Much, much better ride tonight during our lesson.

I got to the barn early and did some natural horsemanship ground work in the indoor arena. He is very bored with it, you can tell. I have to start doing some of the things from the next level, challenge him more. I am still doing Level 1 Parelli things with him. I am also viewing my Jonathan Field dvd's, I think I might do his method when I finally add in loping to our work with the rope hackamore, which is still a long way off. I do not even want to try until we get a great stop and we are working softer with the bit and bridle.

We did the circles pattern again and I switched ends so I wasn't near all the spooky things in the bush at the far end of the outdoor arena. Cooper still spooked at things but I really tried to ignore what he was looking at and made him think about what we were doing, which was hard because inside I was nervous.

I loosened the reins more, most of the time anyway. I did find myself tightening them up at times but then loosened again as soon as I noticed it. We went inside when it started to get too dark. Had some nice slower trots, almost a jog a few times, nice lowered head. I started to try to use my legs, the elastics kept my feet in the stirrups, Yahoo!!!

My legs are sore today, and my butt bones!

I put my leg on to try to get Cooper to make a bigger circle like when doing the clock work. I think I was pushing with my legs a little too hard though, he is very sensitive and does not need that much, have to soften up on that too!

Something clicked finally with the rein thing, outside, inside, supporting rein, leading rein, so confusing, and some of our last circles were great!!

All of this work has been making Cooper even closer to me. He follows me all over on a loose lead at the end of the evening. He doesn't even want to go with other people, he turns and comes back to me.

I put his fly mask on tonight but it will likely be off by the morning.

I hope to get out tonight after work and play again on Sunday.

We have lots to practice!