[ShadyBro]

 Owner       >>> horseluv5829
 Name                >>> Abraxas
 Gender         >>> Gelded Male
 Adoption Price         >>> 3 WL Pets
 Training         >>> [Complete]
  =====
  . Enjoys cuddling
  . Very quiet
  . Absent minded

 [Discipline >>>>> ]
 [Shows Entered > R: W: E:]
 [Shows Won >>>> R: W: E:]

 [Ej > ] [Ep > ]
 [Eh > ] [Ws > ]
 [Wp > ] [Wt > ]
 [Rf > ] [Rs > ]

[horseluv5829]

Thanks so much!!! I think I will name him Abraxas after the Greek god Helios horses

-First Touch
As soon as Abraxas was loaded into the trailer to get home, he was already as cuddly as can be. He would rub his head up against my arm and I realized that this horse would be at a special place in my heart. As soon as we arrived back at the stable, I put him into a large stall so that he could settle down. I took off his halter and set it on the bridle clip on the side of his stall. I looked through the bars and he immediately walked over to me. I stuck out my hand and watched carefully as he sniffed it to get in my scent. The first step in earning his trust was to show him that I could trust him. He nudged at my hand and then brushed his muzzle up against it. His soft nose blew out the warm air onto my arm, and I had realized that we had made the right decision in taking him in.
Then next day, I came to his stall and haltered him before I led him into the riding arena located inside the barn. I clipped on a lunge line and asked him to walk around me. He seemed confused on what he was supposed to do at first, probably because he didn't understand that he was supposed to be a bit farther out than walking side by side. However, with a bit of convincing, he finally went out. I did walk, trot, and canter exercised with him over the next few weeks on the lunge line until he had perfected them at last. I pulled him into the center on the last day of lunge training and gave him a soft pat on the neck. I stroked him for a while, and realized that he had finally come to my full trust and would be a great horse.

-First Saddle
The day had finally come when Abraxas was ready for saddle training. Eventually, he had to learn to be ridden, and I believed that he was ready for the challenge. I grabbed my chestnut colored english saddle and bridle and sat them up on the rack outside of the arena. As I led Abraxas out of his stall, I could feel him sensing that something would be different this time. I reached out and patted him on his shoulder and whispered, "It will be ok, the saddle will not hurt you. Just trust me like you have done before." I tied him up in the arena this time because there were already others working on grooming in the cross ties.
I grabbed my light blue saddle pad and let him sniff it and feel it with his muzzle. I then brushed it up against his sides to let him get the feeling of it touching him. As soon as he started to give no reaction to the pad, I set it atop his withers and centered it evenly along his back. Next came the saddle. I grabbed it, and stepped up on the mounting block because he was so tall. Being short was not easy when it came to getting a very tall horse tacked up...even riding it for that matter. I set it on his back and he threw his head straight up in the air and started to pace around as far as the lead rope would let him to get it off. I got him to still for a second and then tightened his girth just enough to keep the saddle in place. Then, I let him run.
He bucked around the arena, striking the saddle to the wall in attempt to loosen it off. He came to a sliding stop before doing a half turn to run to the other side of the arena. After about a half hour of this, he realized that this saddle was going nowhere. I decided that the bridle would have to come later, as he was already going through a lot at the same time.
The bridle did not get on him for a few days after because he was still getting used to the idea of a saddle. As soon as I was able to force the snaffle bit into his mouth for the first time, he could not stop chewing it which was normal. Who would want a cold metal bit in their mouth anyway? I led him around the arena on the ground by gently guiding him with the reins. By the end of the day, he seemed to be fully comfortable with all of the new tack, and a huge improvement had been made.

-First Ride
The last big test for Abraxas was the ride. I knew that he would be ready for it as he had endured the things many of his breed dreaded like a champ. I got him all tacked up midday and led him into the arena for our first ride together. I stood him at the mounting block and put my left foot in the stirrup before gently putting my other leg over the saddle and gently into the other stirrup. So far so good. I then gave him a few pets before pressuring him on to a walk. He stood very stiffly as if wondering if he could still walk. "Come on Abraxas, I promise you can still walk," I said and gave him a small tap with my heels. He immediately moved into a fast paced walk and together we walked the arena in quick laps before I pushed him into a trot and eventually into a canter. He had done so well for me that day that I decided to end early and give him a few extra treats as reward. I knew that my hard work had finally paid off because my big boy had finally become a great companion.