Spring rides on Gypsy and IndyAnna

I took Gypsy (left) out for a ride yesterday. She hasn't been ridden since last fall, so it was way overdue. Unfortunately, I had a destination. I went to tour a new horse facility being built down the road from us at a neighbor's, so I told them that I'd ride over for a visit. So, consequently, poor Gypsy was pushed through a number of thresholds in order to get there and we had a pretty difficult ride. Had I bothered to just work with her around home a few times before taking her out (and/or just left her home and walked over!) rather than pushing her way beyond her comfort zone, both of us would have had a happier ride. The one silver lining, if you can call it that, is that I DID NOT get frustrated with her for being difficult like I would have before starting Parelli. Because she was unconfident, she kept wanting to turn back, and then when we finally did head home, she wanted to run. I did lots of circling on the way home every time she broke into a trot. She did eventually figure out that I wanted to keep her at a walk, but it was about as fast as a horse can walk and still call it a walk! Poor girl. She was pretty sweated up when we got home, and not from exertion.

Today, I wanted to go out and ride again, but wasn't picky on who it would be. So I went out to the pasture, sat down on a cavaletti and waited to see who came to see me first. Indy was the first to come up to me, so I got the halter and took her out to play a bit. She seemed pretty happy to be given a chance to get out of the pasture.

I started just with some Friendly, porcupine and driving games just to see how attentive she was (paying attention to me is always a challenge with her). She did pretty well. Her YoYo is pretty decent as well. Then I decided to open up the trailer and see if she'd go in. The last time we did this, she would only step up with her front feet and back out. She did that again this time (no hesitation) a few times, so I took her out and did some driving and squeeze games around and beside the trailer, and between the trailer and the shed, then came back and approached the trailer again. She stepped right in. No problem. She did lots of nosing around and moving from side to side and then backed out without hesitation or fear. I let her in and out a few times more and then went to get my saddle.

Last year I only saddled her with the English saddle and she never flinched. Today, I wanted to try my new Parelli western saddle on her and see if she would accept that as easily. I started with the pad first - no problem. Even when it fell off her when I moved her around, she didn't even flinch, but just looked down at it on the ground and nosed it. When I swung the saddle up on her though... that was a bit different. She trotted forward and around me, then stopped and turned and looked at it. The English saddle, I can lift and place on her softly. The western saddle, however, I really have to swing it up and over to get it on her -- it's quite a bit heavier. So there's a lot more "noise" with the western saddle. I took it off and put it on quite a few more times (from the right side of her). She never really stood still when I swung it up on her -- even after about a dozen or more attempts. Each time I took it off, I would walk away and let her approach and look at it. She had no problem coming forward and nosing it when it was off her back. But she objected to my swinging it up over and on her back.

The last attempt was from the left side of her and she stood perfectly still for my attempt from the left. I wonder why? Anyway, I did up the girth after that, walked and trotted her around and tightened it up a couple times. She never objected to any of the fussing and adjusting with the saddle at all, she virtually ignored me. So it doesn't seem to be the saddle on her back that bothers her, just the swinging it on her from the right. Will have to work on that some more. Maybe with the English saddle again and work back up to the western? Not sure.
Anyway, after I moved her around quite a bit in the saddle, I mounted up. Again, no issue. And no problem moving the saddle around while on her back. I swung the rope from side to side a few times. No problem. So I just let her walk around the yard and worked on getting her to move off my leg now and then, but mostly I just let her walk around. She trotted a couple times and I let her. Mostly she just seemed to want to go hunt for good grass. I let her do that too!

Considering I haven't been on her back since last fall, she did phenomenally well! I'm really impressed with her today. Makes me feel a bit less guilty about how badly I treated Gypsy yesterday! I'll make it up to her soon.