June 30, 2009

A much better day today. She came up to me in the paddock and I brought her to the arena and she grazed while I sat nearby. After a while, we started some slow leading from behind/mimicking. I matched her energy, gait, turns, and footfalls, and because she wasn’t trying to run away she was really able to tune in. Matching her energy – even to the point of flat out running beside her – really seemed to build her confidence. Soon she was getting closer to liberty dancing (what Ms. Resnick now calls Go Trot/Come Up) then she almost ever has gotten. She never ran away. We did this a few times throughout today’s session.

I let her graze for a while, then asked to come up to her with the lunge to work on some on line lunging. She did NOT want to me to approach. I started doing, then, Hello – walking up to her head but as soon as she turned and left, I’d turn and leave, then come right back and try again. I asked again and again and again, but always leaving when she did. It actually took quite a while – worse than it’s ever been, even when I first got her – but eventually I was able to get right up to her head. She wasn’t scared – as soon as I’d walk away she’d instantly start grazing again. I came up to her head and she would not lift it to greet me. I kept moving in front of her, keeping right in front of her (two eyes) until finally she lifted her head, she sniffed my hand, and I gave her a treat. We repeated that a few times until she was fine.

Lunging was EONS beyond yesterday. We started right away with that very quiet working on float, and she was eventually able to trot regular sized lunging circles both ways while consciously keeping float in the line. Good girl!! She is very focused.

I think we played liberty again, more grazing, and then I put on her cavesson and cordeo, did the mounting block game a few times (she astounds me with how well she’s caught on to that – positions herself right by me!) and got on.

She will halt off of seat sometimes, nearly every time if I say whoa, and will slam on the brakes with a tug on the cordeo. Steering is… not so much. She actually often turns into the cordeo/leg, but I tried to keep it easy and mostly didn’t steer but wherever she’d go I would “happen” to steer along with her (ie, she’d turn right, and I’d give the turn-right cues). She is stiff to the cavesson when I’m on her and so we did a few times of releasing her jaw to it, although again I never really used it, just there for emergencies. We trotted some – she will off of a squeezing seat and clicking – although she didn’t go far. She has a very smooth trot! She also grazed a lot while I was on her. She did seem slightly annoyed sometimes – some head tossing – so I’m not sure what that was. I did get off when she was getting a little worse.

More grazing, then brought her back. She left me right away but then came back and helped me clean the water trough and then just stood by me until I left. She’s a conundrum, that’s for sure. Little self control and a strong independent streak, but then incredibly focused, athletic, and sensitive when she needs to be. What a cool girl.

BTW, I’m going to be gone for a week starting tomorrrow. Until then!