Updates on the Week

Wow, it has been a long while since I have updated my blog. It as gotten cold again, and I have not been spending a TON of time with Wood, but I have had a couple successful sessions. Each time, he has gotten easier and easier to halter, and has been yawning a LOT before I put it on. He stands perfectly still while I rub him all over. He has been getting more respectful, and more willing. I have been moving REALLY slow with him by asking him softly and gradually putting on big amounts of pressure until he moves, then stop. I know it sounds ABC, but just going back to the basics and really using my phases has worked well. Also, I have been practicing mounting Woody bareback by jumping and swinging on kindly. At the moment, I can only do it when I'm standing on the pedestal, but it'll improve I'm sure. I have done 2 Pushing Passenger lessons on him in the round pen: at the walk the first day then at the trot and walk. His trot began to feel really easy to sit, and when he did an unexpected move I didn't clench like I usually do. I think it definitely helped me and I need to continue to do it because I need to have a much better seat.
Speaking of which my mom and I received two mastery handbooks last week. they were collectively about balance and independent seat, and it really helped because it had a lot of diagrams for correct and incorrect positions. We also got an audio CD about Pat's mentors and the 8 Principles. We have begun the 8 Principles, but we have not finished it.
On another note, in case you were wondering about the lack of pictures and media, my camera has recently broke so I am not able to take many pictures. I plan to get a new one soon, but until then I will try to write very vividly so that you will be able to exercise the oh-so-very important imagination and create a mental picture. Your left brained horses will thank me....
~Eden