Played with Maya after work yesterday - she's getting more confident with me, definitely, asking her to squeeze over new ditches is no big deal, she even anticipates - but I should start doing other things with ditches so she doesn't JUST think we're going to jump them!

Circling game is still a mess - I wasn't very focused yesterday because my sister and nephew came out and were watching me, it distracted Maya for a bit, and then I felt like I needed to explain what I was doing.

After circling going so wrong and RB I decided to slow everything down and just play friendly & porcupine games with her. We did smell your tail, very nice and soft, and I picked up both front feet from one side with ease for the first time. She understood what I was asking for. Used to be that she would keep picking up the near foot when I was asking for the off one. I haven't tried back feet, yet- I have a bit of a "move closer stay longer" issue with the back feet. Though she's getting much lighter and offering more when I ask for her back feet.

She's so lovely to halter and unhalter - I finally understand why we bend their heads towards us and ask for it to be soft when putting on or taking off the halter - it's mental. Brace in the body is a brace in the mind. No brace in the body - soft mind! I let the halter pretty much fall off her nose when we release and then it's not a big "WHOOPEEE!" to get away like most horses used to give me before I had this savvy. She wasn't quite as easy to cath yesterday as she was the day before - we had to play catching game for about a minute.

When I released her for her roll in the round pen she did just that - and there were a bunch of distractions. People riding in the field above us, kids yelling and playing in another house nearby - and then my sister arriving. She wanted not much to do with me - I just persisted with catching game until she was really with me and then we haltered and played.

It's so much fun, even though I don't feel much progress in the circling game. I think I'll re-watch everything about circling tonight from Level 1, 2 and L&HB - that ought to give me some new insights!

I wonder who Pat and Linda are going to call in the Savvy Club ? I keep trying to think of questions to ask them... so far they're all around circling game! No wonder! I'm trying to figure this out on my own and when I run out of things to try, I'll call Fawn and talk to her about it. I could save myself some trouble, I'm sure, but I want to try to do this on my own. It's not that I'm worried about asking her, it's just that I really feel like I *can* solve this - and I'm not frustrated at all by it, just FASCINATED! I love this new me!

I realize how rude I've been with Maya in the past, just saddling up and trying to ride to the mailboxes, or trail ride with other people when she wasn't connected to me. I think things will start to go better with that, now that we're becoming more connected on the ground.

I love my horses. I miss playing with Bailey - but imagine how much better I'll be for her once I start again with all this practice with Maya! I already have new savvies around thresholds and confidence to share with her!