Getting to work

When we were playing Dress Up and I got to try on all the pretty things, I made it clear to my new person that I had never worn a bridle thingy or had a bit in my mouth. She has always been kind about putting it on and taking it off, making sure to follow a routine of sorts and waiting for me to open my mouth to either put the bit in or take it out. This helps and I know what's coming so I don't get hit in the teeth by anything.

We had been going out to this round pen to work, rather I was the one working(!) and my person was putting these ropes thru the stirrups and up to the bit. Somehow she could stand in the middle and as I went around she would tug on one line or the other and get me to move differently. I could speed up, slow down and she even could make me stop or turn. Weird.

I began to notice the way I walked and trotted started to feel differently. There was more swing in my steps, my stride is getting longer and I am more relaxed in my work. Each time I do something a little differently, when it pleases my person I hear a lot of good sounds come from her. I like it when she tells me I'm such a Good Girl. If I don't do things right, she has me slow down a little, she asks a little differently and makes it easy to get things right, pleasing her and she makes the happy noises again. I hear those a lot and I'm really getting the hang of things. 

Also when she's putting saddles on me, she takes her time to place the pads, set the saddle on rather than flopping it down with a Thunk and snugs the girth up just enough to where I can feel it but not worry about anything. She always gives me a chance to sort thru things in my mind and figure out what to do.