#22

Finally the weather has been safe enough to really get out and play with Bella! During spring break, I went out every day and played with her out at my riding instructor's house. I consistently spent about 3 hours just getting her back to where we had her last fall. She remembered everything and, despite all the energy, actually settled down quickly and got to work. We always started out playing the Circling Game, at liberty in the round pen. She responds really well to what I ask her, and even moves out in the direction I point. Her favorite thing is loping of course, and she is not cross-leading anymore, which I am very happy about.
She didn't have any problems when we put the saddle on, so that's a pretty good sign. She really moves out well. Sometimes I find myself so surprised to see her acting so well, like I expect her to misbehave.... My family has always had older horses that were allowed to get away with a lot and never trained very well. And of course no Natural Horsemanship. Bella has been more well behaved than any horse I've ever owned! She is really liking Parelli and she is showing more and more curiosity every time I do something with her. She is a lot of fun and, call me crazy, I think she likes to make me laugh.
I got to ride her for the first time with a saddle at the end of the week. She did so well, no bucking or anything. She's a little pushy on the bit and tries to stick her nose out most of the time, but she's getting better. She responds pretty well to me and she is really fun to ride. I even got to lope her for a while. It was so much fun! I can't wait to do more!