6 1/2 hours horse time!!

Had a lovely day today, playing with all 4. It was REALLY windy so I was very pleased with what we got done. My main focus was getting Rafiki on the float and happy. we had no trouble at all with that, and we got the ramp up and side door played (opening and closing)with with no tension. I took a picture from near the very back (above) - plenty of room for another horse or two here!

She was great - before that we had played with a few things she finds challenging, and one of those is jumping barrels, which I've been avoiding. I thought on a windy day it would really show up the RB BEFORE we got to floating, and it did slightly, but she jumped beautifully the first time I asked her over (having squeezed through the gap between barrels previously a couple of times). Then we went to get some grass - took her in her flash new Boas over to the neighbours and down to the pond. She was very relaxed and happy - best she's been. And, the others didn't go RB at all with her out of sight!

Then I had lunch and afterwards played with Merlot - he was full of snort and prance - LB on adrenaline I think - very spectacular but although he leapt around he was super careful to avoid me.....interestingly even though at one point he was afraid, and I 'left him' at a safe point near the others while I went to undo a gate, he followed me of his own free will - more than once- I like it!! Great if he thinks he is safer with me than with the others...I ended up feeding him on the float - he was desperate to get on!

Shiraz was quite snorty too, but she is RB rather than LB, so we approached and retreated to the arena, then she gradually felt safer and offered her 'tricks', whcih I was pleased with. She wanted to get on the float too but I wouldn't let her incase she scared herself. So she had supper next to it.

Then played with Cam - she'd been hanging over the fence all afternoon waiting for 'her' turn - sweet! She was quite worried with all the wind but nowhere near as RB as the other day. Lots of yawns and licking - she'd been 'internally' licking and chewing again by herself as when I went to get her she was slightly frothy mouthed, but when she was with me she relaxed and could stretch her neck and lick 'externally..' - fascinating!! We played with figure of eight as that calms her now, and a few circles, then I did some one rein bareback riding. I think I should have done a LOT more but have avoided it, but seeing the emphasis Pat puts on it I am going to go through it with her...She didn't go RB once, but we did stick to walk. I upped the energy a couple of times but she just walked faster - that was ok. Interestingly, flipping the rope over is far easier than it used to be....

Then finally I fed Rafiki - once she got on the float I put the divider across, went to get her food from the tack box and she was fine - ate it all with the ramp up and the side door flapping again.
I also had a play with putting the chest bar up - I'm really pleased with that invention!!

What a great day and progress with all.....just planning, thinking about confidence and concepts and building a little detail in, instead of getting too direct line and doing the other way around..

I also pushed my comfort zone as I wasn't at all sure how the twins would be away from the others on their own on a windy day, as it is so long since I've taken them away individually and only done that a couple of times - slack I know, but am taking far more responsibility now for what they know and don't know...