Just More Amazing

Hi all! The past couple of days following my camp I have been taking it easy and trying to recover both from mental exhaustion and physical. I went to the pasture two days ago to clean out the trailer and I pet Woody a bit. He began pushing on me right away, returning to his old habits of treat searching and dominating. I would tap his nose to interrupt his thought and say "that doesn't have to be" and only a couple times it took til he gave a big blow, and just stood there almost asleep while I rubbed on him. I turned to leave and he came right along following me. Pretty cool. Yesterday I went out and practiced him keeping his thought on me and improving our draw (more like working on him wanting to be with me) and haltering. Today I went out, haltered him fine, then began to practice "moving off" (sending) into my new and improved circle game. It was incredible! Just a slight change in my body position (i.e. I stepped a bit bigger and he broke out into a trot) and he responded pretty quickly! THEN, I got a bit more alive in my energy and smooched, and my "dull and lazy" pony stepped into a beautiful canter while he was on a 12 foot line!! Before the clinic he would only canter 3 strides on a 22' line if I was lucky with enough drive from behind. But now, on a 12' he is willingly offering it, it was amazing. We went outside to play a bit, he tried to eat grass a couple times, but when I shook the flag to gain his attention back, he looked right at me, focused, licked and chewed, and stopped trying. He was focused and attentive. I even took him away from Charlotte completely and he was perfectly fine. We came back into the fence, I took him to the barn (with his new snappy walk because we walk with purpose now! :)), unhaltered him, he stayed with me even with Charlotte out munching on grass in the round pen, I gave him a carrot, rubbed on him some more, and headed out toward the round pen with him right next to me. I jogged, he trotted. I walked, he walked, I ran, he jumped into a canter right behind me from a walk.
Life is good. :)
~Eden