another day, another horse....

well, same one, just another angle on Rafiki's horseanality!

Today was 'rapport with respect' or maybe the other way around. I had all sorts of stategies in mind to deal with her dominance and total LBI food obsession, if thats what she showed up with. She did, initially, for about 10 seconds!
we made our way online into the hay paddock which is knee deep in grass, and her head went straight down. I thought 'great' now I get to try my 'arrows' - not used to dealing with LBI that much.

Looooong intense ph1 - nothing. So, I took careful aim, and flicked the savvy string sharply so it 'stung' just underneath her belly. She jumped straight up in the air vertically and just 'glared' at me but with ears forward. SO funny!!! From then on I barely had to look at her as a phase 1 - I was in fits of laughter but of course rewarded her by signalling she could eat, when it suited me. She wouldn't eat unless she was really sure it was ok. She was almost unconfident, but not RB, just lost that bossy aggressive snarly look.

To test wehteher the rapport was still there I put her in the (short) grassy paddock with the others, went away for a while then came back and called her. She was first to come but they all came thundering towards me in canter - lovely!!

We might try riding again tomorrow...