You can't see it in the photo but it chucked it down with rain as we set off for a ride. B and I had played briefly in the arena and got ready well before Sandra and Bert (my regular riding buddies) so we had done some mounting practice in the yard. Interesting how little prep we need at the moment. B is totally LB and looks like she knows all her jobs and just gets on with it. But she was having none of me getting on in the courtyard and wouldn't give me permission to get on. Once we were over the road in the pub car park she lined up with a great look on her face. Sandra says she looks interested and happy, watching me get on and looking to where we are going.
We were chilling and letting the horses eat when the heavens opened. B and I sheltered under a tree while Bert and Sandra got a bit wet so Bert could find a really tasty bit of bush to eat!
The horses were happily munching away, the rain eased and we set off when a group of 8 or so walkers came along the footpath parallel with the bridle path. Bert freaked out because they had stopped and were staring at us, then when they moved it was really slowly and creepily and it was just too much for Bert who turned and squeezed past us and ran a few paces back. Then B joined in. It's interesting to see how I have changed. Although her RB reaction gets me pulse racing a little I am not terrified at the moment. This is a really big thing! So this went on for a while, approach and retreat past the creepy walkers, even tho we asked them to act normally but don't stare. Then a pony and rider I know came along which was too much for B and I had to get off. She was retreated further and further back to the exit and I don't get into arguments with her when she can't do things.
We walked online to where I could get on, catching up with Bert and Sandra and off we went very happily. B felt like a different horse. She was relaxed and calm and just so LB I couldn't stop smiling. We trotted along the mile and 1/4 until we caught up with the prancing pony from earlier on and walked a bit. Sandra and I chatted away and I think we were a little away with the faeries, not noticing a group of golfers by the cafe. Suddenly Bert was freaking out because one of them had opened an umbrella! Poor Bert, He had done a 180 turn and stood some distance away, tense and staring at the group of golfers. B had reacted to Bert and followed in hot pursuit with me grabbing a big handful of mane and hanging on for dear life until I got lateral flexion.
Normal service was resumed when the golfers walked off, one of them apologising and promising to slap the one with the umbrella lol. We carried on round to the old woods like nothing had happened, even passing someone behind a hedge mowing their lawn without incident. In the rain.. Laughing and joking, talking about what had been happening. Bert decided we should go off piste so we detoured into the woods. B wanted to trot, it's bit too much squeeze game for her sometimes,and got too close to Berts butt. Suddenly he was telling her in very clear terms that she was too close by bunny hopping and giving her both barrels of hind feet! B was very quick to react and stayed just out of range...after that she kept her distance! I had felt her front end come up and saw Berts butt bobbing up and down in front of me and in the nano second it took my brain to process what was happening calm was restored. This was when Sandra and I decided our rides were starting to feel like mini adventures not dissimilar to Indiana Jones movies! Great fun and very entertaining but sometimes when we get back to the yard we feel a bit exhausted by it all!
The rest of the ride was lovely. I marveled at how relaxed B was, how well we weaved the trees..we got a compliment from some riders we passed just further on. I had got a bit down and anxious all week wondering if I really knew what I was doing and despite having a great ride Thursday with a different riding buddy I find I do like to beat myself up and think I am useless! I expect to get scared and feel anxious and then have B do the same. Lately that hasn't happened but I still expect it all to go back to how it has been for far too long. Looks like getting off is doing B and my confidence such a lot of good that it takes me by surprise. I guess I didn't expect what an impact it would make and how easy it would be!
I was thinking later on about how B felt riding her. I can detect a difference, a softening if you like. Less resistance. I remembered when we got back to the yard and B decided to have a mosey around the back of the courtyard. Going back into the courtyard I asked her to turn a certain way and I felt a tiny, tiny bit of brace and then she relaxed and did as I asked. That's a tiny little change but a huge one at the same time. Really brings home the issues sha has and how we are working through them.
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