> The other day I was grooming Fiddle and she was doing her ritual head
> toss while I brushed her belly (ticklish I think).
 
Chuckle.. Tush has a very inchy udder.. guaranteed to get the nose going.. 
Her Tush is up to my chin now.. :)
 
 
She's stopped growing up for a bit and is now growing out. starting to look 
like a mare!   
 
>  Anyway, she somehow
> flipped the crosstie up over her ear.  She had suddenly stopped moving,
> so I looked up and there she was...never moved a muscle..just stood there
> waiting for me to get around to unwrapping her head!  What a ditz!
 
No, not at all! You WANT this in a horse. If they get stuck in something they 
wait for you instead of panicing and hurting themselves.. I periodically toss 
rope around Tush's legs to re-enforce this.
 
Tonight she was feeling REALLY good.. turned her out by herself (Straw was a 
bit under the weather).. then tried to drive her.. oppps! She was so full of 
herself she started hunching up and bucking.. broke the stitching I put in 
the thing to get it down to her size.. will have to re-stitch it tomorrow.
 
Soooo we went out and starting lunging just a bit.. getting old enough for it 
anyway.. then we went down the street to the public arena (she runs more 
there) and played some more.. ;)
  
 
  > BTW, I actually got around to cantering her for the first time this
> weekend...she was an angel!  Of course we trotted into it, but once she
> figured out what it was I was asking for, off she went at a nice, calm
> canter!
 
Always always have a green horse trot up to a canter.. it helps them a lot 
and this is the way the big boys do it.. 
 
>   Anyone who tells you ground work and voice commands are a waste
> of time.....have them give me a buzz!
 
 
Yep, worked for CJ years ago.. and I use it always! :)
 
Except.. I don'tuse typical commands after having CJ cue off the loudspeakers 
at a show.. it's now: 
 
Walkie
Trotsky (or socialist dogma, either works)
Kiss only for lope.
 
:)
 
 
                                 BK 
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