Yesterday, I gave the kids a lesson on Rain while I stood with Z. Then, I played a little circle game with Z and hopped on bareback/bridleless and worked on backup/stop/walk. She's so sensitive and bareback teaches me to be QUIET! Every muscle flinch I offer, mistakenly or on purpose, causes her to twitch and try to correctly respond. She wants to do the right thing so I have to be sure I'm clear. I also worked on lateral flexion using the stick. The yo-you game with 2 eyes/ears is awesome. I want to see her snappier now. I've got to get Liberty taped today - I need to move forward.
I put Z in her stall to eat hay for 45 mins, then came back out, saddled her and started walking towards the trail. Lately, she's been more hesitant than usual to leave home and she's shown introverted responses (mainly stuck feet). Teri mentioned that I try just waiting. So, I was anxious to give that a whirl. She only got about 20 feet before she got stuck. We sat. When she finally exhaled and licked and chewed, I asked for forward again. I got about 20 feet. We repeated this until we got to the gate. It took about 40 mins. It was interesting and it seemed the wait periods got shorter and shorter. I loved the possibilities of this approach. Took much less energy than circling and she was not agitated like she can get when circling for approach/retreat. Patience with the RBI is key. Z and I will keep progressing.
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