Gia - session 900 - trailering and lesson at CDP

 Gia was a bit nervous about getting on the trailer this morning.  She kicked out a few times at her shipping boots, but stopped quickly when corrected.  When we first approached the trailer she stopped short of the ramp, so I immediately started making her work in circles around me in both directions, getting her to move her hind legs around her forehand, and also getting her to back up when she got too close in my space.  After a few rotations, we approached the trailer again, and again she stopped short.  We repeated this process several times until she finally tired of the "game" and decided it was a lot easier to just get on the trailer than to have to deal with all the work.  Which is exactly the idea.  I want the trailer to be a place of rest, and not getting on the trailer to be a time to go to work.

At CDP, we worked on overcoming the anxiety about everything that was going on with a lot of leg yields, bending, shoulder-in, collecting, lengthening, changing of direction, haunches-in.  We did all that at the walk and trot until she was more relaxed and obedient.  I had to work on releasing more, and allowing her neck to be longer, rather than letting it get too short.  She was able to get to a point where she was giving me a lot of stretch at the walk and trot.

We added canter work, and it was brief at first, but then she got her feet under her, and I supported her better, and she started to keep it longer and became more balanced.  I think she ended today's lesson better than the last few.

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