B's play drive is up!

Are you thinking hooray another fuzzy picture of our ride around the woods? Glad I could oblige lol.

But before that B and I went into the arena closely followed by someone having a lesson. So on went the ipod and B and I had a lot of fun. We started off quite slowly and B had a few bouts of introvertedness (incorrect word I know but I like it, so it stays!) especially when another rider came in. But I have noticed she is handling this pressure a lot better lately. I slowly moved the pace up a bit by asking for reverse falling leaf, travelling circles then over a jump to me in trot lol. Fig 8 was great again with walk one side, trot the other. that's when B's play drive started to come up and we spent a little time trotting around playing stick to me.

I had laid out two poles on a circle and we had a giggle asking for half circles and fast c.o.d at the poles. Then stopping B suddenly at a pole and asking her to mirror me and put one then two hooves over and back up. Nice! B's energy was up now and she happily trotted around me and jumped everything in her path, turning when I asked with the slightest movement from me. The expression on her face was so good. Both eyes on me, her ears towards me, asking me what are we doing next!

We got some excellent stop and back up, go sideways, hide your butt, trot to me. Ah such fun playing, truly playing with her. But I was conscious not to push it and wanted to end on a good note as well as not getting too exuberant and freaking the others out. We did a little sideways towards the gate and timed it so that the others on their circles were the farthest away from us and we did a little driving game with B nest to the fence all the way to the gate. This time she wasn't at all worried or claustrophobic. We left the arena quietly, shutting the gate behind us.

A little bit of eat and move on then saddling up nicely. I got on, remembering to rest my leg on the saddle and asking before I swung my leg over. Oh yes I forgot to mention that the last few times. Ooops. But B stood still and I stroked and talked to her until I felt she was ready to go.

We had to go the back way behind the pony block to get to the gate but that's ok. B was pretty settled and happy and ate lots on the first bit of the ride.

Compared to last week she was a lot more settled. We had a couple of tiny spooks. Two others came up behind and passed us without B getting too emotional. She didn't want to trot to follow them either. She did get tense when two more riders trotted past on the road to the golf club car park and I let her move her feet and go ahead in trot leaving Bert and Sandra behind for a while

We half stepped over/jumped the fallen tree in the old woods and I didn't feel like I was falling sideways. Had some calm, then tense trots, some weave around the trees and then home.

B was a bit sweaty and seemed to like being groomed when I took her saddle off. Her winter coat is beginning to shed, no wonder she is itchy. Seems a bit early this year.