spins

I rode Shyloh again. And she was a brat. Actually, it was all rider error and mixed signals. . .but I will say that Shy took it pretty well, considering. 

Me and Terry wanted to take the horses on a bareback jaunt through the property. Shy had completely different plans, which mostly included spinning in circles and watching the racing horses gallop. Maybe she has secret dreams of becoming a Haflinger race horse?

Unfortunately, trolls cannot be race horses. 

We started out our ride going in a different direction than last week. Shy got constantly stuck in certain spots. One spot was the gate to the woods. I think she wanted to go in the woods, but I am not ready for that. I would turn her to go in the direction I wanted, to which she would comply, but then continue the turn all the way back around. 

Round and round in tight circles we went until I got dizzy and wanted to give up. I will admit, I was afraid that Shy would get scared of potential consequences until she just took off (it has happened before). But she didn't. In fact, she was completely calm and just very matter of factly kept spinning so she could face the direction she wanted. 

Terry kept pushing me to fix my self, fix my reins, make Shy listen. Shy was determined to not listen to me. So, Terry got on and of course Shy was perfect. Go to the back of the property without a fight? No problem. Trot the most comfortable, best trot ever? Sure! Although, Terry did almost slide off Shy when Shy performed her wiggle that had her front end turning one way and her back end going the other. But that is Shy's M.O. Perfect rides for new riders and old riders (if she hasn't been ridden in a while). The next ride is the testing ride, to see what she can get away with. 

I got back on and Shy was back to her old games. Spin, spin, spin. Fancy sideways moves. Spin. Go forward, slam on brakes, spin. Terry pointed out (correctly, I will add), that all of Shy's behaviors on this ride are my fault and she is totally pushing my buttons. Also, we were in a negative feedback loop. . . Shy spun, I got tense and locked up, she spun more, I got tense, more spinning. I need to loosen up. Shy was waiting for me to give up. And I was ready to, but Terry would not let me. 

Eventually, after much convincing on my part, I got Shy to the back of the property. Whew. Walking back to the front, we had such a lovely forward walk. I relaxed. But I did not let Shy go to the spot that she was seeking out, the tack up area. I stopped her way before that and got off, then walked her around a bit before we went there. 

After, I was frustrated with my inability to to relax and make her do what I wanted. I was frustrated with Shy for giving me such a hard time. But, I was also grateful that she remained calm and didn't become the ball of tenseness that she has become in situations like this in the past. And for that, I am relieved that she has come so far. Now I need to work on me.