Bad. Worse. Worst.
     I find it very easy to stay focused on the negative of my ride today. I also want to blame someone else, but there is not really anyone to blame. Dru did not want to be ridden today, and protested every second he got. It started out okay, but then one of the two lesson kids in the arena was being lunged in the top half of the arena. So another girl and I were stuck at the "scary" end of the arena. His recent mirror trauma (you'd think, the way he acted, he was the one who ended up with a huge cash on his face) has made him unenthusiastic, to say the least, to go to the other half of the arena. And he's a complete faker about the mirror scaring him. He'll be fine, then the next time around be so over dramatic about. At first I fell into his little trap, but not for long!
     I think part of the reason he was being extra lazy was because his owner had ridden him fairly close to when I had, and he hadn't had much time in between rides. So he was all the more slow. When we were cantering he decided he didn't want to go anymore and simply started slowing down until he was practically cantering in place. I was pretty mad at him at that point and was done with him testing me, so i had some double whip action going on. He then went again, perfectly collected. He did that a few more times before figuring out I wasn't going to let him stop. This made me beyond frustrated, but also taught me two things. One, he can do a lot more than he let's on to, and I have no reason why I can't ask more of him. He knows how to do it, and has no excuse not to. Second, that he gives up fairly easily, and once you get past the initial stubbornness he is fine. It showed me that I can handle his stupid bucks and minor temper-tantrums. I have to suck it up, and show him I am queen of the universe! (= hehe
     My outside reign issue is the root of my unhappiness. I try, and try, and try some more, and no matter what feel like I suck, and he's stupid. It's very frustrating. Now he's figured out that he can move sideways when I don't have enough outside reign, and loves to do that. So I make him stop, he get's mad, goes well for a little bit, tries again and the process repeats itself. Very irritating. In his better direction, the left, he's great about putting his head down, just over bends a ton. My fault, again. I was trying so hard to get him to focus on me, as well as not using enough inside reign, he was over bending a lot. In the other direction it's a double whammy. It's his bad side, as well as my left hand for the outside reign, which is my weaker hand. It's really terrific!
     My rides have gotten shorter because I'm so frustrated with him. They have progressively gotten a little worse, and I'm mad and don't know how to fix it. And now I won't ride him for more than a week, so I guess it'll all just have to wait.