Usually on a weekend evening I take B for a walk/graze around the yard because she has been in her stable all afternoon. So we had our usual mooch about and she stuffed her face. I bleached the underside of her hooves as part of the ongoing treatment for thrush and skipped out her stable.
The yard was very quiet and the school empty so B and I went in there for a play. I didn't want to play for long, just see what horse had turned up lol. B didn't offer her usual sideways the minute we got in, or side passing anything. I played friendly game and we walked about a while as I asked her to 'put your nose on this'. Then I asked for yo yo, giving her a treat every time she came towrds me without resisting. She di blow up just a litle once and I turned the going backwards to going sideways one length of the school to the gate. Then I managed to be where I needed to be to ask her to yield her HQ and got to my left. Which neatly developed into the circle game!!! She asked to come in a couple of times and I have promised myself I will ALWAYS allow this and reward her with a scratch. The she just carried on circling! We had about six laps of circle in trot, then I asked her in, gave her a treat and a rest.
I carefully asked her to back up and wait, then I carefully asked her to circle the other way . . . and she did! No blowing up, no braciness, just happy circle game! Woohoo! We then had C.O.D. and B slowed to a nice walk, did a couple of laps and I asked her in for more treats and scratches.
Unfortunately a couple of riders came into the school just as we were playing Fig 8 and weave/side pass around some cones. So I ended the play with some side ways down the back side of the school, backed B out of the gate and we went back to her stable where she got a big handful of carrots. Definitely on the right track I think!
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