Hahahahaha!!

I've had very little time to play with Renegade for a number of reasons: I've been working lots of hours at work and I've been spending a lot of time playing with my mare, America.

Renegade "volunteered" to play this afternoon by meeting me at the gate and looking enthusiastic about wanting to play. We went to the round pen and did a short online and liberty warm-up and everything went well so I saddled up to ride. I wanted to work on cantering.

After saddling and our pre-flight checks, I got on and we did some walk and trot FTR to make sure everything was working well and then I asked for the canter. I think Renegade was playing with me, doing everything BUT cantering, until I got out my savvy string and started making a bit of "commotion" with the string. I didn't need to tag him with it, just the commotion was enough to convince him he needed to canter and he went in to a lovely little canter on the rail to the left for an entire lap. I had the reins draped over the horn of the saddle and only needed to make one correction to put him back on the rail when he tried to cut one side a bit short. After the complete lap, I asked for a stop by sitting down in the saddle and bringing my life down and he stopped on a dime!! He got a big rubbing and a little rest then we changed direction, going to the right. This time when I asked for a canter I didn't need to make the commotion...Renegade went right into it when I clucked and we did a lap to the right. The stop in this direction was good too...just sitting down in the saddle and bringing my life down.

Renegade got more rubbing and a cookie from the saddle while we sat there quietly for a couple of minutes. I then got off and unsaddled him then let him have a good roll in the sand. While he was down, I gave him another cookie then, at liberty, I backed him out of the round pen and turned him loose to go graze for a while.