Thanks Cargo..

for not letting myself kill me.

Cargo has been back in work for 18 days now, after chiro visit and his diagnosis in his right front hoof (Calcifications on a suspensory). Today, I was unsupervised, and decided to try riding him in a modified nylon halter.
So far, so good. He is a good boy and we have a covered, enclosed riding arena. Only, I rode right out of it after a few rounds, and out on a well-known trail. He did test the new gadget quite a few times, trying to spin around and avoid going forward. His evasion techniques almost always included getting to somewhere softer, so wondering if I should put pads in his shoes or use boots? Hmm.
Anyways, we got going, past my SIL's house, past a lot of fields, past an old closed-down farm, and are almost at the forest, further away than we had ever been, when he balked. There was no getting forward anymore, so after a few rounds around and around I settled and standing still and looking in the scary direction, and turning around. That introduced a new, yet similar problem.. Cargo wouldnt go past the old farm. Had I worn a whip and used a bit he might have , but he was a lot less sharp without the bit, so I couldnt get him forward to matter what. I hopped off when he started to get light in the front end. He does not rear, but he gets light in the front end and hops up and down.
Led him past, tried to make friends with the scary house, but he is still not really comfortable with it. I had hestitated a long time to jump down because I've never tried to mount from the ground. Remember, Cargo is 17.3 hands! So I led him a little past, and placed him so he was an inch or two lower than me. Put my foot in the stirrup, and actually got up without much dangling etc! I was deeply amazed. I am afraid though that I hurt him, because he took off at a canter down a hill into a wheat field when I had barely mounted. I flung back the hand that held the reins and yelled "STOOOOP" and he stood like he'd hit a wall. He listened much more on the way home, even walked through the water puddles. He obviously liked not having a bit in his mouth.

But puh - if he had had a bit all that sh*t might not have happened. I could have gotten us both killed as he was on his way down into a moor/lake, a bottomless one. With a little luck we'd have been preserved perfectly for the nect thousand years.. oh my. I am so glad he stopped when I asked him, and that he puts up with me.