Learning to go with the flow.

I think I lost the plot this weekend. That's the joy of depression, it creeps up on you and before you know it your word has turned into a very ugly place. I don't like to talk about it, certainly not on a horse blog. I try to keep my personal life out of it but occasionally it gets so bad it creeps into my horse life too. I realised a few days ago that things were about to crash and burn and I was heading for a big downer. Sure enough it hit me Saturday.

Lately I have learned to listen to what I need instead of trying to carry on and get worse in the process. Happily I have equine therapy!!! I spent hours with B. We played for a couple of hours in the arena. I can't even remember if anyone else was there. It was like being back at Stoneleigh but totally on our own to do as we pleased. Then I just knew I wanted to ride. We saddles up nicely and I got on for a mosey around the yard. B took us into the arena and we did some fig 8 and weave around cones. B didn't want to stay in there and made it quite clear she wanted to leave, so we did. We went for another mosey and then I asked her to go to the gate but she refused.
We spent about 30 minutes playing approach and retreat with B trying every trick to refuse to go. I had to bend her quite often and when she napped I asked her to go backwards in time to the music playing on my iPod. She was so LBI! I kept my sense of humour and just persisted politely that we do what I asked but I didn't push her too much to go to the gate. When we got as near as I thought she would go I gave her a treat and we went back to the courtyard and then had another tour of the yard and I got off.

It chucked it down with rain in the evening so B and I hid in her stable and chilled out. I did some grooming and scratched B in her favourite places.

Sunday we had our usual ride with Sandra and Bert and B was a different horse. Pat says we should ride/play for tomorrow and it looks like we did because B was fabulous. She took the lead for a lot of the ride and trotted ahead up the hill although she was quite slow and considered. She was taking care of both of us and looking out for danger.

I never get tired of looking at photos of B taken from the saddle

Although I think B looks a bit googly eyed from this angle. She usually cranes her head round asking for a treat or a scratch which can feel quite unsteady sometimes. Horses and Parelli, best therapy in the world!