Offering

Cici is offering things I'm not asking for. Hmmm how interesting. We've been playing with the ball and her putting her nose on it and kicking it. Today I had the tarp crumpled and in a pile on the ground. I walked her over to it and she put her nose on the tarp, okay she has done this before, but now she is rubbing her nose on the tarp and then she took a piece of tarp in her mouth and lifted it up!

We have been playing with figure 8s on the ground around two cones. Today around one cone then she walked over to the other one and lifted her leg - she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do - guess she was thinking kick the ball - so she finally put her foot on the base of the cone. If only I had thought to ask her to do this LOL!

I am getting lots of licking and chewing.

And after all this nice quiet focused work I played with the circle game on the ground and then saddled her and played again. When I asked for canter I got NO! and then a buck. When she did canter and I asked for her to maintain it I got NO! and buck. I was planning on going out for a trail ride with Vivian. I'm now reconsidering.

So I played with lots of change of direction on the circle. Finally got her listening to me and thinking. But I noticed something she was doing that is different - when I asked her to back up she would and then put her head all the say down to the ground and look at me only with her left eye. Wondering what that is about. I waited for blinking and took this as okay to send. This is were I was getting those NO!s

After the changes of direction she was certainly listening, but noticed that now she was being reactive to things - like flicking the lead, moving the carrot stick. Decided to hand walk her, with saddle on, while Vivian rode.

Of course after being out on the trails for a few minutes I was thinking darn should have brought my helmet and put her bridle on. She was quiet and listening and focused on me and not giving me any problems re eating grass.

When our walk was over and I flicked the lead at her she barely raised her head. But I'm feeling good about honoring my feelings that she was not ready to be ridden. She wasn't at that time.

But I think she is really ready to go back out to the trails. The LBI is tired of being inside. Ahhhh, yesterday we played in the outside ring. And today was back to the indoor. And she was thinking she was going to be stuck in the indoor. And probably hence the tantrum. Okay if its not raining tomorrow we'll go out on the trails.

I love writing. I sure helps me process what is going on.