It seems as though the new weather is to her liking and subsequently she has been eager to come in to be worked. As a herd bound alpha mare she struggled with leaving the others behind (even though there is a clear 2nd alpha in the group) and calls for them when they are out of sight -- specifically in the indoor. It doesn't help that they call back!
This week, since I hadn't seen her in 6 days (I doubled up on lessons last week) and was out of commission this week due to issues with my cervix, she needed to remind me once again where I stood in her herd. After she had breakfast and some hay I walked out into the pasture to grab her, she lifted her head from the hay, heard my voice, and took off cantering and hopping across the field. Quite full of herself. I got close to her, and she turned (I kept my distance since she has a track record for good aim with kicks) and she ran off to heard the other mares and sent them galloping around the field too. Thanks Kiki, really helpful. She trotted back over to her hay pile only to be caught with NO protest moments later. I snapped the lead line on and said "let's go". She was fantastic for grooming and I even combed out her mane and tail without an issue. She still has some grumpiness with her feet, but we do as much as we can without turning in to a big conversation. For now there are more important things to worry about. Her frogs seemed a bit sensitive, but that could just be due to lack of handling. L had me tack her up this week -- same order as last week -- and since another green horse was being lunged in the indoor we thought she could hang out for awhile with her tack munching on hay. She even allowed me to adjust the training saddle a couple of times since it was super loose. We had some trouble with the bridle, but she has face issues. Here's the thing...she LOVES to have her face rubbed, brushed, have her ears massaged, anything, but the second you start messing with a bridle, or even a halter, her head turns in to a wrecking ball of madness. I am quite used to some protest in this realm and the best thing to do is to be patient. You can't stop what you are doing, or give up, because that's what she is hoping for, so we go slow, she protests, I don't move, she stops moving, I continue. It's simple and she's smart, so she gets it pretty quickly. She does need a fairly firm hand as she tests constantly. We walked out to the indoor and B reminded me to relax, as I was holding my arm stick straight and tense to deal with her antics -- she becomes increasingly difficult to work with once she's all tacked.
Once inside, L and I got her geared up for long lining and he started her up, a huge improvement from the prior week, with little protest and a bit of spunk. He handed the lines over to me and I took her around a few obstacles with B's supervision, which she was fantastic about. She's not a spooky horse in the slightest. She lost focus several times looking out the windows to her herd but I was quick to correct her with a shake of the line that we were working...she conceded.
20 minutes later, she worked up a nice sweat and ended on a good note. We finished the day with some light grooming and some carrots. She's kind of a pig, so maybe I can bribe her in to liking me??? Hahaha!
*I should take some confirmation photos of her this week because she's so out of shape -- she seriously looks like a brood mare. I can't wait to document her progress!
**I DID make some horse cookies tonight since I am going to Spring Camp on Wednesday to take some pictures and maybe hop on a horse to play some games!
***I hadn't ridden in over a week so Trudy let me ride alone around Pegasus on non other than Sergio, my main man! We did some simple bending exercises and lots of cantering in 2 point. The small stirrups on his saddle just kill my ankles, must do something about that!
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