Starting Rio's groundwork

So, Monday, my day off, I decided it was time to get to work on Rio's groundwork. All the little things I've done with him over the past year have really paid off in how easy he is to handle and how willing he is to trust me. But first, I had to wait for the weather to smarten up, a system rolled in and it was early afternoon before I could start.

Check out all the birds on the wires

In the round pen, I started out by rubbing Rio all over with the stick. When I first showed it to him he kind of jumped sideways, but then he just stood as I rubbed him all over and under, legs, neck, head, everywhere.

He kept wanting to turn his head away, so I worked at it until he stood straight before I moved on to the next thing, which was rhythmically swinging the string beside him on both sides, and eventually flipping it over his back, and swinging it in a circle above his head. Then dragging it across his body.

For all of this, he stood stock still like a good boy, except the first time I stood on his right and flipped it to his left he stepped out a little. After that I moved him out on his 12 ft. lead rope and worked on the whoa vocal command until he got it, and then I put a saddle blanket on him, sacked him out a little with that.

I had him move around me (can't really call it longeing) carrying the blanket;

which was just fine with him. That was enough for one session, on a colt who just turned 17 months old today. I let him wear the blanket as I took him back to the hitching rail, and he carried my jacket for me too.

Good boy, Rio!