Playtime!

Yippee! got time to play yesterday. Did a review of several games to start with just to see what frame of mind Maestro was in, he was obviously ready to play because he was tuned in straight away. He was on my 22' and the barrels were lined up, which was my plan for somewhere in the session. Stick to me was good, although I realised my energy was greater than his, when we moved up to trot. However true LBI, he decided that treats made it far more interesting! We did a few transitions, walk-trot-walk-turn on the HQ-rest, and these were good, getting smoother each time. Big reward for Maestro, a big big scratch all over - his nose was wrinkling, neck stretching, he loved it!

We walked over to the pedestal and he immediately stepped up and over, going diagonally across the square. I asked him to come round and stop before crossing over again. I had to lift and put a slight wiggle in the rope to stop him, as he was anticipating that he should cross and didn't check in with me. I asked him to put first his front legs on, stop, then his back legs. At this point he had committed his weight too far forward to stop, so he walked over and I disengaged his HQ, which he did so lightly. He stopped with his nose near my left shoulder, which is becoming a bit of a habit with him, so I decided to be more particular, and moved him back and sideways using small movements of my c/s until he was directly opposite me. Reward was big scratch up and down his nose! He was leaning into this, and i thought is he trying to dominate me
using Z1? So, i planted my feet and rubbed just a tiny harder. He released his pessure on me just a fraction, and kept rubbing, so I'm thinking maybe he just wanted a firmer scratch. on the other hand, maybe he realised I had his game worked out.

We went back to the pedestal and this time he came over slower and stopped when i raised the rope when he had all four feet on, and then only his back feet on it. He backed up to all four feet on again from my life and finger wave. At this point i was really happy to leave it there, so we went to weave the barrels. This was fun! He got the pattern straight away, and we could do it at trot with me quite a way from the barrels, 6-10 feet? Must concentrate and note the length accurately next time. He took the instruction to move to the far side of the barrels from my c/s, just holding it horizontally by my side, slightly forwards and towards Z1 worked for him. At the end of the barrels he spied the pedestal, and so trotted on his circle and straight to it and stopped with his front feet on it - very pleased with himself! - So was I!!

After treats and a scratch i jumped on and it was so good just to sit there scratching his withers. He was still for a good couple of minutes and then he offered to move so i took a passenger lesson. The only time i took over was when we went past the gate of the corral which was open, but it took only a small increase on my focus, and slight pressure from my left leg to keep us straight. I was using my savvy string for reins, and so as Mike Bridges says my hands were riding in front of the pommel, even though it was only finger tip contact. showed me just how my hands affect my body - BFO!!

Ended after this, and jumped off. Maestro stuck to me all the way up the field, no charging off or rolling, he's doing this more and more now, like he sees it as his place when i'm in the field. Kept looking at his ears and thinking about the horses faces in the savvy highlights assessments. His ears were sideways, on me. I kept thinking he looks a bit under pressure, unhappy, but as soon as i stopped he did, when i walked again he did. There was no force, coersion, actual or implied pressure. He was free to do as he wished. I am thinking maybe his ears were like that because he was concentrating on me. I frown when i concentrate, maybe my horse is my mirror....