November 29, 2013

Phebes session 3

We are coming along Phebes and I.   Today was session three, but maybe I should talk about yesterday session 2.  I worked with her a some in the round pen.  Finally threw a leg over and did some low key riding in there.  Everything seemed okay.  Brought her out into the bigger riding area (still fenced, but open) and didn't want to ground mount so walked her over to the stump.  She sort of took an attitude so I thought I'd better adjust my sails, and clipped the longe line back on her.  Walked her out to the center and cued her to trot off on the line.  Some pretty wild acrobatics ensued which delighted me in my change of direction.   She galloped, bucked, farted, and threw in some head twirling for good measure.  So I thought, well---okay, we need to work through this, and we did. We worked at it until she was slow, relaxed, and her head in a lower position.   I didn't climb back on board, but did finish with a tired and complacent pony.   So today we saddled up and did the longing first, and then I went back to the mounting stump, climbed on, and we had no issues.  So we are getting there, chipping away at it slow and steady.  I do not want her frantic and up, trying to keep it all as low key as I can within my control.  Right now it is just walk, and bend, yield this way or that, and back up. 

Then I saddled Journey who has been on vacation for a full month.  She was worse than Phebes!  The neighbor has moved cattle onto the field and Journey hates them. She was snorting, head and eyeballs in the air, and it was the first time I've ever really considered baling...but I didn't.  We rode on our own property since it is deer season, and I brought her back and put her on the long line.  Let her work through some of that built-up high octane, and then climbed back on and worked on leg yielding and we've started on neck reining.  She is also getting a pretty good bend to her as we go 'round things. 

A busy but satisfying couple of days.

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