Due to the fact that I can never remember what order things happened in, I will tell you specific things that happened today. I really can't remember what order they went in, so I'll just tell you when I think of it.
I sat on the blue barrel, facing a line of them. They were each spaced maybe a foot apart for a good scqueeze if Cherish didn't feel like jumping them. I sent her to them, wondering a bit what she would do. She started to go to the first but I decided to be a bit more particular and ask her to sideways to the second. She looked at me, then sideways'ed to the second opening. She stopped and looked at me, and I suggested she go forward. She looked at the barrels, stuck one leg over one of them and rested it there. Again, she asked a question. I backed her up a bit since she doesn't usually do this. It blew her mind! I brought her to me, then sent her around the other way. She came to the barrels and asked a question. "What do you want me to do? Sideways?" She started to go sideways, but no, that wasn't what I wanted her to do this time. I asked her to turn her body parallel to the barrels, and after a bit of correction she got it. She looked at me, asking a question. I backed her past the barrels, then asked her to sideways around them and to the other side. When she got to the other side, she said "WHOA! That was so cool! You've NEVER asked me to do anything like that before." And then licked her lips. I let her sit there, licking and chewing, and then suggested she go forward. She put one leg through the squeeze, and then another. She had moved her feet through, but was standing over the barrels. I asked her to go sideways a bit, but she got confused and started to put her leg over. Well, that wasn't exactly what I wanted, but we'll try it. Now she was in an awkward position, and I asked her to back a little bit with the flick of my finger. She backed up over the barrels and then stood there looking at me with a question! She licked and chewed, licked and chewed. I sent her around in a circle and brought her to me instead of asking her to do anything. Her face expression was amazing! The whole time we were doing this, I was laughing and talking to her and telling her how smart she was. I've never done this for her before because I always thought that was just for extroverts.... But she really liked having my feedback! I was amazed at this one small task, how much we accomplished within a few minutes. My whole world was shining and so was hers. Two buds sitting next to the barrels, without a care in the world. Anyone else would wonder what the heck a girl would be doing just sitting on the barrels with her horse standing next to her.
We were standing at the odd... Cone-tube thing I had put together a couple days before. It was now lying on the ground instead of being a scary squeeze monster. Even with that simple little piece, I was able to make her start thinking and guessing by asking her to go forward, to the left, to the right, disengage, back up, sideways past, come forward, sideways into... It was a lot of fun! She licked her lips so much!
So, you get the idea. I was being very particular and was laughing and talking a lot. She was giving me more, asking more... She even did well on the trotting traveling circles! Even though she's RBI, the Circling Game scares her some because she was previously lounged. Today she actually seemed to like the Circling Game!
I attempted Liberty but Hope get whinnying and she just wanted to stand by the gate. She was getting really RB because she didn't know what I wanted her to do. I put her back on the 12' Line and instantly she blew out and became more relaxed. Like: "Phew! Thanks for holding my hand, I needed that!"
I got on her with the halter and 12' line. For the past few times I've been focusing a lot on fluidity, and each time I focus more on it I have more problems. My mom pointed out that I might be trying too hard. So... I let her go wherever she wanted and I just closed my eyes. My hips started moving right, my knees were loose, my shoulders were swinging back and forth... I was on my seat bones. I even figured out what the problem was! I was trying so hard to sit on my seat bones that I wasn't on my seat bones and I was trying so hard to keep my back loose that... guess what? My back was tight.
She kept licking and chewing as I rode her around the obstacles. I decided that since she was responding so well to the 12' line that I would take her out in the pasture with it. My mom was walking Finale and playing with her out there, so we had a little "trail ride" with each other in the pasture. Cherish was doing so well with the 12' line! She's never actually been that good at it! As I was trotting her up the hill so well with just one rein, a car passed by and this tiny child's voice called out. "Mamma! Mommy, look! Ponies! Ponies, Mamma! Mamma, they're ponies. I want a pony like them Mamma! Mommy, look how pretty their ponies are! Oh, look Mamma, she's riding her pony! I want to ride a pony, Mamma." It was a very sweet little voice, not demanding or whiny at all. My mom chuckled and said that that's a lot like I used to sound when I was little. The voice was in perfect clarity, unlike a lot of two or three year olds who have problems talking or forming their words right. That's how I was. Ponies, ponies, ponies. Look at me now. Ponies, ponies, ponies. [:
I stroked her neck as I was about to let her go. All I had to do was put the slightest pressure and she turned her face to me. I slid the halter off carefully and she held her head there for a moment more, just looking at me. I looked at her back, then smiled. She had the happiest expression on her face as if to say, "Thank you." I looked to my right at the sunshine, which was streaming through the clouds and putting a beautiful light on the whole world. I whispered to her, "No. Thank you." She rubbed her nose against my hand and trailed her head down so that my hand went over her eye. I looked at her with a bit of a shock, because she is rarely confident enough for me to touch her anywhere near her eyes. Sometimes I even have to play approach and retreat with her face. She looked at me with a contented little expression as if to say "Yep. I love you." And then turned around and walked off. I smiled as I watched her little bay butt. They say there is no such thing as luck. Then... what is there? Coincidence?
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