Extreme Friendly with Filly. Billy learns football

Ritchie has been on a course. She has come home with lots of new ideas. Bad news for Filly !!
I am sure we have all played with cones, Filly loves them. We always laugh when passing a motorway roadworks, "Filly Heaven". One of the new ideas was to tie a 22 foot line to the cone and drag it around behind us as we play to "stick to me". Suddenly this passive cone has come to life and is stalking her. Right brain moment. She was not at all sure about this turn of events, lots of prancing and snorting. In the meantime I tried to maintain focus and walk calmly, but with purpose, up and down the school. Slowly the snorting subsided and she became a little more curious. Approach and retreat was accomplished, whilst walking, by drawing the cone closer and then letting it fall further behind us. I kept this going for quite a long time until she really settled down.
This has the effect of establishing me as a stronger leader as I have in effect ignored what she sees as a dangerous obstacle which turns out to be harmless. This is what the matriarch does in a wild herd. She shows the herd what they should and should not react to. Again it comes back to saving energy for when it is really needed by not reacting to threatening objects unnecessarily.
I have done this for two sessions now. Today she was still very right brain at times, but a strange thing happened at liberty. She was totally calm and chilled with "stick to me" with the cone following. Her head was low and her eyes soft, very relaxed. Odd as online the rope is held loose with no contact so she is in effect at part liberty even then. In general she reacts best at liberty to all new things. The old saying of "train online, test at liberty" seems to be inverted !!
I have also being doing lots of work getting her to relax and stand next to me whilst I am on the mounting block. This is getting pretty good online. One game is to get her to change her nearside whilst I keep my feet still. This involves hind quarter porcupine, front quarter yield to turn 180 degrees and a hind quarter yield towards me to position nicely so I could mount (if she was fit).
Feeling brave I decided to try this a liberty. Mounting the block whilst she was someway off investigating a pile of poo I asked her to circle to get her moving. I then asked for hind quarter yield and draw too me. She readily came over. I then asked her to move past a bit and sidepass to me into the mount position. She went a bit too far past so to get her to back up I looped the stick/string round her neck and pulled gently back. She neatly came back two steps and waited. Reward was a really long scratch from me. My aim is to get her to offer the mounting position when I get on the block.
Another great moment for me in the journey. They seem to be coming thick and fast at the moment, or maybe I am just easily impressed ?
Moving on to Billy I decided to introduce him to a pilates ball. This has lots of potential for fun. It can be rolled, bounced, thrown, used to rub/scratch, simulate a rider. Today was, I thought gentle, introduction day. In the event Billy was not worried at all initially. He immediately checked it out with his nose, and after a short time kicked it neatly with his front leg. A proper kick, not a girly kick like Filly. Even male horses play better football than the girls ( just kidding ). It was very windy so the ball had a bit of a mind of its' own at times and this did result in the odd spook, one fairly extreme one were I temporarily lost him. Walking over he did come to meet me however so no damage was done to the rapport.
I then progressed to lots and lots of ball bouncing towards and away from him ( approach and retreat again) When confidence was gained I just stood with the ball in my arms until he touched it with his nose. Then the ball was placed against his neck, removed, replaced again and again until he was comfortable and even used it as rubbing post for his head / neck. Great progress so getting brave I rolled it from his neck onto his back, rolled it off again... and repeat until calm!! Next stage was to roll it of the far side of his back. This is psychologically challenging as the ball moved from the view of one eye too the other over his back. First attempt, very calm. The wind then neatly blew it back under his belly to me !
Seeing how far I could push this I then placed the ball on his back and lightly bounced it simulating a rider rocking and rolling around. Again no problem at all.
I know that this roll of good sessions has got to end, but what a buzz at the moment. Horses live in the moment, I think I'll emulate them for now.