Soft and Warm

Today, Zeek and I went by Gwin for about an hour and a half. Zeek stayed in the Jeep with the windows open reading and using his media hour. 

I worked Gwin on the ground in the round pen. First I used a lounge line (a morning tip I got from my A. Jude to help communicate head and body positioning). She did really well, and I was able to turn her in when I needed to. 

Second I worked her around with no lounge. She turned in to me perfectly whenever I asked her to stop. So nice. 

After that little work out of the mind and feet, I attached her rope reigns to her rope halter and did some more work bareback with leg reigning. I don't know why for sure, but when I got on her at first, she pinned her ears and backed at me a little. ??? It could have been that she wasn't expected me to mount off the fence. OR because it was my first time on her bareback skin to skin, because I was wearing shorts. 

Whatever it was, I checked her all out, reassured her, and let her get calm and ready before we began.

Her leg reigning is getting better and softer everyday. Which of course, it should. I'm just so proud of her. We worked on backing near the end of our session. She isn't quite understanding what I'm asking, and the leg cues are confusing her to where she isn't even sure what I mean when I ask her with the reigns as a last resort. 

We will continue working on that slowly. I'm just so pleased that we are connecting, warm and soft on the ground and riding. THIS is what I want from our relationship. Good listening and respecting, both from one to the other.