So apparently the key to Axel's success is shooting guns. J was target shooting or sighting in or something when I got to the barn last night. Axel and Cody and Vinnie were hanging out in the corner. Three of the horses in the other pasture were hiding in their far corner. Axel was a little more alert than he normally is walking up to the barn. He didn't want to stand in the cross ties to be groomed so instead of fighting I put him in the arena. Where he trotted, and trotted, and trotted. He would barely stand still for me to put his boots on even after he had trotted around for 15 minutes. I ran around with him for a little while and even set up a tiny little jump for him which he followed me over at a trot. When he started to come up to me and stand for a while I finished grooming and tacked him up. I didn't expect to have any explosive episodes but one never knows.
The gun shots had actually stopped by this time but Axel was still walking around on his toes. He had already trotted for quite some time and he seemed a little gimpy so I just had him walk. He was moving out so I did my best to not nag him and just let him go. I don't think I rode for very long. I asked for a whoa and a back up and Axel was "on." He stopped on a dime and backed up with barely a cue and tucked his butt under and put his head down in the process. So we tried that one more time and got the same result. So that's when I got off. He was just too good to not reward. This is why people prefer forward horses to sticky ones.
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