Lunging Shadow

Today I got in my boy and lunged him. The vet gave him the all clear and said he wasn't actually lame- just sore- so maybe I got a bit overworried ;). He hasn't been worked or done anything for a week, so I did 10 minutes of lunging in the school. Shadow was such a good boy, he was listening to me, he walked and trotted and halted when I asked and although a bit slow to begin with was such a good boy. Let him try his sweet iron bit on today, and he loved it- salivated all over and got it all sloppy- but what was funny, was that when he had the bit in, he was trying to eat his hay, but couldn't quite get to grips with the strange metal thing in his mouth and trying to get mouthfuls of hay at the same time, was quite funny and the face he pulled! I took it out and he carried on munching. Going to borrow and possibly buy my friends Hunter Cavesson- for Shadow- I think that's suit him and I quite like the Cavesson type noseband- so I think he'd look smart in that. Lunged him in his Dually and he was really well behaved in it as well- so going to gradually introduce the bit into his mouth and then wean him into it. Lunging and in-hand work first. Once we're over the scariness of the longline issues- we'll then attempt to longline and ride him with the bit- I don't want to ruin his mouth, so I'm going to try and do as much on the ground with him as much as possible.
We're going to achieve it and we're going to achieve what we've wanted to do. I will make this work and so will Shadow. We're now a team.
I love him lots- and he is becoming my best friend- not Shayden and will never replace my handsome boy, but Shadow is different to Shayden and I love Shadow how he is. He's perfect the way he is-
As himself.