Spotty Pony Liberty

This last week, I have really been focusing on my spotty pony, she is the first pony I play with in the morning and we have been touching a little in all four Savvies, though mostly Liberty, then some freestyle with a little GOC thrown in. I am hypothetically getting her ready for a show on the 19th, and the 26th.  We practiced a little pretend Dressage test yesterday though, and it was a bit dicey, so who knows. There is still lots of time for more bit confidence!

What has really been a highlight though, is her Liberty. I am really really surprised. I know I shouldnt be, because this is the crazy super learner I am dealing with here, but somehow, I still am! The first day we played at liberty it was just an explosion. We were connected online, everything was great, so I went into the round corral, took off the halter and she trotted away. ... guh... Ouch. Enter catching game, a lot of it. She would run away with herself [RBE] and then notice me, yeild, but not come forward, so mostly the first day, all we did was figure out that I was a good place to be. At the end we also got some nice Touch-It with the two barrels I had set up for a figure eight.

Day two was much better, she didnt leave when I took the halter off. We started with some core yeilds and she mostly stayed with me. When I started to get into some Stick-to-Me though she left a bit, so we went back to catching game and then some yo-yo and sideways into a deliberate circling game. The challenge, with both my ponies it seems [well, Mo and Indy] is changes of direction. When I would back up to draw, they would just stop and look out of the pen... send forward and they would get worried, disengage and then its game over and then what? So we were stuck for a little while. To muc pressure would cause her to squirt back through towards the fence, but I just did what Linda showed on the latest Savvy Club dvd and tagged if she did that, but be neutral in my re-direct if she changed towards me. Somehow, magically, goodness who knew this stuff worked, she stopped turning towards the fence.

She will still sometimes kind of drift her focus out of the corral on a draw, but if I just wait for it she will still come back and change direction. It took a little too, for her not to just JUMPSTART off into the change, to realize that there was no tag coming, and she could leave with rhythm and relaxation. We got some actual figure eights on day two. Whhoot!

Day three was good too. We started with all of our close things, we played with not making assumptions when I send sideways or back, to read my energy and not just keep going until you hit a fence. That was interesting. She figured it out pretty quick. We played with more circles and coming in for close circles, which was really cool, and our figure eight was really nice! Changing from right eye to left is easier for her, going left to right still gets sticky a bit. But its a work in progress :) Pretty ok for three [focused] sessions!

Riding has been going well too. I have been fidgeting a lot with my posture and figuring myself out, espeically my left sideself. I need to find some stretches for hips and flexors I think. My left hip flexor is was tighter than my right, which is affecting my ability to stretch into the stirrup I think. Indy has been offering some really nice stretches and all gaits, which is a miracle. I honestly never thought I would figure out how to help her stretch. I just thought I would always be dealing with a head-up kind of pony... When she does stretch though, its a wow. She just gets so smooth and powerfull.... her canter when she rounds out is amazing. I havent figured out how to help her find middle ground of not pulling me down out of the saddle at a canter yet, but the trot is coming along marvelously! The best part is, its all her idea! Steady in-gait is best, transitions up are still iffy, but down is rock solid stretchy! She still gets a little emotional in upwards transitions, especially to canter and takes a few strides to find the stretch and rhythm.

Yesterday we went for a conditioning run around the hay feild. We did a lap at a trot and then a canter lap each way standing in the stirrups and she definately found some really nice rhythm. Forward is NOT an issue with this pony! Its when I try and slow her down to fit in the dressage ring that we get into trouble! :)

Mo is doing really nicely too. We were on the same Liberty patterns as Indy for two days, then I missed yesterday in favour of riding Gambler before her, and then it rained a whole lot so my afternoon of Mo and Zephyr and Chance got changed to housework... oh well. Mo's Liberty confidence is coming along nicely too. We played with some catching game to start too, and I think that surpised her a little. I really waited for it to be her idea to stay and didnt try to keep her when she came, we just kept on going and if she left, then more catching game. When she stayed it was just wonderful... to the point of close range canter circles. We got some nice figure eights too, once she figured out the draw on a circle towards me on day two.

The thing with Mo is she knows it all, and she tries to be obedient in the round pen, and then because of ME doing stupid things in the past, I have blown her up and caused her to be unconfident so she gets really RBI in that situation. As soon as we leave the pen, I get LBE/LBI Mo back. Its IN then pen ... I am trying really hard to have it be a confident place now. And so far so good I think :)

We havent been doing to much really riding. We had one ride with some GOC when she was really avoiding contact, so we did lots of stretching forwards etc... and then two days ago when it was a trillion degrees we just took Zephyr out on a trail walk and it was so hot that both came back sweaty just from walking! It was still really fun though :) They are both trail super troppers, blazing through grasses taller than all of us! Zephyr was a pro in her bareback pad too :) All grown up! [onlynotyet]

So thats where we are at. My brain is slightly thinking that maybe my L4 Liberty horse is Indy, but I think my heart wont let me NOT try it with Mo. Maybe I can audition with both, and then they can mash it all together and take the best bits of each and pass me that way? HA! Unlikely, but wouldnt that be awesome? The in-corral stuff with Indy - her forte, and the out of pen stuff with Mo. Deal.

At least I finally feel progressive about it. And I am putting up a temporary fence between the play ground and shed/barn to try and stop Mo's "Im leaving and running to the barn/shed/hiding ok??" At least now I might have a chance of regaining her attention and setting us up for a success! Gooberball pony.

In other exciting news! I am hoping to get to go play at a friends house in a few weeks!! We are going to film each others auditions, so it should be a super fun time! Me and Mo love outings :D

:D
S