Yesterday played with Maya a bit in the paddock, driving game from zone 3, lead by the foot, porcupine and driving backwards. She's good at put your nose on something, especially since I usually pick clumps of old grass that are beginning to be uncovered. ;-)

Played with Bailey, too - I didn't read her indignation/uncertainty properly and proceeded to try to get her to give me her opposite front foot - the head toss, tail swish and almost nip weren't enough to stop me and they should have been. Her final choice was to offer to kick me in the head (which I declined by ducking out of the way). When I told Matthew he said "you shouldn't do those things alone!" I just said, "No, I shouldn't mis read my horse so badly!" Now I know. Sorry Bailey. We started again with friendly from the side I wanted to pick up, then progressed and it was better.


Today Bailey wanted to stick her head in the halter but I wanted to play with Maya so I approached her, she left I retreated, re-approached and this time she stood still while I scratched her and asked her to put her nose in the halter. We walked down the driveway to the road where the ditches (not very deep) are flowing with spring run-off. She had a nice drink from one after a couple of retreats to build confidence and then we walked down the road near the nieghbour's house - there we squeezed over the creek, through the creek (ditch, but more like a creek right now), rolled in the snow and nibbled on new buds and trees. Then we went to the road and played circling game, falling leaf, backwards s-s (she really gets offended on the right side of her body during falling leaf). We got two laps of circle. I find if I have to be firm to send her, she keeps going, but if I get firm when she stops on the circle she gets upset and unconfident, so I brought her in, sent her again and this time she made three laps to the right. Best yet with no stops. She didn't want to go left very much, but we persisted, yo-yoing her back and then leaving her there until she could stand, bringing her in and back again, THEN sending. Not as good as to the right, but if I keep up daily play we'll get there in no time.

We then moved on to porcupine. Ball or Chair? Neither. Absolute, immovable BOULDER in the hindquarters with the carrot stick. Can I lean on that, mum? Can I bite it? Not quite the answer I was looking for, so to give her the idea I switched gears and we played hq driving game FAST and then went back to asking softly for porcupine, SLOW. I got two continuous steps (with one good disengaging cross over) and QUIT - accross the creek once more for a roll in the snow and then back to the paddock with a stop for some shedding blade action and nibbles on dry winter grass. About an hour all-told.

What I really love is when she gets so in synch with me that when I trot off, she trots off and when I stop suddenly, she stops suddenly. SO. VERY. COOL. That's usually on the way back to the paddock, so I figure I'm doing *something* right.