learning and enjoying

This week thus far has been one for the books for Lou and I. I am early with my blog this week because I don't know when I am going to have a chance to write over the weekend. Hopefully I have 2 more days to work if the weather holds out, so far it has. This week, I stayed with the throw the saddle on and off repeatedly until she stands still. Always her standing still was the outcome. The first day this week she repeated the not wanting to transition to a lope, this time I didn't have any help around to help her through it, I just stayed steady with my asking, she eventually lightly crow hopped off into a lead, and loped away. She has transitioned very easily every time since, and what a mover! She is however having a little trouble picking up her left lead, not bad though she just seems to be a little awkward in it, but that doesn't worry me. The most exciting part for me is that after I transition her both directions up and down I open the gate and ride her around in the pasture, working on bending and turning around all the brush out in front of the house. She seems to be very confident and trusts me when I ask her, she isn't fighting anything at all, our little rides out get longer and longer each time. In our last session I went about saddling a little differently. Although she would be moving around I would throw the saddle on her that is when she would stop and relax. So I thought if I held the saddle like I was going to throw it on and went with her as she moved and set it down when she stopped, that it might work. It did! It didn't take long at all for her to find out that stopping her movement released the pressure. Soon she was standing still on a loose lead rope while I threw the saddle on and off a few times. Love the progress. Look forward to writing about more advances and progress next week. Thank you and God Bless, BW