Mr X is really doing well (and, me too I'm happy to advise ). X and I BOTH have settled down to a nice "training routine".
    You know I've been a bit "in awe" of Mr X since I took my spill.  I KNEW 
in my heart that he wasn't really "bad", but my mind played funny tricks on 
me. If I would ride a couple days in a row, I became more confident -- if I 
didn't ride for a few days, then my confidence would fade (this only happened 
with Mr X -- I've been riding Shamazon pretty confidentely no matter how much 
we rode or didn't ride).
    OK .... here's what happened ..... besides Mr X making ME a nervous wreck 
-- I was making HIM a nervous wreck and he started with a few bad habits that 
had gone from bad to worse ..... one of which was a little bucky-doodle 
(nothing wild but nonetheless would un-nerve me) and the main thing he had 
starting doing was to kick his right leg back - straight out when he got 
tired of doing something HE didn't want to do ...... of course this also 
un-nerved me and he knew it.
    CHANGE OF PLANS .  *I* decided that X was NOT going to get 
away with this behavior anymore ...... so, last week when he pulled that 
kicking back trick on me, I VERY confidently took him back to the round pen 
and we walked, did circles, figure eights and when he settled down, THEN we 
quit and went back to the barn.  The next day he did very well until I 
"asked" him to cross the bridge (we have a bridge across our pond - it's 
heavy and stable) .... he did NOT want to do it ..... I finally coaxed him 
onto the bridge (me walking alongside him and rewarding him with bits of 
"goodies") ...... then I tried riding him across it again the next day -- no 
good .... he really pitched a fit -- he would turn sideways at the beginning 
of the bridge almost jamming my leg against the top railings.
    Buddy saw what was happening and he came over and grabbed X by the bridge 
and led him across ..... no problem, but when *I* asked him to do it again, 
he baulked, bucked and kicked his back leg out.  OK, enough was enough .... 
Buddy came running over and I told him "NO - I CAN do this". I LAID my leg 
into X's side ........ WHOA..... he didn't EXPECT me to do that ...... guess 
what??  He straightened up, went across the bridge like he had been doing it 
all his life.
    Now, I've figured it out ....... he KNEW I would quit when I got 
scared....soooooooo, he would try and put a "little scare" into me.  HOWEVER, 
I figured out that HE was NOT going to do anything really bad (nothing that I 
couldn't handle)...... now we have an agreement .... he acts right and I 
don't dig my heel into his side .
    Tonight we rode again ..... if I lost his attention I very slightly 
applied a little pressure -- I got his attention and we had the BEST training 
session tonight that we've had in a long time.......I'm very pleased with 
BOTH of us!!!
---
---------------