3rd day - Saddle and Bridle

Yesterday was Gypsy's third day here.

Her ground manners have already improved drastically. She stood quietly tied as I brushed her, put on fly spray and mane/tail conditioner, and wrapped her front legs.

Then time for a saddle. Gypsy has already had a lot of hands on, and I know she's worn a blanket. With that type of horse, used to people and used to having stuff put on and off, saddling is usually a breeze.

This time was no exception. I let her see the saddle pad, rubbed it on her shoulder and then set it in place. No reaction. I pulled it off and swung it on in a big, high arc. No reaction. I slid it off over her butt, swung it on her neck, and then swung it back into the correct place.

Good to go, time for the saddle. I let her see it and sniff it, bumped her shoulder with it, then carefully set it in place. She couldn't care less. It was just more stuff to her.

I did the cinch up very slowly - no need to create a problem by cinching her fast and tight. She moved a bit once I had it tight enough to hold the saddle, but that was it.

I swapped her halter for my lunge caveson (not the heavy traditional type, but a thick leather crank that has extra floating rings sewn into the sides for attaching the line.) And then put the bridle on. She wasn't overly pleased about the bridle, but a thumb pressed into her bars got her mouth open and I slipped it on quickly despite her raising her head and stepping back. As long as your technique is good enough to never bang the horse in the teeth no matter where their heads go, they get good about being bridled very fast.

I tied her reins up behind the saddle horse so that they were slack enough to not put pressure on but tight enough that she wouldn't be able to get a leg over one if she put her head down.

And then I asked her to go back onto the circle as we did the day before. And she was wonderful. Walk, gait, canter, not a hint of bucking or bolting. She scooted once when she cut the circle badly and got tagged with the whip behind the cinch, but came back as soon as she hit the end of the line.

She does not want to keep at the end of the line with any contact. That will be our biggest objective when lunging from now on - keeping her out in the circle. Yesterday I had to really mind my slack as she wanted to come in, in, in. She be out...and then hello!

"Are you sure I can't stand in the middle with you instead of being out here all by myself?"