Slow and Right Beats Fast and Wrong, Again.

Once more, Mo reminds me in a very vivid way that slow and right always beats fast and wrong.

Today, I revisited our zone five driving with two reins. This is something that isnt my favorite thing to do. *I* am not good at it, I dont usually enjoy it, Mo usually doesnt enjoy it because of my lack of enjoyment, and also, it usually causes me a lot of pain because of my useless achilles tendonitis. So, generally lacking in good times. Until today!

Ive been sound[er] myself lately, and wanting to progress more with my zone five driving. Inn little ways I have been adding it around just going from point A to point B with just the 12 or 22' and Mo has been getting progressively better with that. I think she just gets claustrophobic within two reins and feels trapped or unable to move her feet when her extroversion needs to take over, and the I dont know how to help her find the proper outlet without just dropping one rein and bringing her back to me. Plus, usually I run out of try in ME, because I am sore and want/need to stop walking/running.

Today was a different day. I have been remarkably pain free for the most part lately, thanks to some great physio, and Mo has practically been begging me to play with her [Zephyr to, but thats just how she is!] Its New Years Day, and as such, my other job is closed and I cleverly didnt book any thing else to do today, so I would have the option to do anything I pleased. Somehow, I struck a deal with Mother Nature, and won a day of plus four degrees celsius, so when I went out to feed this morning, I was happy to putter around and hang out for a while before going in and chanign to more oppurtune clothes and boots and then coming out to play with my Mo!

As soon as she saw me with that halter she came over and was trying to shove her nose in it while I got it ready for her. I already had the two feather lines on it - I had my plan. My goal is online and liberty Level 4 before the end of summer next year. This zone five driving phobia of mine has got to bite the dust! So we started with just some hanging out and working out what means go and turn. Turns are hard for Mo, because she just wants to pretzel around, and thats not really how driving works. She figured it out eventually and we headed off to hay pile number one. It was a slow process, lots of wiggles and stops and starts, but we made it there and chowed down [by we, I mean her]

On to hay pile number two! Slightly better, but still fairly wiggly. And so we went, hay pile to hay pile, each one getting a little less wiggly, a little more confident within the ropes. Our turns were getting more responsive and less pretzely [its a word!] and just everything generally more interesting. Mo was walking faster and getting the point of HAY to HAY was a great thing, so when I asked for a trot the first time, she went really easily! YEY!

So we trotted to a few piles and then moved on to the barrels out in the feild to see how a figure eight went. The first one was a little messy, just at a walk, but it was definately a figure eight! So we got a few good rounds until I felt her release a little and then powered back over to more hay. I think Mo is starting to like driving! Back to the figure eight a few more times and I got brave enough to ask for a trot! And we survived! In a number of ways. Mostly, in that Mo was a star and responsive, maintaining a nice slow trot and not running off or being afraid, and also because I didnt hurt! I jogged behind her without my ankle trying to kill me! Amazing!


A few really good turns and we trotted to hay. Came back again, and trotted some more and called it a day! When I let her go, Mo followed me around, so I got a hiarbrush and some cookies, stuffed her face full and brushed out some tangles :D

Mo is amazing. I am slowly going to learn not to avoid zone five driving, especially if it doesnt hurt me anymore!

:)
S