Sunday again.

I wish I could ride more. I will just have to wait for Spring/Summer when the days are longer. I am still unable to just hop on and go for a ride in the arena. But I am thinking about it and once I get over this little hiccup about rolling in the sand I will try again!

Breeze was pretty relaxed today. We had a warm up in the arena as we usually do along with two dressage riders warming up. The minute we got in the arena we got a very nice online follow the rail going on again and Breeze really seems to like this. I got lovely driving game from z 5 and B stayed in the track even on the corners. Back up over poles, jump, turn and face, circle game, all the usual stuff. Breeze was in danger of going intro a few times but I really didn't want her to go there. She feels pressure when there are other riders around and I think it's time to work through this and find a way that helps her to not go there. If I time it right and 'catch her' before she starts to go using friendly game she doesn't go there and we can carry on.

Saddling up was great even with B standing on the pedestal while I put the halter on. We got to practice some 'put your head down' with just a hint of pressure on the halter. I got on from my huge bale of haylage just around the corner from the courtyard. Always good to mix it up and do things differently. We went and waited by the mounting block for Sandra and Bert then turned and made our way to the gate. B met some thresholds as soon as we got to the end of one stable block so I asked her to go behind the pony block and we met up with Sandra and Bert and crossed the road.

Breeze was very relaxed most of the way. We played eat and move on, trotted some of the mile and 1/4 and took it in turns to lead. Some of the trotting was hard going for me with B very joggy and me not relaxing. Sandra reminded me how I could slow B by my rising at my pace to ask for a slow trot and it worked. We then got some lovely relaxed trot along the old woods and in the lead.

We passed a couple of really big rides or 10 or more horses and riders. Breeze was really calm and didn't try to follow the first time. The second group were coming out of the pub car park into the woods as we got near the exitand it was too much for B. I had to ask for lateral flexion and we turned round and round until the other horses were gone and we could leave the woods.

That's another Sunday ride gone in a flash. I am sure this weeks hanging out and play has moved our relationship up a notch or two. Sandra noticed B had her head lower for most of the ride and her breathing was quite quiet instead of B puffing like a steam train.

I reserved the horse box the other day for our Parelli course in May. It's starting to feel like it's really going to happen now. Trying so hard not to be excited about it just yet!

Accomplishing a lot by doing very little.

It being Saturday B was 'in' for the day as she will be tomorrow. I had to work so I felt I should give B something to do out of her stable.

On the way to the arena we passed our local RI's six horse lorry with the ramp down. Too good an opportunity to pass up I thought. B immediately put both front hooves on the ramp but it took a little approach and retreat and some braciness for her to finally go up the ramp. I let her stand there for a while and gave her some treats. Much better than the last time we loaded.

Then it was off the lorry and into the arena, where I told the RI that she would find hoof prints on the ramp and thanked her for the use of it.

B didn't really want to do anything that didn't involve being next to me and that I was moving too. So we did a circuit of online follow the rail one way, then the other. B did really well when I played driving game from z 5. Circle game was as good as ever in walk and I just didn't even ask for anything faster. We did do a little fig 8 and then left it at that.

As we leave the arena, we pass the mounting block and today B stood exactly where I asked her to, even side passing to me and I stroked and leaned on her back. Today she didn't walk off like she usually does. Excellent. Great improvement on her confidence there.

And that was it until the evening when I got back late and we had the yard to ourselves. It was freezing cold again so all we did was go for a walk around the yard and a graze by the arena. I have been spoiled this week. Breeze has been very keen to spend time with me but tonight was different. She wanted to eat haylage and let me go home. Sometimes I am sure she can read my mind.

More play.

We have been having more success playing in the arena this week. Breeze is still very focussed on the area of sand by the gate, sniffing and pawing but she shows no sign of rolling lol. I tried mirroring her and then sitting down. When I sit down she just comes over and sniffs me lol.

Breeze is very itchy but she hasn't started shedding her winter coat in earnest yet. It won't be long despite it being freezing here again.

We had a bit of a play this morning although it was more of a leg stretch for B. I noticed she was stuck at the gate again. She has been doing this lately, sniffing the ground, going introverted but it doesn't feel like distress on her part. When I first saw her go introverted I could see it was from too much pressure. Now it seems she needs time to stand there and think, slowly breathing in the smells from the ground so near her nose.

This evening was a different matter. Breeze wanted to play. We warmed up with follow the rail and I got to be in z5 without any sign of claustrophobia from B. We had the most amazing calm 3+ laps in walk on the circle game each way and she maintained gait and direction. I found I was almost holding my breath wondering if she would lol. It feels so good to see her calm and trusting now. Very different from before when she just could not think and was so unconfident!

We went off and did a few other things before trying circle game in trot. Breeze didn't explode but wasn't confident enough to do a whole lap so we tried some c.o.d on half circles. B loved it! Her energy came up and she kept both eyes on me, tossing her head as she turned. I hardly had to do anything to ask her lol. She makes me laugh to see and enjoy such joy.

She maintained gait as I led her nearer a jump, then she went over, turned and back over four times, trotting to me after the last one. She got a big handful of carrot bits for that. From then on every time I asked her in from what ever she was doing she trotted to me. Success!

When we went to leave B hesitated by the gate for some time again. We went in and out twice and I waited for her to be ready to go back to her stable. I have done this a lot with B. Simply given her time, that's all, just time. Never mind that I am late leaving the yard or don't get to do all I had planned. All that is irrelevant. It seems vital that all I need to do is give her this gift of time.

