Avery is learning to canter....on Shoni. Shoni is very old (Miss Heather, Avery's trainer, learned on him) but very gentle and has a wonderful, slow, smooth canter. Shoni is also stubborn....and has been around awhile so he knows a few tricks. He can sense when a rider is nervous and will just stop or walk over to the fence and try to eat grass (I know, he's a wild one) Lately, he's been giving Avery a run for her money. Twice, she's cried. We tell her "Just whack him...once...let him know you're in charge and he'll behave like a supa-star" That's hard for an 8 year old girl who loves horses....so they've struggled. Over the last 2 weeks she's seem to have gotten over "the wall" She's more confident and the horses can sense that....she's handed out a few well deserved "whacks" and the horses are behaving better for her. It's not always easy for her to push through these situations....most things are very easy for her. I'm proud of her for fighting through her fear...even when she was nervous...a life lesson for sure...but hopefully one that will make her ride into the sunset much easier. 
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