It's just lunge.

I've been SO busy with work and the weather has been such crap since Wednesday that I hadn't been out since Monday. I only had about 40 minutes at the barn today though. Not enough time to tack and ride since he HAD to be lunged first, but that's okay. I put some more ointment on his scrape which looks fine. He was mostly fine on the lunge. I had him in a snaffle bit for control. When he's been off for days he does tend to act up and I am a little nervous about that after Monday. It was a good wake up call about things like making sure to wear gloves and to keep the line from wrapping around you hand, feet, etc. I'm getting much more adept at managing the line than before, which, combined with his much improved behavior on the line, make lunging a much more useful experience. He has always been more hesitant to go to the right. I thought for a while it was because I would always start him left and it was just the act of changing that bothered him. Then I started to try to start to the left and he would start poorly and be better when we went to the right. His left lope is generally his tough lead, too. It's much better than those first few days when he would REFUSE to turn at the corner and practically run into the wall. That was VERY early, like the first week or two.

Because this is only his second winter I seem to think he is amused by snow. When I led him out of the arena I had to reach back for the gate and while he was stopped he stuck his nose into a snow pile and started to dig into it. I moved him out of the doorway for safety sake and led him towards a bigger pile. He did the same thing. I moved him over thinking I could walk him out onto the snow covered lawn, but there is a layer of ice just under the snow and I was afraid he'd slip or something. He pounded his foot into the icy layers for a bit and then turned and headed back into the barn. I feel like he thinks "Oooh what's this stuff? Oh yeah, snow......brr snow's cold! Where's my stall?"

I have to work all day tomorrow - yuck - but it's supposed to be 41 degrees on Sunday! Great day to thaw some buckets and hopefully get him outside. He REALLY needs some outside time!