We managed to get some more training in today even though the sky looked like murky water. There are a couple of fires burning in Mexico that are filling the sky with haze. Martina rode Duke in the gray pen as she fired off rounds with the starter pistol. She kept Duke moving and not thinking so much about the gun. She changed directions and gaits frequently. Duke is progressing well. He still hates the guns, but he doesn't react to them so much.
Monte is progressing also. He can do the hip-over maneuver at a canter now. Naturally, he put his head down to buck as soon as we went to a canter, but that is exactly what I wanted him to do. I instantly disengaged his hips as soon as his head dropped. Since he reacts almost automatically to the hip-over cue, he instantly slows down as soon as I move my hand out. In fact one time I accidentally dropped the rein and he disengaged his hips over even though there was no tension on the rein. It remains to be seen if he will react when in a full gallop. No hurry though. I'll work at the lower speeds until I'm sure he will answer the cue before I try at higher speeds.
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