Today I went to the barn full of hope. Nox was calm and greeted me with a nicker when he saw me. I slipped his blanket off while he stood quietly in his stall. Before turning him out in the ring, I went in to put the ground poles out in the cross pattern that I use when I'm free lunging Nox. I heard him nicker happily when he heard the first pole hit the dirt with a clomp. I smiled. He loves to work.
I turned Nox out in the ring while I cleaned his stall. He rolled a few times and then stood by the gate and waited for me. I picked up the lunge whip, entered the ring, and took my place in the center. I asked Nox to walk to the left. He turned to the left and started walking - fast. He wanted to trot, so I told him to trot. He leaped forward and cantered a few strides, let out one buck, and then settled into a nice trot. That was all. No more drama. We free lunged for 15 minutes... calmly... working as a team. Afterwards, I groomed him and he was so good! He chewed on the lead rope a few times, but never once went for my hand. His eyes were soft and his expression sweet, just like my Nox.
I am relieved and hopeful that we are back on track. I'm sure there will be more days when I will need to remind him that he's second in our herd of two, and I'm prepared to do so, but hopefully the daily exercise will make everything easier.
I just love him so much.
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