This morning I was able to get out and work with Rogue for about an hour. My four year old filly was sure full of it and did not want to stop. In fact, she got antsy when my barn manager came up and started discussing stuff with us when I was working her; had to stop her and listen to be respectful. She hadn't been worked in days and gets rather energetic to be brought out of the stall and handled. The more I handle her, the more she wants (which I love).
She has been working very well with her lunging. I can give her all verbal cues without having to follow her movements with the lunge whip (back up for when she thinks she wants to act up- don't hit her with it at all; it just cruises behind her to help drive her forward sometimes). She was just walking and trotting, but now I have her cantering nicely as well. Her stops are magnificent too. My girl no longer tries to keep walking up to me. She stops on the "whoa" cue and waits right in place until I tell her, "Come here" and she comes up for the side swap.
I can get on her back without her shifting around or trying to move from me. She let's my fiancé (David) lead her and give her cues to respond to as I use my legs to try to get her to register the two together. It's a neat technique which seems to be working =)
I am about to order her some custom tack from Sunsethalters.com so that I can ride her and not deal with bits. I've decided bitless is the way to go with her, especially since I had made sure the bit was not tight on her, and she had major galls on the corners of her mouth without it being messed with. She will respond better without it anyways. She is already so responsive to just the mildest of pressures (barely any pressure needs to be applied to get her to back on her stubborn days; on her good days she doesn't need anything but the cue), so a side pull will be enough for her ^_^
I am very proud of my girl. She's been highly motivated to work and tries her best not to be too sassy (though sometimes she cannot resist). I know I need to work her out on the grass; the round pen is just not worth it with the packed clay flooring. It makes her sore in the feet, so I am moving her training elsewhere. The only time I will use the round pen is for when I mount her or just plan on walking her around. I am hoping to make more progress with her in the next coming weeks, because my goal is to ride her on my birthday. She loves when I am on her, and I'll be darned if I don't love it too!
