[spring.]

as i made my way out to the paddock, i grabbed a lunge line along with a lead line and the brushes. today would be a different direction altogether. we would go and groom, and lunge. he would get used to me having complete control over his movements. and he would be used to listening to my slightest cues. yes, today I would stop being mom and start being lead mare. I clipped the lead rope and groomed his affectionately, the switched from the lead to the lunge line. i made sure there was nothing that could injure him along the edges of the pen, then i encouraged him with the other end of the lunge to move out to the edge while i stood in the middle. he just skirted around, confused. i understood why, of course. he was used to following me, not going away. but i kept encouraging, knowing he would figure out that he has some space and that this was a different situation. eventually, i got him where i wanted him, but he was still confused about what he had to do. i kept after him until he was moving in a (admittedly) sloppy circle around me. i only asked for a trot, but he was still very confused as to what he had to do. i only worked him one way until he was comfortable, and then i made him turn and go the other way, which we had to start the process all over. he was a great, surprisingly correct mover, he just didn't know the first thing about carrying himself.

[spring.]

with the buzzing of an alarm, it was time to work with beau again. as i walked to his pasture again, i found that while it may seem like a chore to lunge him now, it would pay off later. i grabbed the lunge line and a lunge whip on the way, walking into his paddock. i fed him some granola as he went hunting for it, and was rewarded with a kindly nicker. i clipped the lunge rope (which was white, so it didn't match the green lead rope) to his halter and encouraged him onto the lunge circle, but this time using the whip as opposed to the lunge line. he shied away from the whip, and a small crack had him cantering on the lunge line. i asked him to slow with a "whoa" and a small tug on the line. he moved down into a trot, but his steps were large and he watched the ground carefully... very pretty. i let him stretch at the trot before waving the whip, and clucking for him to canter. he took off into a quick canter, as if his life depended on it. "easy!" i commanded, pressuring him forward with the whip but asking him to slow with the line. finally, he fell into a more comfortable canter, his head lowered, but he wasn't carrying himself well. all i wanted was to get on and teach him how, but it was still too soon. after a bit, i asked him to go to the right. he was not balanced at all, and picked up the incorrect lead two out of three times. finally, when i had him on the correct lead, i made him work it. i kept him in it until his canter smoothed out and looked less troubled. then, i made him go left for a bit, making sure he still got the correct lead. then i switched him back to the right, making sure he got both leads. finally, i let him be done, quickly grooming him down, and putting a grass muzzle on his halter so he couldn't eat anything too quickly while he cooled down. i couldn't shower him yet, but that was definitely on my list of things to do.

[spring.]

as i made my way out to the paddock for the eighth day of our training, i saw that he was waiting. was i late? yes, by ten minutes. the music of a whinny entered my ears, and i grinned.

rest of story coming, computer is being a butt and a friend might be coming over so i have to do stuff to get my apartment clean.