Great Day 60 riding with Pete was fun. Duke Reared up at the lake

Duke posed like he was going to be in a photograph for most serious Percheron.  So cute

Lexie, Amy and Laurie went out on a long ride everywhere they said.  Sound nice

All the pictures are out of sequence but its ok.  I got to the ranch and Laurie was all tacked up and Lexie and Amy were getting ready.  They headed out after I was talking to Lexie a little and asked her to play with the English saddle if you would like to give it a try.  She was very receptive. I told her that I was going to give it to my niece but not until later maybe summer.  I shared with Amy that I had taken an English lesson.

Theresa said there was an 11am and I asked dif I could join in.  There were a nice group of horses. I did the little trick that Duke likes, where I wait and let the riders go into the woods while I bridle him and make sure hies all set. Then I let him go find his friends. I have bene discouraging him from Yelling in a horse voice to let them know he's coming.  He wants everyone to wait but I just let him do some tricky trotting when the footing became more solid.  He did great.  I love to ride with him.  Hoeing the snow gone was a big deal.  We caught up with the group right as they were taking this nice short but that had been blocked off with a fallen tree. Duke was in the back where Theresa and Pete were riding.  Pete wanted to play with Duke so bad.  He wanted to turn around and hang out.  

At one point he was too close to Duke's butt and he buck both legs at him.  He made us laugh so hard.  He did the buck and he made sure I wasn't bothered by the movement.  It feels good to see him with the strength that I know he has inside.  There was a strange moment later.  

We were doing little things like I was asking Duke to wait and letting the rest of the herd  go and he was holding on, then I would let him trot back to the area at the end where Pete and Theresa were positioned. I was very proud of him listening and trying to be obedient.

There was a couple of spaces where there is still snow and ice on the little bay like areas on the lake.
We came around a corner, I was ta the end.  Duke reared up high and spoke with his horse voice in a terrifiing sound and up on his back.  I spoke to him softly and asked him what was wrong.  He reared again.  Theresa turned around, she said she thought it was, then she pointed to the snowy areas of ice that was still on the lake were we were, it looked quite strange, like confetti or like strange materials on the ice.  Duke was continuing to be very upset and made sounds like that while we walked. I asked Theresa what was on the lake's ice that was making Duke and Pete so upset.  She said it was a dead deer that the coyotes had gotten into and it was mutilated.
It was truly upsetting for me.  Poor Duke, he kept his composure I am so proud of him. IfI had seen a dead person on the lake and was shocked by it I would be very shook up and would need a friend to tell me that it would be ok.
He's such a nice boy.  Im very glad Im that lady that loves him for who he is.  He's perfect for me.

So happy to ride with Theresa today, Her Pete is so dam playful. I just love him!