May Day

May has been a really great month for Cody. He's picking up everything so quickly. He takes verbal cues very well. We've ridden four times out at GW Griffin this month and he's taking everything like a Pro. Whenever something new comes up, he gives it a good look then tries to put his nose on it. He insists on touching his nose to every sign post and the big concrete things. It's almost obsessive compulsive. Does my horse have OCD?

He learned to Pee on command today. Every time we ride, he pees about a half hour in. I'll feel him slow down and ask him. "Do you have to pee?"

Well, he slowed up today, and I asked, "Do you have to pee?" And he stopped right there, stretched out and peed. I told him what a good boy he was and gave him a peppermint horse treat.

Five minutes later, he stopped and stretched out again, squeezed out a drop or two, then instantly turned his head for a treat. I'm like... hmmm.....

A little down the trail (much too soon for him to have to pee again), he does it again, but this time it's very "Stop, Park out, and turn your head for the treat." I guess he learned a new trick!

On the way back he stopped again and this time he did have to pee. And yes, he immediately looked for the treat.

This was the first time the ditches and road ruts had standing water in them too. And he wasn't sure about that at all. After some snorting and uneasy looks, he stepped in the water. I told him what a good boy he was. So then he made a huge point of walking through or close to every puddle he found. And was downright indignant if he didn't get a "good boy" out of it.

He opened all the gates, both coming and going. He's really got the gate manuevers down. I had my camera around my neck so this video isn't great, but it does capture how fast he manuevered the gate. I am having a great time with him on the trail and can't wait to go new places now that he's becoming steadier and more confident.

Now that he's got opening and shutting the gates down pat, it's time to get his gaits in order. He's still showing a heavy preference to the stepping pace. If I say "1 2 3 4" to him when he's gaiting right (four beat), he is able to maintain it longer (especially if I throw in a lot of good boys), but he so often pace walks on the trail and it's hard to work on the gaits out there. He really needs some long straightways or an arena to just work on gaiting. Turning him takes him out of that pace walk into the dog walk, and then I can get him to flat walk a bit.

Next week is the Spring Gaited horse show at the Tampa Fair Grounds and we're going on Sunday to watch and probably won't ride. I'm very excited to see Gravedigger, the fantastic racking horse, there. I'd really like to send Cody to Digger's trainer for a good 30 days to work on his gaits. Maybe in the fall!