168. It's the little things that really count...

Tonight i schooled Spice in the arena and now I'm absolutely buzzing! She was incredible in every way and i even had her working in an outline with a bitless bridle! Something i've never done before but she did it without me even asking her to! The barefoot treeless saddle that i'm using is 100% flexible in all ways and i think this is what is making the difference. Spice is completely free to move in anyway she likes without the restrictions of any rigid parts. Why more people don't use treeless saddles i'll never know ah yes it's that old age thing called 'tradition'. Boy are they missing out. After the initial 'wearing in period' with these saddles you can actually feel every single movement of your horse which is amazing. I even managed to sit to Spices canter properly for the first time too (which is something i have always struggled to do in a treed saddle.) I hardly had to use my legs because she understood my verbal cues (thanks to all the lunging i've been doing with her.) and i even got her to back up on a verbal cue!

Anyway i have titled this post 'It's the little things that count' because i have recently noticed a huge change in Spices overall demeanor. For example...

*Spice used to toss her head away every time i used to take off her head collar.
*Spice used to toss her head about as i used to tighten her bridle.
*Spice never used to stand still when i tried washing her after riding.
*Spice always walked at her own pace when led rather than at mine.

The list goes on...they were all small things in and of themselves but together they were all signs that Spice was not respecting my authority/leadership.

Julie Goodnight a natural horsemanship trainer said that often, it's better to give your horse one harsh correction than to keep nagging them and giving them small corrections.

I have really taken this idea on board and have seen a massive improvement in Spice.

For the first time i actually feel confident that i could ride Spice out on my own without any big arguments something that until very recently i never thought i'd be able to say.

I am so glad that i decided to go Barefoot with Spice because it has forced me to confront all the issues i had with her on the ground rather than on her back which is a far safer place if you are having issues! If you don't have respect from your horse on the ground you definitely wont have their respect on their back and they will continue to question your leadership. In my view, to attempt to improve your relationship with your horse without addressing the problems you have on the ground would be completely counterproductive.

Although I know that i still have a way to go with Spice I am so proud of what i have achieved so far and am so grateful to the internet...to be able to learn from some of the best trainers in the world for free has been incredible. I'd have been lost without it.