Back in the saddle again

I got to get on Buddy yesterday! First time! As Scott would say, that is just as unpredictable as trying to ride on Joey Kitten. But he was great! Shirley took me for a pony ride, leading him with me on his back. It was so funny...you realize that a lot of what you associate with your horse's identity is what the back of his ears look like from the saddle. This was the first time that I saw the world from between Buddy's ears. Pretty neat. We just walked around a little, got on and got off, with no big problems. He is very willing to do whatever.
Then we did some ground work, teaching him the basics of lungeing. Once he understood what we wanted, he did his best. He knows that Shirley and I keep a generous supply of carrots in our pockets for when he is a good boy. And that boy LOVES carrots.
Before doing the Buddy stuffy, Shirley and I went for what she calls a "horsey ride" through the forest service roads that connect with her place. She rode Buddy's daddy, Danny, and I rode his mother, Sugar. Her little Jack Russell Terrier, Spike, came along with us. His brother, Vigo, stayed home.
After all the horse stuff, I walked home. I had planned on running the ten miles, but my legs are a little sore. The walk was very nice. I saw a doe and her two fawns, and then saw a nice buck later down the road. The blackberries continue to be plenteous and juicey.
And that was my day off.
You should check out Scott's training log for today. Nice picture of the Beej and Nadia.