Last couple rides

The last couple of days I have had really good rides on my horses. Monday was Jake in the rain. Still we had a good lesson. I am noticing that I am getting much softer in my whole approach and not so 'git-r-don' attitude. My entire methodology has been getting a makeover as I am attempting to be more soft inside myself. Tuesday and Wednesday was Raven time. She is doing so well too. I have been working a lot on bending transitions with both of them and have noticed much more softness in their bend which means the are softer all the way through their tail. Then when I pick up the rein to ask for softness they more willingly give it to me. It is quite fun to work at getting their feet to be my feet and so when I think I want to move a certain way and then move through the steps to get their it takes hold and we make that move. Like tying your shoe. When you first learned there was all these steps to go slowly through until it was tied. But after much consistent practice now you can do it in the dark and blindfolded just by feel. I read something about Buck that struck me. He was in the arena putting on a clinic and he was astride his horse with eyes closed just listening to the rhythmic foot falls of the horses and he could tell when there was a bit of a dust up about to happen because the rhythm of the feet changed. Now that is horsemanship. So here I am trying to become one, in a sense, with the horse I am riding at the time. Trying to get the movement I want without any more bother than when I want to pick up my right foot to step forward. Or if the horse is a little bothered to help them find the center where there is peace. Sometimes that takes a little helpin', if you know what I mean. Jake and had that seemingly soft feel today as I approached him and then stroked him. I have taken to stroking rather than patting my horses just to be softer with them. We went through several exercises and then I saddled him tried to scare him with a plastic bag, but he has been through it so much that it doesn't seem to phase him. In the riding part, we worked on bending with transitions, yield and bend, and pole to pole. All of which incorporate him rating my seat and getting soft from his nose to his tail and there was no irritation with having to trot. He just moved real nice. I also was just working on putting his feet individually where I want them with my own leg pressure. He does pretty good at sidepassing too. I think the next thing we need to start working on is the cloverleaf exercise. It shouldn't be but another couple weeks and we will be working on advanced stuff. I lost track of exactly what day I am on with these guys since I have not been able to ride them both each day, but I think we must be around day 35 or so. Maybe a few days on past that. It sure is fun.