Eyes closed for better feel

Yesterday I experimented with my friend's suggestion (thank you GS!) about closing my eyes to develop the feel for when the horse's thought is coming through in response to my rein.

I did this on Kacee in the midst of that experimenting I described in "Excited". She was taking me down the road at a nice walk and I closed my eyes and rode her. I was quiet inside and could use my other senses for direction and safety. Hearing told me if traffic was coming (and I opened my eyes for those moments) and hearing told me if we were on the pavement or the shoulder. Heat and light sensitivity told me what direction we were going as the sun was in a mid afternoon position at about 10 o'clock looking down from above with 12 being straight ahead of us. Kinesthetic feelings told me when she was 'straight'.

I felt it right away. Should I be embarrassed to report it was so easy, easier to feel with my eyes closed than to see with my eyes? Gulp. Back to Sally Swift's 'soft eyes' concept -- new meaning or new level of meaning for me. What I see with my eyes needs to be way down the list of senses I am attending to. I mean way down.

And asking for a change when Kacee veered -- and yes, her veering feels different from what it had been looking like, or maybe I can feel her veering sooner than I can see her veering? -- brought a soft response from her, and my release was right there with her response, not a second too soon or too late. How do I know? Kacee stayed soft and forward -- clearly my communications with her did not interrupt our flow.

Today is another day. I'm going to play around with this more. [Note: I already did, as reported in "Excited".] Maybe Rusty today. He is different, much more apt to be set in his patterns of thought about what worked before. But he made nice changes last time I rode him. I have to monitor myself more closely with him because I have been able to push him out onto a trail ride, whereas I've not been able to do that with Kacee. Kacee will not be pushed, period, end of story! Sounds like someone I know...