january 10, 2022

Had another session ourselves today, I planned to ride but when we got up to the arena, the sun was pretty strong and the snow was really starting to slide off the roof. He gave some big jumps at first, but he was focused on me by the end of the session even while the snow sliding down made some very sound noises. He kept trying to put me on his left side when I started out walking backwards. I listened and transitioned to walking alongside, which made him more comfortable but he still worried about the noise.

I sent him into trot quickly to keep his mind focused, and he soon settled and started to stretch forward down. It felt like he had a lot of energy, so I decided to try lunging. I keep my position the same as alongside handwork - my hips facing the line of the circle, staying at his shoulder, just further away. He had some emotional resistance, which is normal because we have struggled with lunging in the past, but with our groundwork I have a deeper self awareness and can be clear, confident and consistent in my direction. He responded to this very well and has a long W/T/C lunge in both directions. I then took him back to walking backwards, where he was responsive and not as mouthy as yesterday. I ended the session after a successful change of direction both ways (draw while walking on side).