Testing and being tested

Today I headed out to the barn to ride Lily, while the BO rode Cibolo. She wanted to recreate the
problem and evaluate it.

In the meantime I've back slid a bit.

But let's start at the beginning. Once again I arrived before anyone at the barn, so I went ahead and fed everyone. No sense in standing around.

Then I took Lily and Cibolo over for a round penning session. Lily hasn't been ridden in weeks and I figures I'd just check how she was doing.

She had gotten a little pushy on the ground and I noticed she was no longer low horse. Shiloh, our old and somewhat sickly arabian at the barn. I suspect he's weakened somehow and Lily, having been pushed around for some time, is now pushing him around. Usually she doesn't dare come out to be put in her stall for eating before Shiloh. Today, she did.

So I figured this rather dramatic change in her world would affect her sense of herself in the greater herd as well.

Sure enough, she bucked up a storm in the round pen. Remembering the advice I've been given here, at every evidence of ... insolence (that term seems a little harsh...) or disrespect, I turned her. A buck, an unasked for change in gait, an attempt to come in before invited, I turned her on her haunches.

It's something like when we first bought her, except this time she didn't seem nervous. She seemed... irritated to be put back down a rung.

Once I got licking and chewing in both directions, I invited her in. She was lovely and giving. Followed me perfectly.

Then it was Cibolo's turn. He did pretty well, no bucking, but there was some gait issues, some attempts to come in. Nothing compared to the Lily session. Ironically.

On the trail, though, it was as it has been. Lily, at most barn sour and turning for the barn twice, Cibolo showing the BO his testing behavior. I'll write a bit more about it tomorrow. It's been a long day.