Bad to better to brilliant!

Someone has dumped tyres in our 'log trailer'!

Along the 'old woods'

We had a very short but excellent pre ride play in the arena. In the rain. This was especially good in my opinion because it's been a weird week so far. Monday night B was in a very odd mood. Very very pushy and grabby and in the evening I went home having taken her mood personally. She did not want me to brush the mud off her or her feet but mugged me constantly for treats. I resolved to stop giving her so many and she wasn't very pleased about it Tuesday morning.

Tuesday evening I realised her mood was because she was obviously not feeling very well. She refused her evening feed and in fact kicked it all over her stable. She hardly ate any haylage or drank any water and she had hardly pooped at all. Most unlike her! I was so worried I went back later that night to find she had eaten some of her feed but still seemed depressed. I was wondering what was wrong and thinking it might be colic as horses seem to be prone to it or it was a virus of some kind.

Wednesday morning she had eaten all her breakfast and half her usual amount of haylage. Whatever was ailing her was passing and she was on the mend and I left her early in the afternoon to go to watch the dressage at the Horse of the Year show at Olympia.

We went 'off piste'. Breeze loves this and gets very curious.

So. Short warm up after saddling up without anything much beforehand except to ask her to put her nose on the saddle and have a bit of carrot. She stayed put and relaxed. Amazing. We left the yard the back way again, I peddled my feet and brought my life up so that she had no option but to follow my focus and we were soon in the woods with Sandra and Bert.

Breeze was very calm and I was back using my white Parelli reins. It felt like meeting up with an old friend and I was totally relaxed and happy. We only did the old woods and weaved and zig zagged around the trees giving her plenty to do. We got yo yo over a fallen branch for the first time which was brilliant. With all the circling etc we got behind Sandra and Bert so we had an opportunity to do some trotting. I have been getting worried about trotting because I have been too tense but this helped me relax and enjoy it. Another example of if I don't do things I begin to think I can't do them lol.

We went as far as the bottom of the straight with Sandra and Bert then turned for home. Breeze remained calm and we did a lot of walk/trot transitions. That way she gets to look out for trouble when walking and doesn't get RB and fast when trotting. She wasn't at all bothered by it being just us and this hasn't happened for a while now. She was quite happy to stop whenever I asked her to (so I could take photos) and chill. You know what's really nice though? I really appreciate riding Breeze because all I have to do is think about walk/trot/whatever and she does it. No argument, no phases, just a thought and she is there. Wonderful.

At the exit I asked her to carry on. We had a bit of a disagreement but I persisted and without too much unpartner like attitude we made it to the grass where I let her eat then, when she wanted to, turn and go home.

Back on the yard she wanted to explore everywhere and seemed in no hurry for me to get off. Breeze went ad stood by the old shed so I got off there and led her to the new one around the corner, unsaddled there and gave her some carrots.

This evening she was stuffing her face as is normal. She called to me when I arrived and again when I brought her feed. Nice. All is well in our world again.