Misreading

I began my session with what I thought was an introverted horse.  He had very little interest in me.  So I waited and eventually he licked and chewed and relaxed, and I felt he was good enough to approach.  Then I spent about half an hour playing various friendly games (holding the tongue, helicopter, etc.), with absolutely no change in him.

When I decided just to ask him to move it was because I was bored, but still convinced I should probably wait for him more.  But after sideways, he licked and chewed right away and finally started blinking again. Played a bit more with the same result.  So...I guess I was misreading him?

Then we went to the arena to play.  The beginning was pretty iffy.  I had a kind of test in class today, in which I answered the 2 questions completely wrong, and I think it was bugging me even though I tried to say it wasn't.  Maybe Cal sensed that.  I don't know, but we weren't connecting well.

I finally just sat down and waited.  That really helped me take the pressure off him.  Did a lot of touch it and circling in this session.  After he gained some confidence, he was pretty unenthusiastic.  I ended the session with some played at liberty.  Doing so helped me reveal his area's of unconfidence...though I had to differentiate them with the area's of complete boredom.  I didn't lose him once.  So I guess I gained at least some connection with him.  He stuck with me from the arena to the pasture at liberty, but then left right away.  Is this just a pattern he's gotten into, or is it a reflection of how my session went?

I feel as if I should be happy with this session.  Helped Cal gain confidence, had a successful session, but I really feel pretty down and sad about it, and I'm not sure why.  *shrugs*  I'll work on trying to make tomorrow will be different.