Tonight I had my second lesson of the week. We worked on the same things we worked on Tuesday, but today was better. Better because Brandi was in a mellow state of mind, and better because I prayed and decided to let go and let God guide me. I prayed that I let go of my own thoughts and worries - and not let the enemy crud my mind up with scary things - and to listen and obey. It was challenging not to let my own feelings dictate, but I worked at it and in the end it paid off!
We worked on getting Brandi to move away from me at the shoulder. I need to remember to position myself better - at her nose - and to ask, ask, tell... and to STAY AFTER HER UNTIL SHE DOES IT. I sometimes give up too fast or confuse any movement with compliance. I need to work on that. We lunged, sending her away with the stick and the rope, then stopped her with the rope and our energy, praising her by rubbing her with the stick. She is SO CRABBY when that stick is near her! Tracy and I both think someone at some point must have misused one on her and that's why she despises it so much. But as time went on, she was less crabby, and we needed less stick. Tracy suggests that I work on those things a little bit each time I come out. I agree.
I ended the lesson IN SADDLE, which always feels so good to me. When I get to that point, I find myself not wanting to get OUT of the saddle! :) But it was getting dark and Brandi was ready. She did a really good job and I am quite proud of her. She showed bravery today, and I, of all people, understand that whole-heartedly. It's not easy to be brave sometimes - so I'm hoping we will learn to be brave together. Moriah once told me that sometimes she and Sadie are unsure of something, but together they trust each other and go through it together. That is the kind of relationship I am going to strive for with Brandi Jo. She's worth every bit of it.
Tracy also suggested that I ride out with someone as much as possible. Brandi does really good with another horse, so use those good experiences. I think I'm going to ask Tracy to do 30 days of training, but this time instead of on Brandi, 30 days on me WITH Brandi. :) We did so well when we worked every day together, and she really, really enjoyed it. I want to commit - I'm going to talk to Tracy about it on Saturday.
And, Moriah and I are doing trade-out for senior pics, so I am going to ask her to ride Brandi out alone and help me desensitize her. This is gonna be awesome!! That little horse is gonna be a gem I tell you. She already is in her own way. She let me love on her after our ride today. I really enjoyed her calmness, and hugging her warm neck and snuggling in to her mane. One year ago that would NOT have happened! She would have been in a fit, pushing and running me over! Aw, heck. She's a good horse - and I want to look back on this post after a ride on Brandi 10 years from now and laugh at the struggles I think are so rough... look back and laugh at how green I was and how green Brandi was, and remember just how glad I am that I didn't give up, on myself or on Brandi.
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