january 24, 2022

Worked again on the side and I was better in my body and less loud with my aids. He still was biting, kicking and pinning his ears. I think he’s just testing what is allowed and I need to set my foot down. He is like a child, that now knows he can push limits and has a defiant streak in him, but knows when something is or isn’t allowed and respects the boundary given. My boundaries have been blurry. He also had some winter freshness and wanted to buck around on the lunge, but the line was slipping through the fingers in my new gloves and not going great.

I wasn’t working him through it, so Meg had a feel and set the boundary by creating her circle and clearly stating when something was not accepted and asking him to go more forward in one swift aid application. Once he settled we stopped it there so I could get on. I’m finding he has more self carriage in his shoulders and I can use my seat better to balance. He’s really starting to stretch forward down in the trot now. I can have a feel of contact and not hold.

We cantered for the first time under saddle here and it felt like a big step for me. I became aware of my mental state and feelings around it of not being food enough and how this has blocked me. My goals of letting go and finding self-awareness came closer to realization today. I do this because it’s fun and I love it. I can explore, play and learn without pressure. Embrace the challenges. 

This was the only picture I took today - the eggs for my breakfast sammy…