I was moved by this mare and her try. She was perfectly illustrating, step by step, the precise confusion that had set things up to pan out the way they had been under saddle. She buried the forehand in any transition, as she braced slightly in her concern about being wrong, and got out of balance as she tried to be accurate. Adding pressure at that moment had been confirming or heightening her concerns and had been causing her to shut down.
The truth is that the mare had had something of a dull, even sullen look about her at the start of the session, right along with her owner – neither one was enjoying this status quo. I could see a new path emerging for them both now. Hang in there girl, I thought as I felt that mare on my line, trying so very hard to sort things out. See the light, it is at the end of the tunnel.