You've got it Janice. What I was feeling in Tosca was that if I used anything other than passive "waiting her out", there just might be a temper tanrtum. And it would not have been mine. We had led her a million miles with five different small riders on her. My grandson (who actually weighs about what I do), a slim adult daughter, a 11 year old grandaughter had all ridden her off lead in the riding arena, Friends Nate and Christrina. Nikki, the 11 year old, rode her, with me walking beside, from the arena to the barn.
Tosca has a deep trust and need for me, which I absolutely love about her, but it seemed that when I was up on her and not down on the ground beside her and she couldn't see me she became confused. Anyway - I have some physical stuff that makes falling problematic, so I decided to let Beverly get her feet moving. She's no teenager either, but she's a pretty intuitive rider and is less likely to come off. Nancy
