5/4/08 Worked in the outdoor with a lot of trot walk trot transition and then some canter work which went quite well. Took him out on a hack which went well, including hand gallop. Some whinnying, but very good.

4/22/08 Worked in the outdoor on canter work which was really quite unbalanced. Ended better than we started, though, so that is what we ask for.

4/9/08 The canter fest goes on. After a walk warm up, much cantering. He is now getting good enough with his right lead that I can feel that the left is weaker. Unusual, that, but encouraging, too, because it means we are getting somewhere. Even if the left is fairly unbalanced, it is still better than where we started and the right lead is showing us the shape of things to come. Yay.

4/8/08 Got on and he was relaxed from the start. Good trot work, willing trot leg yield, if a little unbalanced. Canter work goofy at first, losing lead in back, but not bucking. Ended doing some walk canter transitions which really seemed to help himi balance his canter. Very good.

4/1 and 2/08 Getting better about staying relaxed right away after mounting. Trot work inconsistent but enthusiastic. Canter work improving, though he does throw his head once in a while which I can do without. All in all he did very well. He has a great attitude.

3/30/08 Started out much more relaxed than he has in the past, but his trot work was fairly tight, but it came around. Canter work was really quite awful until I figured out that he wasn't moving his ribcage over which was why he kept losing the lead. Once I got that working, his canter work had its first moments of true goodness. Very gratifying.

3/26/08 Nice walk warm up, inattentive trot work, bouncing from rein to rein, canter work quite awful at first with bucking. Ended up with passing canter work and some reasonable walk lateral work. He did fine. Coming along and he has a very good attitude (ok, yes, the bucking maybe is a but much, but it isn't 'tude, it is lack of balance).

3/19/08 No initial bucking discussion. In fact no mention of bucking or the intention of it, during the whole ride. More canter practice. Coming along. Still not near balanced, but definitely coming along. He's got a great attitude.

3/18/08 Rode in the outdoor, and had an initial discussion about the wisdom of bucking in the first two minutes. He gets a hump behind the saddle and just suggests that he might buck, but I can negotiate it out. That habit will end. Trot work was nice, some deadness to lateral aids, but not bad. Canter work started out pretty feral, but with much forward we eventually cantered 2 consecutive 20 m circles in both directions. Very good and cookies.

3/16/08 Rode in the outdoor, and after some walk and trot warmup, with some basic lateral work, went into canter. It seems that he can't hold his balance on the circle, does a lot better using the whole arena and negotiating the corners as they come up. Less bucking, but still enough to keep things intersting. Luckily his attitude is good otherwise..

3/15/08 Finally some decent footing. We worked in the outdoor. He was bunched up in his back when I first got on and would have bucked if I hadn't done some cowboy bending tricks with him. He got over it nicely. He had some nice walk and trot work including leg yield. Canter work was a fair jumble of bucking and not going forward. Went back to trot, reviewed forward and then back into canter, which went well.

3/10/08 Got chiropracted. Found quite a few things wrong and fixed them. Also blew out the quarter on his left hind. Farrier fixed it on Friday the 14th. Will have to keep closer tabs on his hooves.

2/9/08 Front coming through at noon, so rode in the morning. I tacked up and led him out the south gate, which Jay had helped me dig out of the snow. I swung into the tack without letting down the offside stirrup, and as I did so, he jumped up into the air and continued bucking on a 20 m circle, 4 bounds of which went through an appreciable snowbank. He stopped after about, conservatively, 7 pretty good bucks, then he was standing there with all this tension in his body and a little tail swishing, so I had him step forward a few steps and then got off to let us both regroup. Got him settled and got on again and went on a delightful trailride. Clearly he has no experience on the trail because he had some questions about the footing that typical green horses do. We did some trotting and cantering, in which he managed to buck a few times, but not a big deal. On the way home he let out a few uncertain whinnies to his friends. He's a big silly green bean and I am confident he will turn out fine.

1/26/08 Started out with a walk in the too-icy-for-more-than-a-walk pasture. He was a little nappy because Billy was feedin the other horses and he figured it was supper time for him too. He got over himself and walked out and back with only a few jig steps. Then we did some trot work on the relatively ice free area where I had been riding the horses in a 20 m circle. We only did trot, and his circles were egg-shaped toward the barn, but he got less nappy and more confident as we went on. Very good man.

1/6/08 Finally the weather broke enough to get out and ride a bit, but not much because ice is still the rule, not the exception. We went out in the pasture and did walk trot and canter without any trouble. Very good.

11/21/07 Blanket holding up well despite cold rain and snow. Charlie very warm and dry. Rode him briefly today with much cantering. He is getting better, but still struggling behind. Friday I will try to make an apointment for Monday at the chiropractor.

11/20/07 Found a blanket that fits him and put it on due to windy and cold weather ahead. He's getting more relaxed.

11/19/07 After a warmup in the indoor, took him out on a trail ride. He looked at some things, but not overly dramatic about anything. Did some hand gallop in the soybean field which included a lot of flying changes from right to left. He had fun and did well.

11/14/07 Ha ha. Now he is better right than left in canter.

11/12/07 Walk, trot canter, both leads, no bucking. Still looking for more for free in walk, but coming along.

11/7/07 Short session, mostly worked to the right. Did a lot of flexibility stuff and had some good work in right lead canter, after much paddling about in counter canter. Proud of himself.

11/6/07 Worked in the arena (cold and windy outside!) and did some trot work, focusing on getting him to go to the left rein, and ribcage left. That went well, so on to canter work with no luck in getting the right lead. Gave it up and went to working on leg yield left to encourage him to go to the left rein and move his rib cage over. Legyield from center line to H, ask for canter depart at H and got it perfectly twice. Canter laughably unbalanced, but there with no bucking. Much praise and done for the day.

11/5/07 Working in the arena with some of the western people. Charlie did well, though he managed to throw in a few bucks in right lead canter. Beastie.

11/2/07 Warmed up nicely and behaved well with another horse in the ring. Nice trot work, and, after a nice buck, found the right lead. Got it twice. Pretty relaxed and fun.

11/1/07 Brought Chuck in an trimmed his mane and groomed him. Took him in the arena and discussed proper leading, then bending and moving. Tacked up and got on. Did walk, trot canter, and flexibility. Right lead non existant. His attitude is much softer than it was last time I worked with him. I'm thankful he joined the fold.