New Bit: Turns on Forehand: Tail Care

Ashe and I went on a small quest to try a new bit. My friend's full cheek snaffle had given us a new lease on turning, but he was cranky about the single joint.

I went out on a limb and got him a two joint, dee ring snaffle... First time out with it, the horses in the fields decided to have a good run. Instead of Ashe taking off into a trot and jigging for half of the track, instead immediately listened to my half halt and continued to walk with happy ears. Hurray for breaks and ease of communication!

Best view in the whole world!

On top of that we finally succeeded in our first turns on the forehand! It's been a long arduous process as he's terrified of dressage whips so I've had to do this without the benefit of extra aids. On top of that we had our first scary test under saddle in a while. He did a lot of stopping and snorting, but only a few steps backwards before trusting me to pass on by. I was so proud!

Also in good news, Ashe has stopped rubbing his tail! We changed his supplement to remove almost all soy from his diet, plus I hot toweled all up and down it. It seems to have worked, we're at a month now without any rubbing.

His terror of hoses is a work in progress. We're slowly getting there. Sometimes I get the feeling he's making a bigger deal out of it than it really is to him but so far, I've managed to hose off all four feet and his chest.

Thunderstorms have made it impossible to ride the past few days, but we'll get back out there soon enough! Happy Riding!