Holes, great yawning caverns of ignorance.  That's what I discovered about our attempts to do the 7 games with Balthazar.  Watched the videos supplied on "Resources" and realized that  although we may not be clueless, we're dancing on the precipice.  In my ignorance and arrogance (often closely related) I thought we were doing pretty well with the 7 Games.  Wrong!  Went through them, using them as an illustration of where the holes are without trying to correct what was found (as per video).  Afterwards we went back and worked on the weaknesses.  It was really good actually.  I'm an adherent of the shotgun approach; throw everything you've got at something and you're bound to hit it.  That might be good for an overcaffeinated woman with concentraton issues but it does nothing for the equine half of the partnership.  This testing of the 7 games rapid fire works for me who was admittedly thinking it all a bit of a yawn - the preflight check for a horse that flies, albeit like a fractured turkey, but flying nevertheless.   Why go through them if he does them?  Well, after seeing the video I realize that although Balthazar might do them there is no grace, little willingness and certainly no art in his rendering.  Half the time he appears to be asleep although his apparent sleepiness is more a protective mechanism.

So that's the background.  This is the nuts and bolts.   Friendly game - perfect.  Tried for the first time lifting his forelegs with the lead behind the knee.  He stood for a moment fathoming out this new activity then calmly lifted his leg!  Porcupine, great near side, awful off side, immovable at the back up (fingers on chest).  Yo Yo, molasses bound back, quite fine on the return, driving game, same trouble off side, reluctant near side,   Sideways, practically non-existent.  Circling game - Can you wake that horse up, please?

So we started over.  Porcupine with fingers on offside nose, he just turned his head while his feet remained concreted to the ground  I just stayed in position and waited.  Eventually he moved his feet.   Very strange that he is so abysmal on the offside while he's smooth asa butter on the nearside.  Ditto driving game.  Worked alot on sideways as it incorporates the driving game.  Tempted to WAKE HIM UP.  But he's not asleep.  Waking him up will be a process.   Backing with fingers in chest - had to continuously go to '4' before he'd move.  Then he seemed to be getting the idea.  The odd thing is I notice much of the training time he is shut down but if I ask for the same thing in the normal course of moving him about to groom or tack him up or get through gates he is as light as gossamer.  So it's not that he doesn't understand it is a psychological block.

Rode for about 20 minutes. Worked on one step left, one step right, yo yo, halts and departs, some circles. Especially interesting in that I'd ask him to take one step to the left (or right) with the forehand and then ask the hindquarter to follow suit.  We got back up, forward, many sensational turn on the haunches but very little resembling an honest hindquarter step.  At first.  It's a matter of understanding too.  Always had trouble attempting half pass in that his head was always facing away from the direction of travel.  Now I know that eventually we will correct that and correct it without misunderstanding or ill feeling.

So even though it was awkward and clumsy and fraught with errors in communication our little session today was quite extraordinarily good.