WEEK 2..... Mar 16-22

I was able to get to Tina 4 days this week. Saddled her the first day of the week after going over everything I'd done the previous week. I will flag her and swing ropes around and all over her to some degree almost every time I work with her throughout these 3 months.

She moved out perty good when first saddled, but very cautious. Tina kept looking back at that thing on her back, but never did blow. After figuring that thing wasn't gonna " get her", she freed up real nice.

The 2nd day with the saddle she freed up under it even sooner. I did a lot of work pushing and leading her forward as I am beside her and next to saddle both sides using the lead rope, flag, my hands, and the stirrups as well as my body. I push her hind end away, change eyes, step front end over, all the while I want her to allow me to have contact with her. On this day I used a saddle horse as well to lead her around in the round corral and arena and got her trotting beside me perty decent. I did quite a bit of leaning all over her from horseback both sides.
This week I add moving laterally using flag and the stirrups. I also want her to get some bend in her rib cage, maybe use my body and start bending her around me.

The 3rd day with saddle she crow hopped around a little. I also used my lass rope around her flank area to accept the feel and eventually lead to that pressure. I put the rope high around her hind legs and walk her around, which is a very entrapping feeling at first. In addition, I put a loop around each pastern and start working on her giving to the rope and stopping and picking up her hind feet to that feel. Tina and I took a little trip.... I ponied her outside of corrals, over different obstacles, between house and barn, and also led her thru saddling stalls with RR tie floor. I ask her to lead thru a doorway into a small riding area in my barn.... she took right to it!
When I finished working with Tina our last session this week, I led her a foot over to the barn and onto RR tie floor and unsaddled her.

The local paper, The Whitman County Gazette came down Friday and took some pictures of my bronc. They did a nice job putting together an article that landed on the front page in spite of my plea to not make a big deal of it!

Carla left for Vancouver to be with our 2 1/2 yr old grandaughter, Ali and her parents, Tim and Erin as they welcomed identical twin sisters into the family. Jillian Marie and Katherine Sue Mock were born Mar. 22. What a blessing! Ali, Jill and Kate will be over riding horses with Papa soon!