Courage, being stubborn and learned behaviour.

I think B looks more relaxed these days. She is offering me LF!

B stuffing her face with apple after rope throwing and no fear

Chilled

B loves her new pedestal. I am sure she thinks it's her own personal drum!

Well! We have had some very interesting breakthroughs this week. I was very brave and after a short but pleasant play in the school yesterday I got on! I have to admit I felt a little anxious but B was calm. I put the s/s around her neck and managed not to whack me or her with the c/s as I got on! Once on it was clear B wanted out of there which was ok with me. Instead of just heading for the gate she offered me some follow the rail and managed to wait at the gate while I sorted my ropes and c/s out.

We left and I tried a little c/s riding but had to use the reins to begin with. B's head collided with the c/s more than once but she didn't get emotional about it. Need more porky in Z1 I think. We could go in and out of the little courtyard and around the back but we met thresholds elsewhere.

Sandra and Bert were ready to go for a ride in the woods but B couldn't get any further than just outside the courtyard. This where we had more of what I think is learned behaviour. . . napping and refusing to go forwards. I let B rest and wait for ages and we stood and talked to a friend by his car, who had his daughter in his arms. B amused herself by licking the little girl on the hand and making her squeal with delight. So sweet.

A few others had got ready to ride, one of whom was a young girl and I could hear and see she was tense and scared. I am sure B picked up on this which didn't help her to move, except backwards. When they all came out of the courtyard B pinned her ears back, trying to bite them all if they came too close and backing into them! We played the game of don't go back but give me lateral flexion and I was so proud that I stayed calm and knew what I was doing! The pair of us suffer from lack of confidence lol. She does have a 'Lizzie face' when she is being stubborn and it feels like familiar territory. I stroked her and praised her every time she stopped backing up and turned around. I really focused hard on going forward, smiling till all four cheeks hurt! At one point B backed up almost into the car and then offered, yes, offered LF!!!

By this time Sandra and Bert had come over to 'catch us' and B accidentally swung her head up and the two horses heads connected with a loud crack! Poor Bert! He is such a sweet horse and loves to help B out and that's the thanks he gets! No harm done though and suddenly B decided she had enough of this damn game and walked forwards to the road. It was a bit of a meandering 'I can't maintain direction' way to the gate but we made it and across the road into the woods.

By this time B had morphed into my partner and after one stare at the scary tree stump sprouting fungus, for the rest of the time she was calm, relaxed and happy. No stopping or spooking. Her breathing stayed quiet and slow. Sandra and I can both hear her when B is uptight because she does her steam engine impression. It sounds like she is too much on her forehand, but I am guessing here. Today I felt her really stretch into and relax along her back going uphill.

We only went around the 'old woods' but on the way we weaved every possible tree, sometimes circling or fig 8's. Then I had the idea to see is we could do circles along the bridle path. If I can't do this stuff in the arena yet we can do it in the woods! Breeze seems to really enjoy doing all this although she found circling as we go along quite difficult especially turning to the right. She got quite resistant sometimes so I got to really practice asking. We got it and she seemed to relax into it. That also gave us the opportunity to do some walk/trot transitions to catch up to Sandra and Bert some of the time. I am actually quite surprised at how direct line we teach our horses to be. Anything that deviates from the norm freaks them out. I realise that Breeze has big holes in her education and isn't a very rounded horse just yet. I am also surprised that I can manage to teach her all the stuff I have available within the Parelli program. That's what I mean about my own lack of confidence. I think I just have to trust my instincts and follow everything in the study packs. After all, this week I have managed to have B accept the rope being thrown over her head again and again and then back the other way to unwind it. How fabulous is that! It must be true that horses teach people and people do teach horses, that people being me!

We played in the school today after doing the chores. Breeze was stuck to me today and wanted to be with me, even when I took the water buckets to the tap and filled them. Sandra and Bert joined us and we even swapped horses at the end of an hour or so. I tried to teach Bert to side pass over cones but he just couldn't, not yet. And what did I say about him and the new pedestal!? He goes over it and stands on it like an old pro! Even Breeze has taken to it and likes to bang her hooves on it and scrape at it. She can stand on it with all four feet and walk over it leaving her back feet on it.

B was quite challenging again and went quite introverted when other people came to ride in the arena. She definitely cannot take the pressure at the moment. The highlight of today was we got weave in and out of four jump sides at trot! Been trying to get that for months lol. She can circle quite calmly for a few laps either way now and her c.o.d is getting quite snappy. But after a while she explodes and we have to play the going backwards game! I focussed more on Porky in zone 1 today, getting her used to the c/s 'in her face'.

Little by little we trust each other more and I find I have much more savvy and arrows in my quiver than I give myself credit for. This weekend I really think we will be quite ready for our L3 course next May.

In the meantime it's only six days until our lesson with PP Claire! I am still trying not to allow myself to get too RBI about it!!!