It's been a busy two days for America and I. We went to a playday yesterday and played with all kinds of interesting new obstacles: umbrellas, cushions on the ground, a balloon squeeze, a hay ring tipped on end to use as a squeeze, trailer loading into a different trailer, being introduced to the plastic bag on the cs, and being in a pen next to another mare at lunch time.
America did well at all the challenges, even backing through the hay ring squeeze. We've done so much backing through gates I think she thinks that's normal now lol!! The one thing we need to work on is when there is something in her zone 5; she is a bit unconfident about it. It's not extreme but she does want to turn her zone 5 just a bit when she approaches the object.
I was happy when, at lunch time, I put her in a pen between a horse she knows and a little Arab mare. There was the tiniest bit of squealing by the two mares but again, nothing extreme and they settled in and were quiet through lunch.
We played online; I would have liked to ride a little but it was REALLY hot after lunch so I opted to head home instead. When I got home, I got America settled and I jumped in the pool...ahhhhhhh...it felt so good!!
Today I had Sheree over again and after warming up at liberty, we played with FTR at the trot to the left first and then to the right. America again preferred going to the right but it was easy to sort that out and soon she was walking then trotting nicely to the left. She was a little bit impulsive at the start but within 2-1/2 to 3 laps, she began to relax and her trot smoothed out. Within another two laps, she was even in her strides and was asking questions so I asked her in to the center to rest.
After the rest, Sheree used a direct rein to ask America to go to the right. After two relaxed walk laps, Sheree asked for the trot and America went into a really nice, relaxed trot. After two trot laps, Sheree asked for the canter. This took a bit of convincing and going through the phases, including using the ss but America began to canter. As expected, she was a bit impulsive but started to relax within 1-1/2 laps so I asked her in to the center to rest. America was standing next to me, with Sheree still mounted and America had her right hind cocked, very relaxed. After a few minutes, Sheree dismounted and I unsaddled America and took her to hose her off. After hosing, Sheree and I took America out to hand graze, spending undemanding time with her.
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