Crooked still counts in tacking up

Well I got the saddle on Fiona tonight ALL BY MYSELF! Yes, she tried to nip me when I cinched her up and yes she did move her feet a little bit. IMHO, a little bit is WAY better than "get out of my way or I am going to run you over if you touch that cinch". The saddle was crooked when I was I done, but it was on her. I walked her around in her stall a bit and then took it back off. I probably should have lunged her, but I considered my lucky to have gotten the thing on her with so little a fuss I quit while I was ahead.

Actually I feel kind of stupid about all the worrying I have done leading up to this point. It's weird how much better she is. When she came back from the 30 days of riding at Charlie's, she was WOUND UP, that was in early August. Now it's like she just "straightened up".

A few weeks ago, she was due for her hoof trimming and I wanted to take her all the way across the property to the tack room where Charlie does his trimming (usually he drives over to her barn). So I staged a practice run the weekend before the trimming and ask a fellow horse owner at Red Mountain to help me. We walked over with 2 other horse/owner pairs. Fiona and I walked all the way across the property and she only circled around me once. I put her in a roundpen and she paced, but still ate some grain that I brought her. Afterwards, I put the halter back on and walked her back to the barn. She was GREAT!

On the day of the trimming, I walked her across the property again. She circled a couple more times and called out to other horses on the second trip. Charlie worked with me and her a bit. He tied a lead rope to both sides of the halter and we walked her together. That kept her going forward..instead of stepping into me or Charlie.

I have been taking care to only put a little pressure on her to get her to move her feet, even just in the stall that seems to be making a big different in her demeanor. She just pays more attention now and doesn't try to take over as much. I also make sure she moves her feet for me, instead of the other way around. If I need to get to the other side of her...I back her up and move her around me.

I am definitely enjoying the change...and I think she is too. :)