I am on the road to Success! She has now totally accepted the saddle and rider. We played around in the pasture because the arena was full and that was probably the best thing for us. She could be around Savannah and Jake which reduces druthers. They were running around like crazy, dodging mosquitoes so she did not want to get too close to them. So we wandered towards the back of the pasture. We walked and trotted and I felt like she had totally accepted me and the saddle on her and it was just a matter of deciding what to do next.
At first I only would ask her to trot when turning so I could quickly bend her to a stop if she needed it. Then we moved onto me having one hand on the reins and horn, and the other on the rein that she was more likely to turn towards. I would switch hands depending on which direction she was going. That seems to work pretty well because I am totally prepared if she does anything. The hand on the horn will keep me in the saddle and ensure I am not micromanaging her. The other hand is always ready, and in position. So we trotted and then she would walk after a bit, then id ask her to trot, and then after a while she would walk again. We will work on purity of gait later. Right now the transition is what im concentrating on, and she would go into the trot fairly easy with me just bringing my energy up and clicking. When she didnt understand the trot cue I would tap my leg and that was enough to get her going. She really did great and im so proud of her.
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