Only a quick note about Filly today. I started playing with her around 6pm in the indoor school. More work on "touch all over" around the flank area. A few kicks with the hind leg, but she soon settled down and accepted the touch. Let's be clear as to why this is such a difficult area. It is full of important tendons and muscles and is therefore a prime area for predators to attack. A good clawing there can cripple a horse and make it into and easy meal, hence horses try to protect the area at all costs. Touching her there and not harming her proves to her that I am not a predator that wishes to kill her. (I am a predator of course, just not one that eats horse meat !!).
We then moved onto "place the feet" which was easy, and stand still which was very very easy. I should have read the signs.
We then did lots of circling, trying to get 2 laps without intervention at the chosen gait. This did not go well. She kept breaking gait, slowing down each time. I should have read the signs.
She was very difficult to motivate to do anything, even liberty and playing with the ball. We spent a long time playing yoyo to and from a cone to give it purpose. Still no real animation. I should have read the signs.
I left her at liberty and sat down to consider the situation. She did not come over to me, but just quietly sniffed around the school. I was feeling very depressed by now, she did not seem want to be with me. I wandered over to her and gently stroked her. She did not try to move away, so what was going on. Maybe she was feeling ill ? She then surprised me by very gently putting her head on my arm and just standing there. Her head got heavier and heavier, the breathing deepened, and she started twitching.
She had fallen asleep !! Wow, what trust. She put her head in my arms and felt confident enough in me to go to sleep. Now what to do. It felt rude to wake her so we just stood like that for 10 minutes until she woke up gave a long lick and chew, put her muzzle in my hands and promptly fell asleep again. After another quick horse nap she woke up and I took her back to her bedroom.
As for Billy. Good progress. I did all the normal preparation to ride and then lay on his back with no problems at all. To up the pressure I managed to swing my legs up onto his rump, thus lying face down with my face on his neck and my feet on his rump with my knees together. His head was a little raised to start but soon softened and I could reach under his neck and gently stroke him. I then dismounted on the opposite side to mounting him. Throughout this he did not move a muscle, even though there was a good deal of commotion on my part as I got my legs up. I like Pats video on this with his young trainer jumping up and down from a smallish colt. He placed a lot of emphasis on quickly getting on and off again. How on earth do I do this with a 17 hand horse ?? I have to use the largest mounting block to get on !! Another day of this and I will be willing to sit on him properly. I am purposely taking this all very slowly to help counter my lack of experience.
Big lesson of the day. READ THE SIGNS. If things are different to yesterday, stop and analyse why. Allow for the fact that the horse could be horse tired (dog tired does not seem an appropriate phrase).
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