being" with him. I always caught him and worked him and thus he has not been too enthused about being with me. After just one short week, I have noticed a difference as he hears my voice and comes over to see me - or to check my pockets for treats. this does my heart good as I love nothing better than spending time with him. If I canmake it work I am going to insert apicture that shows my boy's personality:

This last weekend I led him the mile from the barn to a neighbors pasture to graze while on a stake and a 50 foot rope. Another neighbor stopped to in her vehicle to visit and Mocha was a patient boy and even stuck his head in the window for scratches! He is soooo cute! ( and nope, I am NOT prejudiced). When he and Spike - who went down the road behind a four-wheeler - were done eating, I led the two of them back to the barn. This was fun as Spike walks fast and Mocha walks slow. Because I like the slower mode I worked on getting Spike to listen to me and pace herself with me. She had a couple of hard-headed curly moments of "NO, you walk faster" but it only took a bit of firmness to convince her to listen to me and follow my cues.

Once we got to the barn I turned her loose into the pasture and kept Mocha in hand. I took my bucket and stood on it next to his back but found myself not quite comfortable with hopping aboard. I suppose I could just cave and saddle him up but dog-gone it I am going to beat this! Thanks for listening and your support and keep up the good riding!

And just so you can feel sorry for my baby-boy another picture of what I do to torture him. As a baby in the mountains of WY he froze the tips of his ears so now he has the cutest rounded, slightly short ears and I help him keep them warm by letting him wear my gloves. Besides he is so cute doing his reindeer impersonation!