Guapo is doing fabulous!!! This morning he chewed and exhaled deeply while I was on his back.  The moment I have been waiting for the last couple of weeks!  Because of his initial reaction to being backed we brought him into the close and comfortable environment of the stall.  He is the first horse that I have had to back in a stall for training and it has been a great place for him to take his first steps.  Thank you Sharon for the suggestion and instruction!  I swear I am learning more than Guapo is!

The small, closed environment has given him time to think about and come to terms with the whole riding thing.  I think he is starting to come to the conclusion that I am not going to come down on his head for every movement or attempted effort.  He was even interested in what was going on around him today instead of travelling so far away inside of himself. 

He is also starting to show some personality and even offered to play today!  With his new-found confidence he is starting to push some boundaries as well (e.g., nipping me to get me to move along when I stopped to talk to a friend). But, in pushing them I am able to set them so it is all good news! 

I promise to post pictures soon, but the video capacity escapes me.