Day 3

Started with the usual lunging and ground work.  Only had a few awkward moments trotting to the right on the lung line.  Its really quite odd how she trots forward a couple steps to the right and then decides she can't do it anymore, stops then pivots to the inside of the arena and looks at me.  The look she gives me when she does this is like she is trying to tell me something, all I can do is tell her that I am listening and convince her to go step by step through the routine again.  There is a mental block that extends to a physical block this direction for her, but it is slowly going away.  Work more on getting her to step out and crossover this direction.  Also start to the right next time on the lunge line that way you go bad side to good side.  

So I decided now that we were settling into a warm up routine I was curious to see what she is like being ridden.  Now there is always two types of horses.  Those who learn best on the ground and those who learn best being ridden.  So I never know what to expect when I get on a training project.  I always think "are they going to equate what they have learned on the ground to being ridden? or am i going to have to completely start over?".  I would say that Magic is the type of horse that can apply what has been taught to her on the ground to what is going on under saddle.  

Walking was good, she had a calm long stride and was playing with the idea of giving to my hand like i taught her on the ground.  I did a couple halt transitions through my seat to my hand.  Magic was exceeding my expectations at this point so i decided a little trot might be fun.  She actually has a nice smooth trot which is surprising because half the time the front half of her body is doing the opposite of the back half of her body.  Worked on getting her soft and round into my hand at the trot, she was quite willing most of the time, every once in a while she would get off balance and throw her head up and scurry off at the trot and I would just bring my hands up and ask her to slow down and rebalance.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but we aren't looking for perfection yet, baby steps.  

The cool thing about that ride is, when she was soft in my hand and trotting decently balanced, if i closed my eyes she felt just like Caley, which was really a strange feeling for me.  I have ridden many horses over the last 10 years since I got Caley and no one has ever felt like Caley before.  Strange but cool.

After my fun I wanted to see Magic and Maggie interact again.  So i figured a little lunging work would do and I wanted to see what kind of trot Magic would give Maggie on the ground.  Things started off kind of slow, Magic was wondering why Maggie was now standing at the end of the lunge line.  The nice thing to see is how magic wanted to follow maggie and play with her, its the same way Caley interacts with me.  Magic has dubbed Maggie her person, you can see it in her body language and eye, its a very special bond.  Going to the left everything was great, Magic listened to all of Maggies commands.  Going to the right started out nice, but i think Magic was getting tired at this point and was hoping we would be done soon.  Magic wouldn't trot to the right so Maggie got into Magic's space and made a demand that she should trot.  Magic wanted to heed Maggie a warning that she was pushing it, so Magic gave a little cow kick out at Maggie.  Luckily Maggie didn't look to upset by this interaction.  But I stepped in and talked to Maggie about why Magic kicked out and how to still ask her to do something but avoid upsetting Magic.  

With horses all you have is body language.  You have to watch them all the time.  Are they shifting in towards you? are they shifting out away from you?  Is there eye on you? ears forward? backwards? swishing of the tail?  

It is important to watch the horse as a whole.  Are there ears forward because they are looking at there friend in the field or are they forward because they are looking at you?  When i step closer to the horse do they move away or toward me? and when i step towards them do they tense and ears drop back or are they relaxed with flappy ears?  I need to start working with Maggie on how to read these signs, that way she can start to communicate better with magic and not upset her.  Its alot to learn and it will take work, but as much as Magic has to learn so does Maggie.