Some Stupid Advice and Some Good Advice

One day during the broken foot era, Katharine came and saddled Dude for my daughter and she rode him no problems. Dude is good as gold for Katharine. Finally, last week, I declared my cast off and my foot well enough to go ride Dude with a saddle. I wanted the western saddle because of the padded stirrups. (Stupid). He was resistant to haltering, bridling and mostly to saddling. The neighbors were running a tractor and clearing their yard and making all kinds of unaccustomed racket. Their teenage grandson was hanging over the fence pestering me with questions and wouldn't take a hint to GO AWAY!! I was hot and sweaty and in pain. Because Dude wasn't tied up he wandered off and I couldn't chase him. My daughter was riding Matt and Dude was following him. I settled for haltering Dude and leading him around, giving him carrots when he halted and acted nicely. I tied him up loosely and petted him.

Pedro arrived and laughed at me because it had been 2 hours since he called and I hadn't gotten Dude saddled. Lexie showed up to watch and assist. Pedro said he could teach Dude to stay tied up to be saddled. I let him. That was a bad mistake on my part. But I was weak, defeated, shamed and angry/frustrated. So, Pedro tied him up to a tree and let him try to break free. Dude couldn't break Pedro's rope, try as he might. Dude bucked when they put the western blanket on him and he bucked and stepped toward Lexie when she put the western saddle on him. It took more than an hour, but Dude gave up. Lexie rode him walk, trot and canter and he didn't buck. I rode him and he was fine. It was dark so we could only ride up and down the field where I have a street light hooked up. Jeanine came over and she rode him, too. No problems. The next day Pedro came and we loaded Dude in the big stock trailer with Matt. We took him to the park to the big sand arena where we like to ride. It has a nice fence and a man who minds the park grades the arena every day. It is free to use. But by the time we got there it was getting dark. Everyone wanted to see Dude and pet him, but that was not good because he starts getting jittery when more than two people get around him. I couldn't get him saddled and I didn't want to let Pedro at him again. So, I rode him bareback in the arena and that was okay. That was when Lexie came to me and said she didn't agree with Pedro's methods with Dude and wanted to come work with me privately with Dude and try some methods she had used on an abused mare she used to own. Lexie came the next day and we worked on letting Dude circle and giving him release of the simulated girth (a lead rope around his girth area) and giving him a carrot piece when he stood still. She "tied" him, letting him circle and releasing the pressure when he stood still. The, she and I got him to load in the trailer with hardly any problem (she lunged him some before trying that) and I stood up front and shook a food jackpot. He ate and remained placid in the trailer even when he was finished with the food. I don't remember why we didn't ride except she or I had to go somewhere. Oh, yeah, we had to haul Matt to Greensburg to chase cows. That was fun.