From a gerenuk to a hovercraft in 24 hours....

What an amazing couple of play sessions I've had with Cam yesterday and today. I didn't have much time(less than half an hour) both days, so focussed (after having laid out my goals and progress plan!) on very simple things -namely friendly and porky/lateral flexion from the ground.



Yesterday was windy and gusty and she was her typical right brain head in the air self, 'suddenly' leaping sideways about 3m on a couple of occasions when a leaf blew past, even when the others were calm, when she was with them in the paddock. We had a play with 'put your nose on something'- she loves this game, and it was her idea to put her nose on a leaf blown up against the side of the arena!! Also got 1 foot on a pole, tummy on the cone etc. - all her ideas. We got some friendly going in Z2 3and 4 with a blue and white striped towel (she is not keen on white things) -she relaxed after a short while and we moved on to lateral flexion, trying to stroke her face. She tolerates 2 strokes turned to the left and three to the right, same as last time,but was slightly less snatchy. I let her snatch her head back but didn't let go of the tension completely - soon as she gave slightly THEN I released. I was very pleased with advances in the friendly game as she was so rb when I arrived and it is probably 2 years since I've thrown a towel around. She was still pretty much like a gerenuk though.



I realised:

• I start at phase 2 in porky...


• she is very good at distracting my focus - making me look at what has upset/distracted her....

Hmmmmmm!



Then today was a total contrast -beautiful calm and cold,but I didn't get to the paddock until 5 pm. Everyone was pleased to see me-all hungry for hay. Cameo met me at the gate and stuck her nose in the halter like she used to. While she was eating a tiny bit of hay we did some quite violent friendly with the towel,the neighbours must be used to my weird antics by now... I got it to 'snap' around Z4and 5,and helicoptered it over her back,threw it over her and onto the ground etc-she just kept eating. Another good sign.

Then we had a play with lateral flexion and OMG it was so much better - about 1/10th of the snatchiness from yesterday,and we progressed to 4 strokes on the left and 6 on the right...the most ever!!



I then sat on the fence and she sidewaysed over to me with the tiniest signal from me, so I stuck my hat on and got on, luckily her cover was dry. I was aiming to practice lateral flexion at a standstill as she wasn't very motivated last time I rode,about a month ago. Straight away, I had the same number of strokes on her face either side - she has never felt that soft, so she got a carrot reward but not every time. She offered to move,so we trundled off and I cannot believe how soft and easy to ride she felt. That is the first time I have ever truly ridden a horse that felt halfway soft,through the whole horse. I'm sure it wouldn't be that soft maybe to others on other horses but for us it was just amazing. I felt the most secure I ever had..even compared with my saddle -how interesting....



I realise now why she usually seems hard to ride -because she is usually a bracey pinging muscly elastic band crossed with an eel!!



I could not believe how connected and responsive she was - shift of weight or slight indirect rein but only using my legs and she'd turn, breathe out and she'd stop softly not on her forehand for the first time ever....then I'd ask for back up just shifting weight and thinking about it and back she went, flexing at the poll and her back felt round!!!! Whoopeee!!!!



I have never felt that before with softness on any horse -you read about it but WHAT a difference when you feel it!!! And not just once but 3 times-then I got off (virtually dark by now) I never realised how a horse could 'hover' ready to go any direction on a suggestion and even though we only had a taste, what a glimpse for the future..



This is the horse that I used to think had a physical impediment to bending at the jowl -she just didn't/couldn't....



Yes we 'only' walked, but I'd far rather have what we got than a jarring bracey trot - slow n'right....what an amazing girl -thanks for the taste of the future Cam....