Counting sheep

Bugger!
Bugger, bugger, bugger.

What I should have done is end the session early. It was going rather well. We had bending, stretching and flexing in walk, and a reasonably forwards trot, which, although not pretty, was a step in the right direction. I may even have been heard uttering the words "Good boy", although if questioned under oath I will strenuously deny it!
I'd had to tell him off for being lazy, and his mini threats didn't bother me in the slightest, they just earned him another circle, or serpentine etc etc etc
He felt relaxed, back was soft, he wasn't fighting, and was even listening to my inside leg when circling and not falling in. We went over the trotting poles all without fuss, and I was on such an high after wednesday's successful, totally without incident hack.
I had this blog post practically written in my head, and I was smiling.

Then I spotted them.
Bloody sheep.

Our arena is directly outside the stable block, behind which is a big hedge.....and for Lukey this is a big deal as it always freaks him out being able to hear, but not see, whatever's going on behind it. Add to the mix the occasional gap in aforementioned hedge and you have the ideal opportunity for Lukey to act like a big girl's blouse!
Travelling up the arena, I spotted the woolly critters and shouted to my YM, who was also riding, that the sheep were around and playing silly buggers. Lukey, at this point, was pretty relaxed, alert, but chilled. Then HE spotted the sheep, through the scary gaps and before you could say mint sauce we were hightailing it down the arena at a fair old lick. I was OK, hanging on, fairly confident that he'd stop soon enough(anyone trained in the fine art of smelling bullshit may well wrinkle their nose up at that one.)......and he did stop, albeit wih abit of a screeching halt and a spin and snort.
Stupid boy, stupid sheep.

So ofcourse then he'd forgotten all about bending and stretching, all about listening to the aids, and probably most significantly at this juncture, he'd forgotten all about relaxing.

YM left the arena and went to chastise the offending animals, which Lukey took as a cue to act the pratt. We had a tantrum because we weren't allowed to piss off out of the arena, we had a strop because YM's horse had left the arena, then, because he'd been told to behave and NOT allowed to exit stage left, we decided to try and ditch the old bag, and he bronced, then bronced again.
Positives from this encounter are that I stayed onboard......I wish I could carry on this sentence by saying that we had an epiphany and he was an angel for ever and ever, amen, but, after he failed to put me on the floor, his dander was up, and his head had gone. I circled a couple more times(prayer works in these circumstances!), but I knew my time in the saddle was about to come to an abrupt end, so I chose to dismount, and take Disgraced Pony back to his stable.

So, I am feeling rather flat, kind of bleurgh.....don't think either of us came out on top today. I undoubtedly chickened out of having it out with him then and there. BUT, on previous occasions when he's thrown a paddy, I've landed on my well rounded derriere, then vowed never to climb into the saddle again. This time I stayed in the saddle, and am determined not to be intimidated, or beaten.

Maybe there ARE some positives to be taken from today afterall?