Filly allowed out at last. More cuddles with Billy

At last Filly was allowed back into the big wide snowy world. Only a dusting here but cold. Apparently she behaved well with just a couple of frolics. Unfortunately I was not there to see the occasion as did not get to the yard until 5pm. However that was a good time for a quick play session.
Ritchie helped this time and we concentrated on the hind quarter to fore quarter yield using indirect rein to direct rein whilst online on the ground. Sounds complicated and so I will try to elucidate.
Whilst riding an indirect rein controls the lateral movement of the hind legs whilst the direct rein controls the front legs. To perform an indirect rein one's head is turned to look at the horses hind quarters the hand is moved up to the belly button on the same side as the reining hand. This should move the hind quarters away from the pressure of the gaze and we have a hind quarter yield (or disengagement). This is a great way to stop a horse without pulling on both reins (which doesn't usually work anyway !!). If the driving hind legs are moving sideways they can't be driving forward as well and so the horse circles to a stop. Hence why we want a really good response to this prior to riding. We can cause the same thing to happen on the ground whilst working online. To start, the horse is made to circle, I find at the trot easiest. Then putting the rope in the counter circle hand applying a little pressure in the opposite direction to the circle and walking and in towards and looking at the horses hips a pressure is created on the halter that mimics the indirect rein. The horse should then swing the hind quarters away from the approaching pressure and complete a turn to face you. Now we can complete the manoeuvre with a direct rein.
Whilst riding, the direct rein is used to turn the horse by moving the front legs laterally. First look in the direction you wish to go ( this automatically causes your hips to twist which the horse can feel), then extend the arm out to the side so it points the way to go. This provides pressure on the halter in the required direction and the front legs should move to follow the suggestion. Again this can be performed on the ground online. To continue from the point we reached earlier, once the horse has hind quarter (indirect rein) yielded so that they are facing you, extend the arm out to the side in the direction of the new circle whilst also looking that way, not at the horse. The front legs should now yield in that direction and a circle in the opposite direction started. If the front end gets "stuck" then raising the carrot stick to the opposite side of the head and gently waving it helps drive the front end around. This should only be used as an additional phase of pressure. The whole exercise is really about porcupine (steady) pressure on the halter, not driving pressure from rhythmic motion of the stick.
Done well this is a manoeuvre of beauty and satisfaction. To start with it looked more like a Laurel and Hardy sketch with ropes getting tangled round sticks, my legs and nearly every other object in the vicinity. Slowly with Ritchie's coaching it became better and more fluid. Switching from the 22 foot to 12 foot line really helped ! Even Filly seemed to have fun with it in the end with some very sprightly fore quarter yields.
We then checked her hoof putty and found some of it had come out, so the time allotted to play with Billy was now taken up salt bathing the hoof and replacing the putty. Thankfully she now has the idea that she should place her foot in the bowl and keep it there. Must watch her if we pass any picnickers when we go out hacking in the future !!

As a result there was no time to play with Billy, but a quick visit to his pen resulted in more lying down cuddles, even for Ritchie. He loves to bury his head right into my chest and between my legs as I kneel in front of him. As this deprives him of quite a bit of vision and puts the top of his neck in a very vulnerable position this must take a lot of trust. No sign of the difficult pushy horse I was originally warned about at the yard !!