Yama Update

I have decided that I really need to focus training Yama. I can ride him because I know what I am doing, so I havent seen the need.  Most like to ride him, but he is really not respectful and can be over anxious and touch sensitive.  This makes it difficult for the inexperienced riders to be soft on his mouth and comfortable in the saddle.  I have a goal to ride him at least 45 times in 60 days (weather willing).  I rode him for the 6th time today. He seems to get nervous and prancy when ever I try to teach him new things.  He tends to anticipate and over endulge in what he is asked to do.  He is soft in moving his front and hind quarters, side stepping, stopping and backing out in the open.  But put him by a gate and he goes nuts.  So I have been working him on recognizing the cues and stopping when  the cues have been taken off.  He is now doing a lot better - IE side stepping one step at a time at the gate.  By all means not where I want him, but making progress.  He is losing weight and will look a lot better when we are finished.  My goal is to get him good enough that my daughter (Amanda) will be able to compete on him in trail riding in June.