Big step forward.

I marched into the barn determined to set my nerves aside and not let Riley get away with his naughty-ness.

I lunged him for a couple of minutes, then got on. I let him free walk to warm him up, then gathered his face. He stopped and swished his tail and I turned him around both directions then asked him to go forward. Every time he stopped I would turn him around. It took a good 10 minutes before he started to realize that walking forward willingly was better then turning in a tight circle. When I asked him to trot he would take a couple of steps and stop. So I turned him again and asked again, and off he went. After that we didn't have any issues going both directions. And I felt 100% confident in my riding today. Which is a big plus.

Showmanship was very eventful too. We worked on having him stop straight, and setting him up. He actually started doing it on his own, which is awesome. With some more work he should have setting up and stopping down pat. Now his back up.. ha he doesn't have a back up. So my trainer took him and had a little "talk" with him. When I got him back, he back with little encouragement.

While my trainer was working him, I had a chance to see him from afar being worked, and he looks like CRAP he has no top line or muscle, but with consistency in his work he'll start to develop into his body. This is the second "real" week of actual work since I got him.

Pictures are from yesterdays ride [: He's very confident in his pink polos haha. (sorry these pictures suck but there all off my phone, my cameras broken :[ )