Ponies everywhere!

And their poop! Spent my day mucking paddocks, stalls, and the track system, and got to ride along on the ATV while R dragged the arena.

With Siaga today, we started working on standing still while I'm standing still. This is a fundamental hole in his training that I should have taught him a long time ago. He's of the mind that if I stop moving and ask him to halt, that he should be able to stop with me, start grazing, and move away.

Not anymore. Today I started asking him to stand patiently, and he's still trying to sneak his nose down to the grass when he thinks I'm not watching but I intercept him.

Then today was worming day, usually this is how it goes, I halter him, hold on for dear life, get the syringe in his mouth, push the plunge, and let him have at it from there.

It's not a pretty sight.

Today however... I took an old, clean syringe and filled it with applesauce and took my time running it over his face and nose and lips, and took my time getting the tip of it in his mouth, and gave him little shots of applesauce. Eventually he was actively pulling it into his mouth, (with about half the applesauce still there) and that's where I gave him his worming medication, then the rest of the applesauce to help wash it down. It was the smoothest, easiest deworming I have ever done.

And then we worked on some lateral flexion, especially on the right side, which he is stiffer on, and then more standing still beside me.

Later I might go out and work with the bridle some and try to get him ok with having the bridle put on him.