We took the horses into the woods again and B was in an eating mood! We had warmed up with a play in the school and B was resistant about circle game again. I try to get our play to flow with one game progressing into another. She is ok with all of it except for circle. We end up playing yo yo so that she won't pull back on the rope but it is still something she cannot move on from. She gave me a few laps in walk and change of direction once or twice. Looks like it will take more time so I need to be patient. We weren't alone in the school but I don't know if that made a difference in B's mind.
Today B was much less introverted and didn't go much except for once in the school. She looked like she was going to go intro once or twice but she came out quickly. She cut her back leg on the log trailer, instead of looking where she was going she was too busy stuffing her face with leaves lol. I did all the pre-flight checks and got in our usual place. B seemed quite unhappy once we set of away from home to begin with and tried to go home. We didn't fight but I was persistent in where we were going. B wanted to bite Bert a lot which I read as unconfidence. I wonder why she gets like this. Perhaps I should have got off but I wanted to see if we could deal with this in the saddle.
We had a nice walk down the straight with Sandra and Bert trotting up ahead and onto the viaduct where Bert grazed. B didn't want to. She needed to move her feet so we circled a little then a squirrel made Bert spook and then I knew B needed to go home. B and I set off next to Bert and Sandra to begin with but I could feel B needed a faster pace. Agreeing to wait at the top for Sandra we trotted up the straight. Funny how B is focused and her trot even and smooth when we are going homeward lol. We walked as we passed a couple of riders going past us then trotted again to the top.
And then the fun started. B didn't want to stop and wait for Bert and Sandra. She wanted to go home, in trot. We turned into the old woods and for a split second she was ok about it. Then she realised we weren't going home and stopped and wanted to turn. We circled a little but that just wound her up more lol. Back to the top of the straight and I just stopped riding and stroked her. She tried to be calm, bless her but it was almost too much for her. We had a little bit of napping but I persisted and focused on thinking calm and still and against B's better nature she managed to wait. Bless her.
Because Sandra and Bert were walking they were too slow for B so we weaved in and out of the trees. B was ok with that except if we did full circles around the trees because that was going away from home. There's a wide part of the bridle path where we can fig 8 and B got resistant about it, I asked her to go right and half circle the tree but at the last minute she decided not and went left. . . . but it was too late and she head butted the tree! She backed up a few steps and we went right around the tree and carried on!
There was a cockerel in the woods! B doesn't think they belong in the woods and it unsettled her a little. So from the 'log trailer' on to the exit she was very alert and listening. We had a little mooch around the yard when we got back. I had intended to go in the school but there were too many people around. B and I don't need an audience.
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