He remembered!!!

Boomer is so smart!  

John and I went out on Sunday to try on Boomer's new saddle (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and to go for a ride.  I tacked him up in the small paddock.  He cant pull back if he isn't tied!  He, of course, acted scared of the saddle pad.  Once he got over that, I was able to tell that the saddle fits really well!  It was also super comfy!  

We went for a ride around the pond.  We used John's GPS watch and it clocked at exactly 1 mile.  

I was curious to see if Boomer would remember his little lesson in backing.  He was great for the first half of the ride and when we got to the halfway point, he got a little 'up', but stayed sane.  I left the reins loose and let him make his own decisions about his behavior.  All I wanted was a loose rein and a flat, 4 beat walk.  He *wanted* to jig, but he keep his cool.  Once we got to the alley where you can head back to the barn, he turned his head and pricked his ears as we walked past, but he stayed going forward where I pointed.  We went through the gate and turned to go up the hill to the barn and he did get a little excited, but wasn't misbehaving *yet*.  I turned him around and backed him up about 20 strides just for good measure.  After that, he was totally calm and cool for the rest of the ride!  

I was very happy with his behavior and attitude!  What an improvement!