Dude wears a snaffle and we chase a cow!!!

Its Sunday, so I got up early to beat the heat. I went out and put the English bridle with a Dee ring snaffle on Dude. He nodded a little and tried to avoid, but he was easier to bridle than Matt usually is!! I tied the reins in his mane because I expected him to snort and run around, but he did nothing except chew it a little and wait for another carrot.

I tried pulling on it and steering and halting from the ground with it -- no adverse reaction!! Wow! I took his picture in it to prove my bravery and his goodness. ETA: For those of you just joining us, this is a major feat since Dude has not been ridden in a bit in YEARS. I was told he had his tongue cut at some point by someone trying to put a headset on him. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds really bad. He came to me in a mechanical hackamore and I've always ridden him in it until this day!!! I looked at the tongue and it looked okay, so I tried the bit. success!

We went for a trail ride that turned out longer than we thought. The horses were a little balky, but we got them going okay. Dude trotted fine and steered fine in the bit. We went past the neighbor horses - no problems today.

We were passing a little field that has newly gotten cows in it. Dude was looking, but not too freaked out. My daughter, old sharp eye, noticed one of the cows was OUT! on the other side, near the busy road! I had my cell so we called around till we figured out whose cow it was - our hay man, Tommy! Small world.

We were worried the cow would get out on the road, so we rode around to the side where she was. Dude had no problem going toward her. She let out a long and doleful, loud moo! We mostly stood watching her. Finally, Tommy arrived and asked if we could walk her down the fence to the gate. This entailed riding through about 3 people's back yards.

At the last we could either go through a carport, I kid you not, or around the front of the trailer. The cow went through the carport! I turned Dude and tried to hurry him around the front of the trailer and he started bucking, but I wasn't going to go through the carport!

I can't believe no one came out and yelled at us! Meanwhile, Tommy had a bucket of feed and the cow went in the pen no problem. We sure had fun on our roundup!! We didn't know we were in for a roundup when we left home! I was riding in my English saddle and we did quite a bit of reining in the new bit with no problem. Fun was had by all.

All are bathed, including me and I'm off to take a big nap.