We didn't play long, but we rode!

Tug was at the end of the pasture when I went out with a carrot in my back pocket. The mares were close to the gate, so I took my halter, 12 ft line, and stick to get Tug. I was afraid he'd take off running when I got up to him, so I dropped everything and just went to him with the carrot. Then he followed me back and I put the halter on him. When I turned around, I expected him to put his head down and eat, but the next thing I knew, he was trying to grab the carrot from my pocket! :P

I just discovered a hill today that I've been on a hundred times that I should have been playing on all along! It's not very big, but Tug sped up as he went down it on the circling game. So I asked him to trot but when he started to go up it again, he walked! I should have done this when he had his problem of bolting to the left. :P Then we did sideways up and down it, and he had his first lesson of sideways without a fence to the left. It wasn't as great as when he first did it to the right, but we had prepared with a fence then. This time he did good with no preparation using a fence. :) We did some yo-yoes and then we went over to the deerstand where we practiced mounting from a fence. Out of all the places I've tried, that's the easiest. Even though it's covered with vines and the ladder slants. We rode up the pasture where the mares were. I got off and tried to get them to go to the barn but instead, Sugar decides to run through the woods. So Tug and I do traveling circles back down the pasture. After he stopped a few times, I used more energy. When I turned around to send him again, he did a little hop. :P Once we were walking again, I hear Dot thundering down the pasture heading straight for us. She checked her speed real quick when she saw my waving carrot stick and took off to where Sugar was. Dot's her sidekick. They take off in the woods so I take Tug back to the deerstand and practice mounting again. When I saw that the mares weren't coming out, I got on Tug and headed for the woods. This is hard to do when your carrot stick hits every tree. This Summer I made a trail that goes through the woods, and the horses follow it when they run in there. So when we get to the mares they started talking to Tug. Sugar really gets into when she sees other horses being rode. They followed me up the trail and out to the pasture. When I flicked Sugar with my string, she did a little squeal like another horse bit her! They took off again, but when I sent them to the barn this time, they went. I felt so bad for Tug because he didn't get to eat all the grass that they did. He followed along behind me with his head low. :( Tomorrow I hope to get him out to graze beside the house. :)