Cricket today

Cricket and I played today and she did super!

We started with a little Touch it. Then we moved on to the figure 8 which we did 7 times like we need to, she did some walk and trot, she didn't maintain the trot but the quality of the 8 was a lot nicer than before. I'm watching my phases and making sure I do the 1-4 without pausing for too long for the 3 taps. 

I also did some yo-yoing and making sure she didn't make an assumption. I kept it as light as I could (phase1/2 going left and right). 

I moved on the circling. I sent her with the phases 1-4 with the "1-2-3" taps on the ground and made sure I wasn't SPANKING and that the string was aimed at zone 1. At first she just sent at the walk, I disengaged her, smiled, and resent and she did the trot. If she stopped broadside, I did phase 1 then "1-2-3" taps. If she faced me, I'd smile and send her the other way. I'm an LBE and this process was killing me. I felt like smacking her.... but I didn't, I just took a deeeeeep breath and smiled... It worked! I sent her and got that rhythm, relaxation and contact for one lap at the trot! I know my goal is to have more laps but it was a good lap and I didn't want to push it.. What I really liked is that she didn't argue with me, I think by getting over the want to smack her and smiling instead gained some leadership. 

The circling took about 5 mins to get that good lap where as before it would have taken around 20 mins and I wouldn't have every gotten that quality. THANK YOU TINA!!! 

We moved on to Freestyle. I got permission to mount, she came up broadside to the fence and waited. I made sure she was really soft on her lateral flexions, which she was. We started with Follow the Rail at the walk, we did a few circuits/laps. I found it was hard for her to keep walking and not scrap me along the section where her buddies hung out on the other sides. I focused and asked again, it took about four corrections to get past that part at first. After a few laps of little corrections I crossed my arms and made my corrections with my legs, she did fabulous. On the last lap I made 11 corrections altogether. 

I did some weave pattern after that and at first she was hard and leaning but she softened up a bit toward the end. 

I've learned the Seven Keys to Success: (this is off the top of my head I'm not looking at a piece of paper)  

Attitude

Knowledge

Tools

Techniques

Time 

Imagination

Support

(I thinks that's right..... I hope)

I'm hoping I can come up with a rhyme or something' later.

Toddles for now!!!

Elrohwen