Not Always Perfect.

 

Just most of the time.  

Miss Willow got the day off on Wednesday, but Thursday evening we were right back at it. She was her usual awesome self on the lunge line (except for the whole, stopping and swinging her bum to the outside, when going to the right, still working on that).

We had set the goal of that day to trot (again). Sadly we didn’t meet that goal, but we broke through another big (to me) hurdle. The first spook. It’s the part that I’ve been the most nervous about, kind of like the first time that you fall off. You wait for it, and as your waiting your mind builds it up to be so much worse than it will probably actually be. That’s what I’ve been doing. Wil is so bloody athletic that I was sure  it was going to be a head cruncher.

She threw her usual “I don’t wannnnnna.” green horse tempertantrum when I first got on and asked her to walk forward. Ears pinned, tail spinning around in irritated circles, and she bit my boot. Again. I growled, booted her forward, not falling for it this time and off we went. We meandered down to the far end of the area and started around on our circle.

Let me just take note here that nothing has changed from the last time we had gone down there (exactly 5 minutes ago). All the sudden it was ears pricked and snort, snort, snort. I sent her forward, made sure my heels were as far down as possible, and tried to get her to focus.

Then we came around the circle again and REALLY went forward!

Holy G force batman! She scooted, then came back, then scooted again. I stuck with her, and B gave her a whoa with the lunge line, and all was well. She got the scoots out, and the rest of the ride was near perfect.

We still haven’t trotted, but by the end of the ride she was starting to give to my hand, and not attempt to spin around in the circle when we halted (same thing she does on the lunge line). B has me correcting her with my outside leg and hand. She’s getting the idea, and I decided to end the ride on a nice, proper halt.

I know that there is going to come a day when she’s going to dump me flat on my rear, but getting that first spook out of the way was the big relief that I needed (for whatever reason). Judged from the way she tucked underneath herself and lept into a few canter strides, I’m gonna have me a fun  one. I can’t wait!

Today and tomorrow are going to be lunge sessions, then she’ll have Mon-Wed off, since I’m off to visit family with the Munch!