The Equifeast Cool Calm and Collected is definitely helping tone down his reactions to things he is frightened of and he isn't so jumpy this in turn helps me be braver.
My lessons with Alastair again bolster our confidence as Charlie listens to my seat and leg aids and Mr A teaches me not to use my hands so much and drop my shoulder at the wrong time.
So schooling is going well and my confidence is growing but still pretty flaky due to our history.
Now the icing on the cake.....
Jenny Rolfe. I have joined her Facebook group BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR RIDING and bought the book. It takes some reading as my Kerataconus and corneal scarring make black print on white challenging you cannot triple click and reverse colours like you can on an Ipad but that's another story.
So with Jenny's support online her book and her friends and students I am focussing on my effect on Charlie's confidence. Everyone keeps telling me he is fine it's me that needs fixing but that's easily said unless you are standing in my anxious shoes and no one who has never had their confidence smashed as much as mine can really give an opinion, in my opinion.
My fellow liveries have me in hand and I am getting lots of hacking with good company.
Following Jenny's advice on breathing I have slipped into a new way of going.
On hacks instead of concentrating on what Poshcob might do I concentrate on my breathing, my relaxed seat, my relaxed legs and a very very light contact. Going on a loose rein and having me a bit looser is having a major effect on his confidence and mine. In fact it is only now I am becoming more relaxed and looser I can recognise how tense I was before poor Charlie.
I still have my anxious moments but confidence is growing and we have had happy mud splashed hacks cantering along tracks and wrapping my arms around his lovely neck to duck under trees.
Our diet continues and we have now split the paddock in half so he and his field buddy can diet together. Here the boys doing a bit of mutual grooming.
