Today was such a good day!!
I took my Mum out to meet Kadey - we used to ride together a lot when I was younger; and my lovely patient Mum schlepped me to every show, competition and riding lesson I ever went to.
She likes him and he was a perfect gentleman :)
It's so great - every day he opens up a little more of his personality to me as he becomes more comfortable and we build more of a relationship. The thing with his mouth where I thought he was going to bite me was actually him just sort of 'mouthing' my fingers - he grabs your hand and sort of 'gums' your hand gently with his lips and teeth. At first I thought he was getting snatchy for a snack or treat but it looks like it's just his thing, he's mouthy and likes to play. We even had a cute game of tug'o'war with his lead rope as I offered it to him as an alternative to chewing on the wood of the hitching rail and potentially wind sucking.
We groomed him for a bit and then I lunged him. He was really well behaved, we're understanding each other a lot better now :)
We also had fun playing the 'got your nose' game - I still can't work out does he really hate it (which he probably should?) or if he enjoys the game and the attention. As Mum pointed out, he is attuned to me now and follows me with his head whenever I walk away.
I've also found his weakness - liquorice! He'll happily guzzle piece after piece. I'm happy that he trusts me enough to take treats and also that I've found what he likes. That said, I'm going to try giving him an apple again in case it was just that he didn't trust me before.
In all, it was great - we all bonded and Kadey was on his best behaviour. Every day brings new and exciting things, and even though I was down yesterday about his lameness I'm hopeful and looking forward to being able to ride and also enjoying our increased bond.
Yay!
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