May 28, 2008

All after work experiences should be this good. I got there around 7 pm, finding Spree alone in the left field. Chance, her pasture mate, is off at the breeders getting knocked up by some handsome Paint stud. The 2nd time I came out to meet Spree, she and Chance took off like rockets, avoiding Jenn and I like the plague. This time, as I walked through the gate, Spree walk/trotted over the greet me. I didn't even have any treats! She was super interested in me and what I was doing, which was charming.

Jenn had just gotten home, so I worked a little on what Parelli calls "The Friendly Game," which is basically where you're touching your horse all over, soothingly, just to see what they'll accept and what they won't. Obviously the end result is that you want to be able to touch them anywhere you want to, and with bags, blankets, etc, and not have them spook. Spree didn't mind being touched anywhere that I tried, and she let me hold her hooves for a decent amount of time as well. After that, I decided to free lunge her myself, my first time doing so. I tried to stay very aware of my body language, and if she did something I didn't want, I made sure it was because SHE was being pesky and not my asking incorrectly. I then had her follow me around without a lead on, and she did exceptionally. She'd been listening, responding and being respectful the entire time. When Jenn got there she worked with me on lunging on lead. I need to remember to KEEP MY FEET STILL. Keep them still when I'm asking her to back away from me, keep them still when I'm asking her to move out of change directions on lead.

After a little more lunging, we tried the saddle. What an improvement! Jenn's worked with her a few times since last time, and if Spree tried to evade (which only happened a couple of times), she jerked the lead rope hard up under her chin and backed her up. Then she stood very still. She had a moment of crabbiness when Jenn was tightening the girth, but more lead rope snapping and backing up cured that! I put her bridle on, and figured out that I could use this half-platform nearby as a mounting block. She was still pretty full of beans, so we worked in the small lunge pen, having her make figure 8's and small circles, keeping her at a walk because she kept wanting to break into a trot.

After we moved into the big field, I started concentrating more on my riding than anything else. I do well when I focus on being balanced and really letting my body go with her movements, but I catch myself riding wayyyyy too much with my hands, and my hands keep wanting to turn over into bear paws. I feel like I need a lesson sometime soon, so a trainer can kick my ass and tell me everything I'm doing wrong. Spree is such a responsive, willing and sweet girl, and I wouldn't want to me her sour from anything I'm doing wrong. I wish I'd gotten to ride longer, but everything else took awhile and I needed to get home to dinner. I plan on spending a ton of time out there on Saturday for sure. Maybe Friday night as well, depending. It was a really encouraging evening though, and I'm totally smitten with her.