Confidence and Teamwork Building

22 minutes - 1.11 miles - Rhulain

Rhu was not sure about leaving the food this early, but she went ahead and padded along beside me for about a half mile.  Then she saw headlights, and she got really nervous.  I sent her off in a circle around me, and she shot off like a rocket for about a minute.  I was so proud of her for staying out of my space and keeping focused on me, even though she was clearly nervous.  We walked home in synch and she nuzzled me at the gate.  Good girl Rhu.

A New Angle

67 minutes - 2.28 miles - Rhulain

 With the time change, it is really dark in the morning when I go out to feed.  Rhu was very hyped and circled me constantly. As long as my feet kept moving forward, I just let her circle until she calmed down.

It didn't take long for her to settle down and walk softly beside me.  We headed left off the main road rather than right and ventured into areas I had never been to before.

Found some bones on our walk ... guess that makes the scenery more interesting.  Lots of interesting footing today and we had to backtrack twice because I didn't know the area.

 We did find places to let her graze for a bit.  She was adorable but seems very unsure of herself lately.  We may need to institute more ground work in our routine.

Today is NOT yesterday

55 minutes - 2.31 miles - Rhulain

Does this look like the face of a horse that almost dumped me today?  Hmmm.  She's lucky she is so kissable.

We walked for 0.75 miles then I swung into the saddle.  She fell apart ... head high, confidence draining, rushed hooves.  What was this?

I asked for a left turn. I got a clear "No." I "explained" this wasn't an option and we made the left turn.  Barely 2 minutes after our discussion, we were trotting along politely when she swung a hard left and jumped up an embankment.  I hadn't asked for the turn nor the jump and almost fell over her neck. What?

I had her turn around and get back to the path, walk a bit, then dismounted.  I checked the saddle (no slipping or pinching), checked the cinch (no issues there), lifted all four hooves (no rocks or tenderness), and checked the headstall (no twisted or pinchy parts).  Hmmmm.

We walked next to each other for 5 minutes, then I got back into the saddle and turned her towards home.  She was awfully spooky and full of "No" today.  We had to do quite a number of circles near the house and two laps in the yard today.  Tells me I've let her sit too long and she doesn't trust me as much.  Ok, dully noted.  We'll do some more ground work tomorrow before I saddle up ... and then we will ride.

On a good note, I took off her headstall and rubbed all her itchy spots after the ride.  She leaned into me and sighed.  She's a good girl ... an amazing mare ... tomorrow will be a better day.