Well Sunday we tracked the steers again. It went well...Lindsay isn't the least bit concerned about them. I'd love to find another place to haul with some new cow faces for her to see. I think it would help us to track some new faces...or tails, but these have been just perfect to get her used to them.
Monday we worked at home and all went well. Worked lots on stops, changes and spins.
This morning I decided I better start jumping her if I am going to...keep forgetting that! I put her in the round pen to let her free jump a time or two and get used to how to carry herself over a fence. It was absolutely hilarious! I have not done any round pen work in a very long time, seems like ages ago! Lindsay was a different horse in there...way more confident in me than before and she wanted to play big time. It was such a trip..I would send her out to the rail to work then bring her in to me to "join up" and she got soooo into it she'd bounce all the way to me...rearing, dancing on her hind legs, bouncing all up in the air...now don't get me wrong, she was not being aggressive or disrespectful of me at all, she was just having a blast while still doing as I asked. She was having so much fun, it was awesome...I really am in awe that this is the same horse that seemed to have no interest in any type of "play" activities before..she was always so proper and to the point...now it's like the little kid in her has emerged and the personality has exploded out :) I love it! ...One might thing she would appear "broken" from this "domestication" process, but it's quite the opposite...she's more full of personality and charisma now than ever before!
I did send her over the jump, amidst her leaps and bounces on her own, she poped over the fence easily and willingly, no hesitation. So after a bit more playing we tacked up english and set out to pop over a jump in the arena. She was a star, very quiet and just hopped right over, lift has sure never been an issue for her so it makes perfect since jumping would be a breeze.
We also practiced our rope gate as well as the wooden bridge Mike so kindly built for us. I tried to make the bridge scarier by putting fake flowers on it on both sides, but it didn't phase her. Here over the past week she's really become much better about the whole inanimate object thing. She still gets tense at some things, but way better than before. That night I spent tossing the feed bag filled w/ cans over her back a trillion times really helped I believe....not sure if I remembered to write about that...I was probably so tired of thinking about that bag of cans I didn't even want to write about them! It took a loooong time for her to stop jumping each and every time I'd drop the bag or toss it, but eventually she did...and ever since other "friends" have become less terrifying....I sure hope her new friends will not be to scary for her in Texas!
We also worked more on holding our bow. Sometimes, she'll want to pop back up out of it sooner than I asked for, so we worked lots on holding it...poor thing, I think I wore her out...she finally just laid down!!! I guess that was easier than holding that bow forever and she knew she wasn't supposed to get up. I'd love to teach her to lay down as well as bow, but we'll just take our time with that... even though I was tickled to see she was willing to today. I do not plan to use any ropes or hobbles to do it, and have not thus far...so she will need to be very comfortable with what I am asking to figure it out consistently.
So between cows, jumping, bowing, stops, spins, changes, gates and bridges we've had quite the diverse few days. Anyone that ever thought horses were "stupid" is truly an ignorant person. Her level of intelligence and ability to have a diverse dialogue with me through simple body language is simply astounding. It really is like she is excited she has found these new things she can do. I know of course she always could do them w/o me, but just watching her play in the round pen I can tell her body is so much more educated and in control than it was before. She was doing this little uphill canter just about in one spot in the most beautiful self carriage, w/o me or a saddle on her back...it was like she was showing off all her new tricks for everyone :) It makes my heart smile to see her seem to really enjoy life and her new lifestyle...watching her in the round pen today I tell you she seemed much more of a "free spirit" than she even did when she arrived...it's like she's just now really been able to start to be her true self and her true self is Full of PERSONALITY!!!!! I just Love it!!!
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