Quality Not Quanity

That's the main theme of what I learned today. It's not the amount of time that counts, but rather what you make of it. I didn't even go play with the ponies today, I just did my horsey chores quite slowly, and I still learned a few interesting things.

1. This one doesn't quite qualify, since I learned this on my walk today, but I realized more about myself. I found out a few years ago that I naturally have very tense shoulders. Now and then I make an effort to relax them, but I don't think it has done very much. Well, today I found out that my coat might actually be contributing to the tension! See, my coat is long enough that I can get away with not wearing gloves in the winter, because I just pull the sleeves down and tuck my hands inside them. And I noticed when I experimented with it today that that pulls my shoulders up. How interesting!
2. In reading Carolyn Resnick's book, she mentions at one point that she has discovered that in herds of horses, the dominant horse is behind the other horses, so he can drive them. I found this concept a bit strange, because I would think the alpha would be in front leading the herd, instead of driving them from behind. But then, when I saw Moose drive Bella forward, it clicked. And I even made a connection. You know when you're on the highway driving, and someone tailgates you? They're driving you. Unfortunately, for us humans it does little more than cause opposition reflex, but still quite a good example.
3. Just an idea here, but I was thinking about a few posts I read on the SC forum a while back, and some of the horse ads I see on craigslist. It's considered a good attribute for a horse to have if they can not be ridden for a while, and then just thrown a saddle on and go. While that seems unfair in my eyes, I was thinking about the horses that can't do that. So, I came to the conclusion that if you play with your horse regularly, and then give him a vacation for a while, and then you pick up playing and your horse is unconfident, your horse is probably innately Right Brain (unless he's having an off day, like its windy). If he is Left Brain, he's probably innately Left Brain, or he's just a Right Brain horse who has gained confidence and digested what you taught him over the break.
4. Controlling an extrovert's feet controls their emotions. It's been really icy here for the past few weeks and it's been interesting to watch Bella's transition to the ice. Moose has no problem, but Bella, being the subordinate, is really learning how to keep her emotions in check more. So, she is learning to walk calmly, because she physically can't trot or canter without slipping.