Improvement YES - Sept 29th

Today in class was absolutely amazing! Chester and I "played" on the obstacles that were set up for the Midterm. He walked over the poles and backed up over them beautifully, I had to step out of the hula hoop only a couple of times. When weaving through the cones he at first just barged through them but then as we kept going around he slowly started listening to me and I was able to get him to move his shoulder to go around or his hip. Chester was REALLY asking questions today and listening to whatever I asked of him.

When we went to go over the bridge he tries to walk behind it. I think a lot of this has to do with him being used in the Basic classes and he always got away with going behind it. I didn't let him squeeze all the way through, but stopped him and asked him to back up using the yo-yo game and asked to go on the bridge again and he did it this time without hesitanting. He even turned around on top of the bridge and went back off the way he came on. We went on it again and I had him jump off the side and he did that even if he was a little bit more hesistant.

I tried trotting with him again, and he read my energy so well, and even got him to pick up into a faster trot and he slows down as soon as I slow down. He was very alert and attentive to me today and in turn I was to him as well.

I then tried Liberty in the round pen. It took him awhile to turn in the opposite direction that I asked him but he would eventually. I could tell that he was enjoying himself, his ears were perked and he was listening to me even if I had to use a lot of pressure to get him to understand what I was asking. Near the end he started to get better. He is very good and turning toward when I ask him to and can sense the pressure I'm putting on him.

I also worked on picking up his front feet from the opposite side and was able to do it! I haven't tried his back yet but thats the next step. He has improved greatly in turning his shoulder around in a circle when I put the pressure there and his Right side was also doing amazingly well.

IMPROVE ON --> Not circling around me when I slow down to a walk after trotting together.
Yield hip faster now that he does it, it just needs to be done more quickly