In our 'arena'.

I had a really nice ride on Ruby on saturday.  I wanted to go for a long ride, and still be able to look after her right brain introvert lack of confidence!  Since I have really worked out what is going on with her, I haven't ridden her 'out'.  Ruby seems to be calm on the surface, but she is a delicate little butterfly underneath.  The more I study her, the more I see how she is just 'coping', and being obedient, but isn't really confident.  When I am riding freestyle, with a loose rein, she gets impulsive and snotty.  It can be interpreted as her trying to take over, when what it really is is that she feels a lack of leadership from me.  I have been trying to give her too much responsibility.

So what I have been working on is being a very strong, but very gentle leader when riding her.  It has been a great awareness.  There have been a few things I have been doing to help her gain her confidence while riding.

The first is to ride with light contact.  This allows me to be able to quickly and gently redirect her if she starts to get ideas of heading off on her own path.  It also lets her know that I am still there, that I am with her, holding her hand.

The second is letting her know that I notice every time she has an idea that isn't my idea.  If she speeds up or slows down, I just gently pick up a rein to say 'hey, I noticed that'.  If she goes to change direction, even the slightest bit away from my focus, or cut a corner on a figure eight, I can close my fingers and tip her nose back, with the same intention, 'hey, I noticed that'.  It is gentle noticing, not 'you did the wrong thing', or 'don't do that!'.  It is more 'we are ok', 'stick with me'. 

Previously I would have thought this was micro managing.  But this is what I worked with Kaye Thomas on.  With Ruby it is not micro managing.  It is helping her find the confidence to realise that she is ok.  Trust me.  Follow my focus.  Then as she gets more confident, I give her more rein and responsibility.  She will 'earn' her loose rein.

The other point is that I have to have a really strong focus.  If I am sitting up there looking around at the scenery, Ruby panics, and wonders who is in charge of this outfit!  So I pick a point, like a tree, and if she deviates by a centimetre, I gently put her back on path, I am the leader.  She has nothing to worry about.

So on Saturday, I wanted to put it all to the test, and we went for a long ride through the bush, got to our 'arena' that flat bit out the back, did a bit of stuff there, then rode home again.  When we started out, Ruby was tight, unconfident, and had a threshold every few metres!!  I did all the of the above, kept a really strong focus, and softly reminded her to stick with me, that we were ok.  It was no time before she dropped her nose to the ground and started blowing and releasing all that tension.  It was really cool! 

By the time we were ready to walk home she was on a full loose rein, walking along with a low head, relaxed neck, and picking her way through the bush. 

Too cool!  AND she had pricked ears the whole time...