Runaway!

Now here be my tale.....My friend Peggy wanted to go riding today and I am glad she did. She doesn't really ride other than at a walk, but that was fine since I hadnt ridden Falcon since the 10 mile ride over a week ago.

I had the horses groomed by the time she arrived and then we walked the horses from the barn up to the house/horse trailer to saddle them.They stood well for that. The sun was HOT and flies abuzzing, but my 3 y/o fly spray seemed to work pretty well.I let Peggy mount to make sure we wouldnt need to adjust the strirrups etc.

Then I tried to mount Falcon, but he kept swinging his butt away and wouldnt let me.So Peggy rode and I walked down to the mailbox after which, on the second try, was able to mount up.

It is a short jaunt through the woods to a gate that opens in to a large pasture where Sinwaan threw me and knocked me out a few years back.I dismounted and opened the gate, the horses passed through and I latched the gate. Then attempted to mount agayne. Falcon acted up so I Swacked him pretty hard on the chest...only problem was, I wasn't holding on to the reins, so he backed up, turned and away he trotted, up the big hill about 2/10 of a mile away.He snarfed around the pond there and looked at us when we called him, then turned and cantered happily away.

Peggy was afraid that Dakota might buck to get away with Falcon, so she got off and we walked after Falcon. He kept right on agoin.

By the way, the pasture is GIGANTIC. About half a mile or so away is an old house and a big barn. We saw that Falcon was trotting to the barn and then I saw him go in the barn lot. I hoped that the gate in to the yard was not open.He then entered another lot where they gather up the cattle. As he snarfed around, we reached the barn lot gate and Peggy and Dakota blocked the gate, while I went into the smaller lot.

Falcon walked away from me, but stopped at the fence and just calmly looked at me. TURKEY! So I walked over and took his rein and patted him on the neck and let him back in to the grass.Again he wouldnt let me mount and tried to get away for sure this time. But I had a tight grasp on the reins and shouted BACK, BACK BACk. I made him keep backing up, then stopped and tried to mount....no luck.After at least 6 or 7 rounds of BACK BACK BACK method, he decided that he would stand still and let me mount.

We then had a VERY pleasant ride, walked through 3 creeks and upon reaching the next gate, I let Peggy do the honors! We strolled through the woods and back to the barn. I dismounted and tried to remount, no luck, so BACK BACK BACK, he then let me mount.So I did that about 6 times, but each time when I attempted to get on, he would swing his butt away and I had to do the BACK BACK BACK thing! grrr, well, I will persist and if he is still being bad with mounting by May 31 I will have Judy work with him as I am going over there for a "introduction to Endurance" ride that day.If need be, I will leave him there for a couple of days and pay her to ride him that week. That is two weeks before the Old Dominion.