Moosey's 10th ride!

As the title suggests, today I rode Moose for the tenth time. He was waiting at the gate when I got here so I pulled him up first thing and gave him just a handful of feed. I have finally gotten his feed straightened out and he is gradually putting on weight. I have decided to feed him XTN which is what all my horse's eat. It is a feed I really like and have never had any problems with. It's high in fat without being too high in protein so it gives my horse's the calories they need when they work hard without making them hot. I also feed him some beet pulp soaked and a little corn oil. I have had a lot of luck with some of the older Arabians putting on weight with beet pulp so I put him on  it to. The corn oil is good for weight gain but also supposed to be good for their coat and digestion. His coat does look a lot better but some of that is probably his winter hair growing in dark and soft.
He stood like a perfect gentleman while I saddled him up. I tried on the new bridge shoulder pad I had ordered for him and I was NOT impressed. It made my saddle sit uneven so I took it off...back to the drawing board I guess! I really need to find a good build up pad. I can't afford a new saddle right now just for him but I can easily save up and get a new pad to make him more comfortable. I use an English bridle on him which has brought us a lot of funny looks and questions at my barn. The only reason I use the English headstall is for the flash and cavesson. He had a problem our first few rides with chewing the bit obnoxiously and opening his mouth a little to evade the bit. He was never really bad about it and doesn't even do it anymore but I used the flash and cavesson to discourage him from the behavior. I actually use it pretty loose compared to what I have seen a lot of people, do but I want to just discourage him, not force him. I still have not decided if I want to pursue actually riding him English but for now I will ride him Western and perhaps try him on the pattern. Either way we still have a lot of training to do before I have to make any major decisions and I am in no hurry. It has been very nice to be able to have a horse that I can just "play" with and do whatever I want with no expectations or anything. With May and Riley being my barrel horses I have a lot I have to do with them to keep them in shape and racing at their best and of course whenever you get decent at anything and people start noticing you at races than they start to expect you to do good and the pressure is on. Im not trying to imply that me and my horse are perfect but over the last few years we have greatly improved and can hold our own in our age group. With Moose it has just been slow and fun and no real "pressure" which has been really refreshing.
He tried walking off once when I went to mount up but a quick little tug on the reins and a vocal reprimand was all it took and he stood quietly the second time. I always make him stand still for a few seconds or minutes after I mount up. It helps reinforce the standing still while I get on and also keeps him from anticipating anything. I walked him on loose reins for a little while before asking him to collect and get his head down. He's starting to drop his head and tuck his nose with just the slightest pressure, I love it! Actually what he does now is sometimes he will try to drop his head too low and tuck his nose too tight. Even on the ground when I put his halter or bridle on he drops his head so low sometimes that I about have to kneel to put it on him! lol But I would much rather this be the dilema than him throwing his head to high. He isnt doing it to be bad, hes just trying to figure out exactly what I want. In the saddle a little nudge with my heels and a soft upward check with the reins and he gets back where I want him. I am just trying to get his head down enough to where he is straight from his poll back with his nose lightly tucked.
 After the walking we worked on some leg pressure and he is starting to respond to my calf better and I have been having to use less heel. His transitions from walk to trot and back down again have been much smoother as well. I referred to him last time as having the "stick shift" trot but now he goes into an easy jog with a simple click and back down again if I just sit a little deeper.  We began and ended with lateral flexion and after about a 20 minute ride I ended it on a good note and dismounted. I have been gradually increasing the trot time and have started adding a little leg pressure to move him in and out of the rail while we trot to. He still takes that as a cue to go faster sometimes but I'm sure it wont be long before he has that down as well. His trot was lovely and he collected nicely. I still cant believe how naturally he works off his hind end. He kept his head down except for a few times when something caught his attention. He still is VERY goofy and un focused sometimes and it doesn't take much for something to catch his attention. Thankfully he doesn't dwell on it though and you can redirect his focus just as easily. 
He also enjoys trying to pick stuff up and is a little mouthy but is getting better about it. He has never bitten me but just likes to lip everything. He tries to grab his reins when I bend him and unties himself if I don't tie him just right. I let him play with one of those inflatable balls and he had a blast picking it up and tossing it around. He also likes to hold the hose in his mouth until his cheeks blow up with water. Its the funniest thing and I keep waiting for water to shoot out of his ears! lol  I unsaddled him and cooled him out and fed him his morning ration before turning him out. Plan on riding Riley at some point today and if I do I may post later tonight. I rode May yesterday as well and just exercised her.
At the bottom are pictures of Moose picking stuff up. He's so good natured and his happy-go-lucky attitude about everything is infectious! He is a pleasure to work with. Enjoy!