Here is a pic that gives some sense of scale. Mason makes the full size english saddle look like a tiny child's saddle. He was a bit grumpy this morning going out with Lady. I don't know if he figured her being along too meant he'd be going farther for sure or what. He didn't try to kick her but I was fairly careful, mostly kept him behind her until Ole got in a mode of wanting to come right up behind the horse. With his conehead, which was making Mason act a bit nervous and I'm still not comfortable with the 'what might this horse do if he did decide he was truly scared of something' So I made L take Lady behind for a bit. Dumb Ole did run his cone right into Lady's back leg. Lady gets a gold star for only doing one two legged kick/buck in response to that. All I knew of that was L giving a squeal when it happened.
I had forgotten to grab my crop again and had so much *fun* getting on him that I asked L to run and fetch it for me. I did need it this time as Mason was testing me more to see if he really was going to have to go out and work again. He was not bad again but I just needed to tap firmly with the crop that yes we are heading out to ride, not just standing in the ditch and maybe letting you eat more.
He did try to duck for home as we were going out and had gone a few hundred yards, found out that when T wasn't paying attention and you get a turn started she just makes you do a 360. He was crow-hopping a bit as we were heading down my oil pipeline graded area but also not wanting to go so I was pulling his head and twisting my body just enough to dis-engage his hq so he couldn't buck and then making him continue or resume trotting. NO, big guy we don't pull you down to a walking tight circle if T thinks you just want to walk anyway and doesn't need the circle to recover her balance or control.
On the way home he got fairly strong (pulling on the bit) so I played with quick releases and retaking tension from my clinic (I'm not good at it yet) and also did lots of bending serpentines so I was only having tension on one rein and then the other and nothing for him to start bracing and pulling against. I refuse to let even my almost pony size ayrabs pull on me anymore and I'm for darn sure not letting a big ole draft cross tug on my arms all the way home.
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