Connection.

It rained this morning so we got saddled up under cover. B wasn't too unhappy but did go introverted once the saddle was on. I gave her plenty of time to rest and as the rain had eased we headed to the arena for a warm up.

We had a great play, dare I say it, almost like dancing. B mirrored me as we weaved and turned, stopped and backed up. Circle game was marvelous with B happily doing all three gaits with a very light ask. I almost just have to think it and she will trot, then canter! Fabulous eh? How quickly she has accepted that cantering isn't so scary after all. I can hardly believe I was seeing such a change in her. We had stick to me at the trot and then canter too. I laughed as she snaked her head and it did feel like real play. What fun! I can feel online L3 is within our grasp now.

I had planned to just go around the old woods with Sandra and Bert but Bert turned left so we went all the way round the woods. Breeze was lovely. Her trot was superb and I am managing to keep a loose rein. She stayed calm and balanced and I could feel she was quite 'collected' using her back muscles. Good banana!

The horses stopped and ate quite a lot, they were so relaxed. But poor B either got stung by an unidentified insect or a plant while she grazed alongside the golf course car park. She was obviously quite unhappy about it and spent the last 1/4 of the ride throwing her head up and down, rubbing her nose on fences or letting me rub it for her. Another great use of lateral flexion. Sandra said she was doing strange things with her mouth too. When I got off back at the yard she had a swollen lip just in the corner of her mouth. I put some cooling cream on it and hoped it would be ok.

B has had a tiny bit of mud fever on one leg for a while now. I have tried Sudocrem etc but it will not go. So I ordered some Honey Heal from www.redhorseproducts.com and slapped it on the area. I am hoping this will do it. Breeze was very keen to sniff the tub and stood very still for me to put the cream on her leg. What a sweetheart she is. And just look at that gorgeous barefoot hoof! Every day I look at her feet and smile.

This evening we went for a graze and we played put your nose on the blue barrel where bits of carrot magically appeared. Back in her stable she didn't want to be groomed but asked me to rub her head. Her swollen lip had gone down completely and she seemed quite content to be left alone to eat her haylage.