Tuesday with Try

I really didn't want to go to the barn today as I didn't think Try needed to see me and I could have used the day differently myself BUT with three days of bad weather coming decided to do it anyway.

When I drove in I could again see the tension and unhappiness in her just standing in her pasture near the fence. Later when I went to get her, she saw me from a distance and walked away to hang out at the side fence with the yearlings in the next pasture. It was obvious she didn't want to do anything with me. But I went ahead with the catching game. She did not come to me! I went to her, gave her a treat and stroked her a bit. When I went to halter her she walked away! So not like her. So catching game--she actually took off with a couple HUGE bucks and galop to the gate and when I changed direction repeated that to come back to the yearlings. Then started again with catching game (never in all this matching her big energy--even tho I love to play that way--my intuition said it was not the thing to do if she is not well.). This time she came to me from 6 feet or so away after thinking about it. Haltered and went in to groom and tack up.

My goal was to have a very light easy ride walk and just a little slow trot to loosen her up while we wait for the vet to come Thursday. Lots of activity in the ring. MH was finishing up a dressage lesson and BA was riding Frank with Jocelyn filming flat work and jump course. So I walked Try staying out of the way.

I was able to play with what I am exploring as the big 4 (can't remember 10 all at once LOL)
1. Seat pad muscles/abs/grounded/alignment sh/h/h I can handle as one
2. Feet grounded in the stirrups sharing some of my body weight with my seat.
3. Knit ribs. If played with rib to ab connection as a way to ask Try to lift her top line.
4. Thumbs--Kelly and Dawn have both talked about this and I did practice it last spring--even driving in the car--then forgot. Actually its not all thumb as the thumb presses on the first finger to hold the reins then the remaining fingers can be soft.

Also played with
1. standing in the stirrups with stacked alignment. with that saddle I find I can stand and be stacked correctly but I had to pitch it all forward just a little to be balance at a walk.
2. windmilling my arms: I have a pilates warm-up routine I do that involves connecting ballet porte de bras with inhale, exhale engaging my lower abs. I did that and played around with variations.

While walking I was able to also play find my focus or ride the line with a soft feel (All the above was riding on the buckle.) The first few were great--then Try lost interest and I had to use the soft rein aid.

Next after everyone left a couple laps of loose trot, on the buckle, letting Try pick her tempo.

We finished by leaving the ring and having Try choose where she would like to go, if at all and she chose to leave the farm and walk up the road a ways and then chose to return. After groom, treat and turn out she was so much more relaxed and soft in her body.

She had several moments today where she seemed to leave the planet--she had gone so internal I did not feel the connection. It really scared me--she was just gone. Sooo hoping Thursday I can find out what is going on and have a fix so she can feel good!