Honeycutt got his feet trimmed yesterday, and he was a superstar for the farrier. Of course we did it all very gently and carefully, but still, he did great and I was very proud of him.
A couple days ago, I decided to try lunging him with a surcingle on…he stood stock still while I was putting it on, and then he kinda scrambled out into his paddock and I thought he was going to start bucking, but he didn’t. (Of course Jay saw an opportunity to maybe bite him over the fence so he might have gotten distracted.) He stood there in his “horse statue pose” and then he slowly walked back to me to be petted and reassured. I wasn’t sure if we should continue, but I decided we’d keep going as long as he wasn’t too upset. I had no trouble putting a bridle on him, and to start with, I just led him around the pasture. Then we tried lunging…but it was not too successful since he was less likely to move forward and more likely to swing around to face me and start backing up. So I worked with him to try to get him moving forward and help him to understand that that is what I wanted him to do. Once he managed one full circle, I called it a day.
Again, this is totally in keeping with his normal behavior. He feels safest when he is facing you head on. So I am making a point of standing to the side of him whenever I can, and laying one arm over his back and rubbing his shoulder with the other. We also do carrot stretches which, I hope, reinforces the idea that good things can happen when a human stands to the side of you.
He is such a sweet horse. He’s starting doing things like following me around when I’m cleaning and hovering nearby until I come over and rub his face. He has this way of looking at me that just makes me want to cry.…and promise him I’ll take care of him forever…which at this point, I really can’t promise so I don’t say it… 
Anyway, all mushiness aside, he continues to do really well. My farrier declared him to be FAT yesterday…bummer…so no more grain treats for HC for a while. I wish Jay had that problem…
PS I wish I had a video camera so I could film him and Jay playing together. They are so funny together. Honeycutt can spring into the air with all four feet off the ground and his head between his knees like a rodeo horse. And man, can he rear!
