So I had another great ride today. Fi was fussy and grumpy (I think she’s in season) and there were all manner of things in the ring to distract her- flapping plastic, a horse on the longe, another horse under saddle- and our left canter depart left a lot to be desired, but that wasn’t the point. I had one flicker of anxiety, and I turned on it and tore it savagely (from a metaphorical standpoint) and not once did it rear its ugly head again. I rode Sunday without a single flicker of it at all. I’m going with the idea that, eleven months after making the decision to buy her and six years after the death of my gelding, I am on the mend. In other news, I finally got to deworm her myself (I’ve been getting the memo too late to be in time to show up and the barn staff ends up doing it for me) and she’s really very good about it; I gave her a sniff of the tube and she started chewing resignedly and took the dose without trying to spit it out. She got extra treats to try and take the taste out; it smells like sour apple candy but I suspect the taste is a little different. I've made great strides in getting her to let me spray her with things, too; I was told when I bought her she "flips out" for spray bottles (it's a reasonably common thing with horses) but through patient and slow application I can now spray her tail with Show Sheen without a backwards glance, and this week I've been able to spray her legs and belly with fly spray. I still use a towel as an applicator for her neck and head, but we're getting there! I am certain within five years she's going to be the most laid-back horse at the barn.