Wednesday and back on track.

Since we rode with Sandra I seem to have lost my confidence a little. We have done a lot of UT and play in the school this week while I thought it all over. And Breeze has shown me another side to her horsenality and it has been quite challenging.

My little RBI has shown some very LBI traits which have been both interesting and amusing. Lately she has come up with some ways of avoiding going anti clockwise on circle game and insisting on only going clockwise. Fig 8 has been broken too but sideways is getting even better with B side passing over logs, cones, big jump sides, you name it she goes sideways over it lol. When I persist in circle game or fig 8 and ask her again she starts to drift away to my right and then gets snotty and explodes, pulling back on the rope. Turns out yo yo game was broken and we have been checking in on this often.

Last eve B came in from the field, she still continues to catch me and be eager to be haltered, looking very tired. After her tea she stood and dozed so I just sat with her and didn't ask anything of her.

This morning I had a think and wondered why my confidence had been knocked. All speculation and what if's on my part as usual. So I played with saddling with no plan in mind and lo and behold B was very happy to be saddled without any problem. With this in mind we set off for the woods. We did a lot of sideways and backing around trees and although B had started off RB and I kept thinking she wasn't ridable, by the time we got to outside the wood yard she gave me some very soft slow walking circle game with smooth COD. By the time we got to the old woods she was blowing out and her head was down.

She stood really still for me to get on and we set off home. I asked her to do lots of walk/trot transitions and I wondered why I had been worried about riding after all. At the exit it was clear she wasn't going to go past without an argument so I rewarded her stopping and standing still with carrot bits and we left the woods. It's funny how similar she is to Lizzie when this happens. I look at the set of her mouth from my position on her back and it just reminds me of Lizzie at her most LBI 'I don't want to do it, and you can't make me!'. Not exactly being my partner but I don't take it personally. We have the rest of our lives to get this right lol.

I have to say I am still a little tense when we first begin the ride but I remember Linda's ppl DVD and soon relax and move with B.

Breeze trotted with me at liberty down the runway when I took her halter off on the way to the field. Sweet. This eve she caught me in the field again and after eating her tea, promptly turned her back on me to concentrate on eating haylage. I know when I am not wanted!