Work work work!

Well, my instructor showed me how to get worming meds in a horse who threatens to strike.
He hasn't struck at me, but the time before this he DID strike at someone who tried to worm him.
Okay, a neck roll is mean, but I think him panicking and flipping over or hitting his head on something would be worse, and that's what got him to hold still enough for the worming. We tried a bunch of other stuff first, but he just fought. So my instructor pinched a bit of his neck flesh and it worked. He didn't complain or flinch about it, so I am hoping it wasn't really painful. This worming medication lasts for 3 months though (I know, I thought there wasn't one that lasts that long, but I guess there is!) and so he won't have to go through it for a while.

Then we did a short lunge session with no lune line. Heh, I'm not gonna lunge him on a regular basis. I'd rather walk up and down the hills with him, even though I can't do that for very long. But it was good to see where he's at movement-wise. He trotted and cantered without tossing his head at all! Yay! He did it for a while, though he preferred cantering to trotting, but when he got bored he pulled his old tricks again. Hah.

Instructor thinks he did some showmanship classes or something because he does foreleg pivots. I thought that was just one of those things he did. Hm. Well anyway, it's an interesting thought. So we'll add it to the list of stuff that he MIGHT have done in the past. showmanship, reining, charro, roping, trail riding. Heh. He wants me to believe that he is a champion carrot eater and that I should be doing hardcore carrot eating training with him.

When we finished the lesson I stroked his head and he sort of dozed with his muzzle leaning on my chest. Awwh.

After I set him loose in the pasture, I went back to find him because I forgot to pull his forelock out over his fly mask. Not sure he cared, but I didn't want his hair scratching his eyes. He came to me and let me do it, but when I was leaving he walked near me but not TOO lose and gave a little really really quiet whinny which I translated as "awh mom not MORE work AGAIN today!"

Then he hung out with the grey horse clique. They totally segregate. :p