Did someone steal the dynamite?

This morning I haltered the beasts while they were still in their stalls eating breakfast, when they were done they didn't get just turned out into the paddock, but they got offered water and put back. One by one, they came out to the highline again. Same routine, no fireworks from any of the domestics.

The Cisco Kid drank a couple of gallons out of the bucket then allowed himself to be lead to the tree and was promptly secured to the highline. I went over and started messing around with Cracker Joe, just ignoring the mustang except for every once in a while I would go by with a treat. He just stood playing with the rope again. After 10 minutes of fun with Cracker, I decided it was time to raise the heat on the Kid. I took off my long red scarf and started waving it around. I was about 10 feet away to start with and he watched for a while, then started looking sleepy. I moved directly in front of him, waving it from side to side to stimulate both sides of his brain. Pretty soon he was licking and chewing. I held the scarf up to his nose, then started rubbing his face with it. Nothing. I started flipping it around on his back. No big deal. No buck-snorting, no panic, nothing. He looked quite casual. Damn!!! I need a bull whip to start cracking around here!!! What happened to that wacko mustang? Who put this fake mustang in his place??? Well, finally after 20 uneventful minutes on the highline, I unclipped the lead. As if to prove he was no impostor, he spun around on his haunches and lept away. I am looking forward to learning how to ride that spin! It's pretty.

So the fun with Cracker? Well, I tied a couple of slobber straps onto the ends of a lead rope and hooked them to the side rings of his web halter. I sat on his back and asked him to give me his nose around by my knee. The goal was to get the lateral flex from just the raising of the slobber strap. We have a ways to go for that one, but Cracker is a very willing trainee so we had fun.

Billy called from the back of Jemez Dancing - such is the wonder of a cell phone! He said the Wiley Mustang had pulled out all the stops and tried every-which way to get rid of his rider including rubbing him off on the fence. Billy was just sitting on him in the roundpen and not pulling on his head at all. Let'em buck, duck, or bolt, Billy can ride! He used to ride saddle broncs so JD is just a wannabe to him. They rode in the round pen for an hour or so and the report is that JD is coming around. I couldn't tell if that was Billy's pun or not. I requested that he focus on training the Ex-Wiley Mustang to be a pony horse and he said he would start him out ponying the broke horses over at his place before he latches onto any of the broncs.

He also said that Rita was doing well. He was stopping by her corral everytime he passed by and rubbing on her. He tied her up and put a saddle blanket on her. I did notice that he didn't take her halter off.

I have to go to my waitress job tomorrow so they get a day off in the home corral.