I am a very stubborn person, so is Twilight. As I grew more confident in riding Twilight I began to ride her bareback for the mountain pasture. I would halter her, walk her over to the side of a hill to give myself and edge, then ungracefully scramble onto her back. The rest of the herd would often stay put or gallop ahead. . .something I was not willing to do on Twilight.
She grew impatient with me, annoyed at my awkward scrambling, and giving me a ride for free. She viewed me as the dictator enjoying a ride on her back through the scenic beauty of the valley and giving her nothing in return.
Horses can not talk, but that does not mean they cannot communicate their intentions. Twilight began to run away from me. If she saw me jauntily waltzing down the hill, she would wait till I got close then break into a run and race up to the barn. I tried sneaking up on the heard, but there was not much to hide behind, (I would not be a successful thief). Twilight would spot me easily and languidly move into a flowing gallop. Laughing at me as a scrambled to try and catch her.
Once when I had managed to catch her she gave a small half buck that broke any hope I had of riding her bare back.
The waring did not end there. Twilight would fight me during lessons. She would swing her head back and down, to fight the bit, fortified against any persuasion. She refused to back up, when I put pressure on her mouth she would chomp furiously at the bit, bobbing her head. I had never met a horse before that would not back. Even more disappointing was the fact I could not get Twilight to canter, she would trot faster and faster, like a standard bred trotter and refused to move into the canter. Gretchen tried her hand and making Twilight canter, but was unsuccessful.
Every ride was a hopeless tangle of hateful feelings and rough hands and mouths. Twilight tried to buck me off at the trot and I was so surprised, I just kept riding unsure of what to do. We were a clown show, jogging down the side of the arena constantly trying to gain the upper hand. It was horrible. 
Walking Twilight up to the arena took effort, imagine playing tug-a-war with a boulder, I couldn't win. I had to shuffle up the slope brimming with cylinder shaped apple treats and a long dressage crop whip to try and speed up the prolonged pauses that Twilight took along the way.
One day, I snapped I could not bear on more day of thrashing and fighting against each other. We need a break. I told Twilight, she shifted her head away becoming preoccupied with the granules of grain in the wood. I'm not talking to you.
I grabbed a lunge whip and Twilight without her garnishes of a saddle and bridle, just her halter and lead rope. We struggled up the dirt road yanking against each other. I opened the gate to the spaces arena and slipped Twilight's halter off her head, she was completely free. This was a new experience for both of us, I had never free lunged a horse and Twilight had never grasped the idea of pure freedom. Go on! I said and clucked to her, Twilight shivered. This is new. . .what am I supposed to do? I flicked the end of the whip near her back haunches and she leaped forward into a elongated run. It was breath taking. I had never seen Twilight so alive. She was in her element. Her head was high, and arched, crowned with a deep blue sky. Her mane flared and swirled around her neck, like fire black fire. Power drove her forward into a blur of movement. Hooves vibrating the ground when she fell from the sky and then extended back into it. It was like she was trying to fly. Her tail acted as a rudder, held in the air like a flag. When she slowed to a prancing trot she waved her tail in a sassy manner at me, cocking her aloft head in my general direction. Go on admit it, you did not think I had it in me. To be honest I did not know I could do this, but aren't I pretty? Did you know I could fly? Oh! It was fantastic! Did you know the wind talks to you when you move fast enough? It roared in my ears, and did you see me fly? I was suspended in mid-air. Look! Look! I'm still doing it. I'm so pret-ty, I'm so pret-ty. I'm sooo gorgeous! This adventure we had just shared together was a stepping stone, a turning point. Riding Twilight became a team effort, now we were starting to work together, now we were ready for a trail ride.
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