Considering the amount of work I've been able to put forth with her which is minimal (once a week ground work, once a week short under saddle session) my little old knot head is just doing great! They say in horse training you take a few steps forward, and slide back some, and then the light goes on and you gain ground. Today's ride was evidence of that as we pitty-patted a nice soft trot, head down around the large oval I've marked out in the mud with landscaping timbers. The simple goal is to trot around the thing in a nice relaxed frame, put a little bend into the turns, don't flip your head in the transition from walk to trot, and then weave a pattern through the timbers using leg and minimal rein. Our lesson wasn't very long today as it was near perfect.
We have a whole lot of winter left to go. I'm saying a silent prayer that this winter we will have zero to none snow cover so that I can continue weekly with her and keep her brain in the right place. This is a huge step forward for Phebes, and I'm so proud of her. We just have to keep our momentum, and not slide backwards. My hope is to put someone else on Journey for part of this year (if I can draft a likely prospect) and let me ride Phebes. I need for her to be solid at walk, trot, and canter cues though or she's not going back off the place. We used to have it, so I just have to do some retraining as the slippery ground allows. Slowly...we are getting there. It feels good and extremely gratifying to be back up on her again.
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