A ride of two halves........

....with Anky. It was a little blustery and she was her usual reluctant little self. We set off and although hesitant, she went, moving forwards but thinking backwards. As we passed through the little wood towards the road, she stopped, started snorting and looking through the trees. As I looked I could see a deer watching us watching it. I sat calmly and Anky remained fairly calm as it trotted out of the trees and across the path about 10 yards ahead of us. She handled it brilliantly and I was so pleased with her. I asked her to move on and she did, looking left and right and snorting. We crossed the road and headed off down the track, but after about 100 yards she stopped and refused to go forwards, seeming to have lost all composure, shaking her head and trying to back up. I hopped off and led her for the next ten minutes and but she became increasingly hyped up. I walked several small circles, asking her to relax her neck and lower her head, which she did, but as soon as we continued her head went up, as worried as ever. I found a suitable spot and got back on, walked her on for a few minutes and then turned for home. At this point we got forward and then some, not the nice relaxed forward I wanted, but a 'let me get home as soon as possible' forwards. That's how we came home, me trying to keep her attention, asking for changes of bend, trying to get some softness, and her determined to be tight and tense, trying to push through my hands. She'd relaxed a little by the time we got home, but not nearly enough. Assuming she's not stressed and gassy, we'll try again tomorrow.