Some nights when I have done all the chores and I am ready to leave B ignores me and gets on with eating. Others like tonight, she doesn't want me to go. She offers 'carrot stretches' and has stopped pestering me for more treats once that's done. She licks my hands and now nuzzles my hair if I sit down. Sometimes she wants strokes or scratches or just for me to hang out and be with her, like tonight. Precious time that's for sure.

45' line half worn in

As I stood in the arena today, Breeze standing quietly behind me on the 22' line, throwing the coils of the 45' line and recoiling it, suddenly it occurred to me how comfortable this felt. In my peripheral vision I saw people going about their business at a distance. Four years ago I would have felt awkward and worried about what they might think of my fumbling attempts at rope savvy. Back then starting out on my Parelli journey with Lizzie the dominant extreme LBI my mind battled to understand the 7 games in the simplest terms. It was all about the games, pretty much in isolation.

Today I know the 7 games as well as any L2/3 student but I noticed my focus is on reading Breeze my sensitive RBI, how I ask and how she replies. Then how I need to ask the question differently to get the answer I was looking for or simply see what B needed to get it right.

Today we got 3 laps of circle game in walk in both directions although going clockwise she needed a little prompt with the c/s to maintain gait. Ages ago when She first came to me I was very intent on getting more laps but it was too much PRESSURE for her then. I feel it's time to re introduce that pres-shhhh-ure and see where we go with it.

I am starting to find it quite difficult to remember what exactly we do in our play these days because there's no longer a set definition between each game. They flow into each other and perhaps on the way to an obstacle we will do a little sideways or yo yo or travelling circles. Sometimes B will offer me something other than what I asked for which I take gladly. More often than not after that I will ask for whatever it was again and get it. Sometimes it's all I can do to remember the outstanding highlights lol.

So now we are focussed on more laps and maintaining a faster gait. She offered some canter today without blowing up. Nice! B forgot about turning around the cone in Fig 8. It maybe too much pressure so I slow it down and ask her to walk it and I think carefully about my body position and where I am looking then we wind it up to end with a trot round the cone and stop because she got it.

I swapped the 22' for the 45' and it was great. I think B likes the lightness and of course being farther away, although not right at the end of the line, lessens the pressure for her even more. We got nice trot on circle game and when we stopped B forgot she was still connected to me and tried to wander off lol.

I swapped the lines back and we wandered to the gate. Before going through the opening, B sniffed and pawed at the ground and I really thought she might roll. I mirrored her but in the end she didn't roll. One day I am hoping to ask her to roll or at least lie down. But that's for the future. She spent a lot of time with her head down just sniffing the ground. When she was ready to leave she did the same thing the other side of the gate. It seemed like ages before she was ready to be in the moment again and we could go back to her stable. Interesting.

It's funny. Today someone asked me if we were riding. I said no, sorry I don't have time but that wasn't strictly true. I actually wanted to spend as much time as I could playing with B online!

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.

Online follow the rail.

We had a very LB play in the arena this morning. I asked B to simulate opening and shutting the gate as if i were riding her and then we started off with online follow the rail. I watched the Jan Parelli dvd last night and yet again it struck home that this is something I should be doing. Asking for a little more and progressing if we are to ride with a purpose in the arena.

Breeze just fell into the pattern like she had done it her whole life. We did one whole circuit in walk, rested, then did the other direction. I hardly had to correct her and most of the time she was quite far from me on the 22' line with me in z3.

Circle game was just as LB although B didn't always maintain gait but stopped at a cone so we played with c.o.d instead which helped her focus and we ended up with nice steady complete circles. I also asked her to yo yo and wait for as long as I wanted at the end of the 22' line. I am going to concentrate on asking for more laps now that she is more confident. We had slow fig 8 but she got stuck going around the right side cone so I thought she might need to do something more energetic as she seemed to be getting slower lol. We had some fun upping the pace to trot and she gave me some lovely jumps with c.o.d so we ended it there. No explosions or unconfidence. Marvelous.

B spent quite a bit of time standing on the pedestal outside her stable while I mucked out. Then I found her chewing on Chelsea's stable door! I wonder what she might be missing in her diet, or perhaps she just likes the taste. I am cutting out the chaff and going to give her dried 'ready grass' instead. I know she loves it and it has no molasses in it like chaff.

Undemanding time.

By the time I got to the yard this evening all the lights were out and someone, probably Sandra bless her, had brought B in for me. I got a nice welcome from B and went to get her dinner immediately.

We are experiencing a cold snap at the moment and the temperature was dropping rapidly so after shutting B's back door I swapped her turnout rug for her stable rug when she had finished eating.

I just got a curry comb and rubbed all the muddy bits on her neck and face. She loved it. We spent ages standing like that with B resting her muzzle on the top of my head as I groomed her neck up and down the jugular groove and under her jaw. Then over her ears where she let me massage and scratch them as far in as I thought safe. I got her brush and did her forelock. After a while she turned and offered her butt so I lifted her rug and spent some time using circular movement over her dock and her rump.

When it was obvious she had enough I sat down on the stable floor and did nothing. B stood over me and went into what Sandra and I jokingly call 'screen saver mode'. I could have stayed like that for ages but it was getting late so after a while I got up and left her dozing.

I love times like this. Makes me feel very close to Breeze, loved and appreciated by her and that despite hiccups along the way we are a partnership.

Oh, and since I got a bit more assertive the games she plays around haltering and rugging have stopped. Nice.