So - About last night...

In the grand scheme of things it wasn't much, just a 1/2 hour single line lunging session in the school, but Bally's work ethic, her intelligence and willingness to try her socks off for me just makes me feel so humbled and privileged to have such a special little mare in my life

We did our usual in hand walk around the school to warm up, making sure B is with me, attentive and watching for cues and relaxed enough to be able to pay attention.

Then it was on to walk work, starting with 10 metres circles and then back to going down the long side - all it takes now is for me to change the way I hold my lunge whip and B changes from straight to circle and back again - she just does it...seamlessly, effortlessly...Wow!
We worked at this on both reins and she's just so much better and settled, The idea that walk means walk and listen, stop when I say stop has taken root.

Then I introduced some poles - a set at walk distance and a raised set for trot - now this wasn't quite so perfect - despite the fact that she's been over through and round them a couple of times Bally took one look at the walk poles and said (quite politely lol) "No thank you!" So I just led her in hand over the first time, praised like mad and then popped her on a 10m circle to work it out herself. She needed the support of me framing the circle or she would do the first two and cut across towards me, so we worked on keeping her softly bent out on the circle and by go four she'd got it like a pro!

I then asked for freer and forwards at trot on a 20m circle to loosen her out, then for the first time I started asking for a verbal half halt - a "steady" cue to slow, relax and rebalance then straight on into working trot again - She just did it absolutely foot perfectly - I was stunned!! :-o

Back to the little walk / pole circle on the right rein and she did it with no hesitation, but still needed me to remind her to stay straight throughout the circle and then on to the large circle for the trot lunge work with half halts, walk and halt transitions, all done with no fuss whatsoever
* Yay *

I wanted to work on the trot poles next and this was just asking for B a short repeat of the same thing we'd done with the walk poles, but keeping a steady rhythm and stretching her neck and back over the three poles. Yet again she wanted my support to keep the circle, but after one uh-oh legs everywhere whizz over them I was able to ask her to steady, concentrate and step really well over them on both reins a couple of times - as if she'd been doing this for years :-)

Loads of praise and scratches - what a brilliant effort!

I let Baby B off to wander, relax and warm down whilst I put the poles away, then we just had a lovely sociable wander round the school together and then back up to the yard

So there you go, we aren't talking Grand Prix superstar dressage, just basic, nursery school stuff, but after only a few sessions Bailarina is working like a horse who has been doing this for years - she is just a joy to work with and it is so rewarding to see my efforts pay off!