Now, again, I am cutting corners and leaving holes. I have never ponied Corey out and I have not even Hand walked him off the property. But I honestly felt that we could just ‘go for it’. Initially, he was worried about going out the gate – there was a shadow across the opening, And we had a stranger (to him) standing at the gate. He is still a little concerned about people being behind him. But as soon as I asked the Mom to step back a little, Corey was willing to go through the gate. I had been prepared to dismount and lead him on his trail ride if his worry had persisted.
After unsaddling, I decided to try washing him again. He was a little resistant, but then stood calmly while I washed off all the sweat. There is not much more I could ask of him after just 40 days in captivity.