Yippee!! Free range at the barn

Our barn owner has now FINALLY put up panelling at the barn in the indoor arena to block off the entrance to the barn. Now we can turn horses out to blow off some steam and not worry about them running into the bleachers, sawdust pile or right back into the barn and stalls. I took this time yesterday during their first turn out, to do a little observing of my mare. When Brown Eyed Cowgirl and Mrs. Mom and everyone else was giving me great advice on my mare and what to try and look for, I couldn't do some of the suggestions because I had to be in some control of what she did. I am now thinking something I am doing, or not doing, is part of her problem. See, when I turned her loose and she began running and kicking up her feet, she was running alright. TO THE LEFT. You know, the direction I was having trouble getting her lunge and still can't get her to lope to? Yeah. I actually had to physically walk out there and MAKE her and the follower mare go to the right, but they kept trying to turn to the left. So what's up with that?? It has to be something I'm doing from the saddle. Now, keeping that in mind, I will still continue to work her to the left to build up muscle and balance as before this time, she wasn't going to the left for anything and everything was on the right.

I noticed that when she was going, she seemed to not be dragging her feet as much as she used to, but I don't really know how to tell if she's pushing or dragging herself. Can someone tell me or point me to two video's that show each? I'm thinking of trying to get my trainer to come out, but he doesn't like coming out (since it's pretty far AND because the arena gets really dusty and he got a severe respiratory infection early last spring because of that) in the winter time or when he'd have to ride in the indoor arena. Which would be now. And I do understand. So I kind of want to see what I can do on my own. He did say he'd come out if I really needed him though. So I need to do some studying up on horse movement to see what is right and what's wrong because I just don't know.

More of my observation showed that going to the left she was on the correct lead, every. single. time. So that brings us to me. What do I personally need to do to make sure that I'm balanced and doing what I'm supposed to be doing? She had her chiropractic adjustment a little over a week ago. First ride was Friday. She was ok, but she kept dropping and shaking her head. Even when we turned her out I noticed she was doing it. I don't know if it's that she doesn't know what being "in" in her neck, head, jaw area feels like and she's kind of figuring it out or what. But she's never really done that. She really didn't do it too much today and seemed a little more comfortable with today's ride. She also seemed a little uncomfortable yesterday when I was loping. She was dropping her head a lot more, almost like she was thinking about bucking. She drop her head and hop around and it took several tries to get her to go into the lope. I also couldn't keep her in it that long. I figured that too might be part of the getting used to being "in" now in her body. The next step is getting her supplement for her cycles to see how that works on her.

So, now that I have the free range to let her loose, I'm going to try to go back to the post from BECG and Mrs. Mom and see what to watch for and look at and test.