She: "He doesn't listen at all to me"
He: "She's always nagging and I don't know what she wants"
She: "He's blowing me completely off!"
He: "I'd rather be shooting the breeze with my buddies!"
Enter *Dr. Judy*:
"OK, now, Birgit: Make sure your aids are very clear, no grey zone at all. He has to be on your aids, in front of your leg and on the outside rein at all times. Remy: You have got to listen. Blowing her off is not an option, even if it's sometimes understandable ;-)"
Ah, the joys of riding lessons - aka couples therapy! Good thing *Dr. Judy* is helping us moving our relationship forward. I am looking for -the sometimes very elusive- feeling of harmony with my four-legged partner. Once it's there it's awesome, but when one of us or -heaven forbid- both are not 'in the zone' it feels like we would rather slam the door and walk away in different directions. Luckily it hardly ever comes to that. With Judy's help, Remy and I are becoming more and more like a really solid couple, forgiving little blunders and helping each other out when needed.
It was great observing Judy working with Remy on Monday, I could see how lovely the boy can go. It helps me to have the right 'film' in my mind, in order to recreate what I need to do. Our lessons are going really well, with more and more "yes, we can do this!" moments. We have been working on lengthenings, and what made it click was Judy's advice "You have to leave the front door a bit open!", meaning Remy needs to have room to move out. It seems I am sometimes a tad over-controlling (me??, Nah, no way!!). Sure enough, when I leave the front door ajar, Remy has the freedom to move nicely out, using his entire body.
At home though, the front door stays closed. Of course, only because it's freezing!
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