A few years ago a student asked me if a horse can be soft, but not actually soft. I knew what she meant.
When working with a horse virtually everything we do is NEVER all or nothing.
A horse can be softer, but not soft.
A horse can be more forward, but not forward.
A horse can be more focused, but not focused.
A horse can be more relaxed, but not relaxed.
A horse can have more trust and confidence, but not be trusting or confident.
Everything we do in training has its limits. Every step we progress towards perfection gets us closer to being perfect but does not get us perfection.
Learn to live with it and keep going.
More trust and more confidence, but yet not trusting and not confident.