So today I feel like I had a breakthrough but... I'm not 100% sure yet. I guess I'll just start from the top. The last time I played with Aspire we did the Sideways game at the end of the session. She did awesome, but when driving her sideways going right (her left side was toward me) she exhibited some uneasiness and anticipation about my stick and string. So I backed off and played lots of friendly. Because our session ended somewhat on her being suspicious of my stick last time I made sure to play lots, and lots, and lots of Friendly this time - especially on her left.
Today, despite our progress in the Friendly game she kept anticipating and assuming my stick always meant move and rarely meant relax. At one point she spooked at something, not sure what, and flipped her tail over her back, the head went up, she began breathing fire, and off she went. I quickly interrupted the pattern with a sharp yo-yo away from me then we did half cirlces with my back to the fence. I encouraged her to move her feet and then disengaged and resent the other way - so lots of changes of direction and trot to stop transitions. We even did some of this through the barrels I had set up for a Squeeze Game earlier. I kept her at it until she relaxed and wanted to come and stand with me. We stood together and I played Friendly with her for a while and then decided to continue on with playing as we were before the spook.
When we began playing again she had more life in her feet and what I thought was a little unconfidence and fire left over from being spooked. She was flipping her head and certainly moving her feet a lot more and a lot faster than she had before. I noted it, thought it was interesting, but didn't really read fear in her. Just more life and more attitude. About 10 minutes later she started blowing and shaking her head, appearing to be showing signs of coming off adrenaline. Cool, I thought, I guess it just took her that long to really come all the way down from her spook. I let her hang out for a bit while I rearranged toys in the pen and picked up some junk that had been sitting in a bin and put it back. I could have sworn I'd picked it all up yesterday when who is right behind me but Aspire, in the bin, and playing with the junk! :) No wonder I keep having to clean up in there! It's nothing that she can injure herself on, just bits and pieces to a broken automatic water trough, so I figured what's the problem with letting her play in it for a bit. I began rubbing her with my stick (good time to Friendly, right?) and let her sniff around and remove the contents of the bin. After she was done she came over and checked in with me, she's really coming around to liking to stand with me, follow me, and just hang out. I decided I wanted to send her through the barrels I had set up. I sent her and off she went! Going out to the end of the 12' line and then some, tossing her head, and boinging to a stop and facing me. She then walked over to the barrels and began pushing them around with her nose, rubbing on them, pushing on them with her front legs, and playing with them. I've been really aware of allowing her to be curious and playful. I want to encourage her to explore things and become confident with them so I never stop her from investigating - besides it just means we get to practice our send again, or whatever it was we were trying to do in the first place. Oh boy!
Anyway, she stopped playing with the barrels, I rubbed her with my stick and string and then she began walking around, just walking, assuming I meant for her to move her feet. I rubbed her until she stopped and just kind of observed her. Her whole energy had been different since she'd spooked and come down from it. She began sniffing the ground and looking like she wanted to roll. Now I've heard horses will roll when they're coming off adrenaline, and I've never heard of a horse rolling when they're RBE or RBI - if you think you're going to die you certainly don't lay down. So needless to say I let her roll. She got down, rolled around, got up, then went down and rolled again. I didn't really know what to make of this. I've never seen her lay down before, let alone roll, or half the other behaviors she'd shown today. After she'd finished she calmly came over to me so I just took the halter off and brushed her down while she ate for a bit.
I really feel like I've witnessed something profound today - I'm just not sure what it was.
My first thought is that she spooked, I showed myself as a leader by not allowing her to lose her wits entirely and helping her calm down again. I helped make her feel safe again (I hope) and she then finally felt confident enough to come out of her shell and play around me. Not just mouth things a little, but really dig in and have fun. Her rolling showed her confidence around me to lay down and possibly also her still coming off some adrenaline/emotion. The added life in her feet and attitude were more in exuberance (LBE characteristics??) and play rather than fear.
OR....
She spooked and I tried to help calm her down but didn't sufficiently make her feel safe and confident again. She did blow out her nose and shake her head as if to suggest some relaxation but obviously not all the way. She couldn't come down all the way and be LB again because my leadership skills weren't up to snuff for the occasion. She had life in her feet because she was drawing on her RBE nature when she's unsure about things and the attitude was really fear based as she tried to flee and escape the confines of the 12' line. For sure she became LB when she wanted to play with the junk in the bin and it can be safe to assume her pushing the barrels around was LB behavior as well. When she finally did roll it was her trying to get rid of the adrenaline she'd had all morning and only really calmed down when she was free of the halter and eating.
My gut is going more with the first option, but because I've never seen any of this in her before I really can't tell. It certainly could be a combination of both. I think I really need to continue making sure she doesn't anticipate me asking her to do something every time my stick moves or my hands come up like I'm going to drive her. Note to self - watch body language. The difference between Friendly and Driving is all about intent. I really think I am good about turning my belly button away, moving all my attention to other thoughts entirely, not starting at her, cocking my own leg, etc when I'm being Friendly and when I'm driving I become more focused. Still though, I'll be more aware of how I am being perceived by her.
Thoughts are definitely welcome on this post. :)
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