Thursday

Lovely hack in the field with BA/Deven, Jen/Forrest and Cathy/Shirley. Try and I played in the ditches online and mounting with no issues. Walk til blow, posting trot til settled into a nice rhythm, no stirrups for my strength, canter for fun. Then we walked up the road and Try spotted some ultra yummy untouched clover in a ditch. So I decided not to go for trail walk, went back to barn, showered Try and then we went back with Cathy and Shirley for some yummy grazing/dwell/drying off time.

Tuesday

On Line misc games in the ring, tack up and ride in the hilly field with Cathy/Shirley and BA/Dorry. Try was resistant to lining up to mount in the ditch-homework. Then walk til blow, 2 point and no stirrups posting trot for my strength. Then followup to Friday of speed within the gaits trot and canter and snappy halt. Easy day, glorious weather.

catch up

Wednesday: review of what I did with Dan, confused about implementing the offensive step forward in a hind quarter ?yield, 360 on the rail was good the 3rd time--its step 3 that lags. Also played with the GATE all over the farm--lots of big energy backing with stick etc.

Thursday: hack in the ring but no stirrups with Cathy and Shirley. Really nice canter. Try thought about rushing out of the gate behind Shirley but after one backup thought again and exited with a relaxed walk. Then we walked up the road past the hunting camp--Shirley was a bit wary of the RVs and dogs and Try was in synch with Shirley.

Friday: great ride. warmup/no stirrups then played with 3 gates at the trot and canter and then relax. (not a jog or lope) I am so proud of Try's improvement with this--she was so relaxed even after the extended canter.

Monday December 12 Dan T

2011 Dec 12 HQ respect, impulsion, engagement

Began with discussion of levels and importance of HQ:

      1.      The levels 1-4 are for human: safety, respect, bonding, physical etc

2.      For the horse levels are respect, impulsion and flexion i.e. mental, emotional, and physical AND I will likely always be playing in all three tho as we progress more in the physical. Still, if mental i.e. dominance or emotional i.e. RBE reaction then can’t work on physical—have to go back to the mental or emotional.

3.      Stages: in the beginning the human uses reins in zone 1 for communication and progresses to using HQ for impulsion, engagement then back to zone 1 reins for refinement only.

Liberty in the paddock

      1.      Started with 360s—I did not realize that Try moving her HQ when I asked for FQ was an escape or a defensive movement. So we played with concept of my asking for turn on the haunches with offensive step forward vs defensive step back.

2.      Then played with can I draw Try’s zone 1 to me without moving hind end.

3.      Then asked for 360 on the rail—Try left, circling game on for a long time as Try not willing to bond or check in with me. Then back to 360—I helped her by staying close—the third time she was able to do it with lighter cueing

Riding in the paddock

      1.      Repeat of the above riding. Difficult for me to feel and Dan helped by moving fore quarters or stopping HQ from escaping. ??need to work this out??

2.      The GATE issue arose as we attempted to ride out of the paddock so game on. It really helped to have Dan coach as to timing/persistence/rest etc. Basically the second I felt the emotion or hurry come up we backed until Try relaxed then tried again. Perhaps 10 times until Try got it. Being able to stop and rest and think was key I believe—also using carrot stick and spurs, matching her energy plus 4 ounces.

Riding in the hilly pasture

      1.      On Line: the gate and setting up in the ditch to mount like gate above. Note carrot stick in zone 1 to stop forward movement on the ditch.

2.      First worked on walking and then asking for an engaged HQ yield to a stop. (Can relax to a stop or engage to a stop.)

3.      Diagonal trot engaging Try’s HQ---required stick and big energy.

4.      Canter was often rough on the forehand—fast—stand in saddle. Part of my emotional fitness would be to follow up with really cantering fast and forward all over that pasture.

5.      Also we can trot covering distance and with shorter strides and remain engaged.

6.      Steady rein: it was helpful to me to think of it as a wall..

Max

Today BA and I went to see Max at Jasmine Meadows. 16 hand TB/QH cross--hunter. LBI and I had to work to get him to go and keep going. Lovely canter and very sweet disposition.

Try: gave her a carrot in the pasture.

Riding in the field to Christmas Music

riding in the field to Christmas music, walk/trot/canter--varying speeds within the gait to fit the music. Fun, free. Used mp3 with headphone for me as I don't have speakers loud enough for the space. So I sang the music to Try (and she felt it in my body when she was in the mood--i.e.??60% of the time. I don't think she had as much fun as I did tho.)

Tuesday trail/passenger ride

Today I had the time and goal to mess around with confidence and steady relaxed gait going through many gates around the farm. Well, Try was lovely with everyone I tried so no game there.

I wanted also to fill her bucket of positives after a couple big rides lately so went off the property in the opposite direction for about a mile. It was new scenery for Try as we had not been that way in years. She was looking around, alive and happy. After about a mile or so she decided to turn around and return home.

When we got back we found a gate she sped up for, so game on. We yoyoed in and out but I wasn't happy not to have carrot stick with me so I changed the game to energy up canter here and there in the ring, stop, reins down, complete relax, then we walked thru the gate again completely relaxed.

Next, showered off as it was 70some degrees, and then walked/grazed around the farm followed by some dwell time in the pasture.

back to basics

yesterday

liberty coming in from the pasture because I forgot a halter/lead.
groomed/tacked up at liberty
close contact saddle: warmup, 2 point and no stirrups trot and 2 point canter for my strength
then dwell, graze about the property

hunter pace

For something different, because BA's daughter Jen was entered in the hunter pace at Cottonwood and therefor BA would be trailering Roy there, BA and I rode Forrest and Try in it also.

I loved that it was in pairs or trios instead of a big group. Try was great--alive but left brain. Some of the footing was not good so we had stretches that were either walk or slow sitting trot or jog to watch for stumps and sink holes. We actually got lost and did not finish correctly but who cares--beautiful day to be riding and lovely scenery. Also I was proud that Try was able to keep up with Forrest's trot just fine--it was a fast trot for her. Proud also of Jen for knowing how to be careful without anyone having warned her of the footing!

Thur/Fri Big Ride and I am sore as ...

Yesterday:
1. liberty improv to Christmas carols with Try--stick to me, 360s etc. (Actually, Try has decided she invented 360s and that they are the answer to every question--ooops.)
2. when that got boring we went into the ring for more space and more energy--circling etc.
3. then riding: warmup, 2 point trot and no stirrups--strongest on my part in several months--2.5 laps each way. Then played with transitions for mental awareness, impulsion, intensity and relaxation: sitting trot with light contact, posting trot, canter. Finished with some canter laps for relaxation.
4. Then watched BA playing with trailer loading and demoed for her horse--sending Try into trailer on line from 10' or so away. I would like a chance to do this at liberty as a touch it game but not in the parking lot.

Today: My whole body is so sore from all those laps. YIKES.

Phone session Dan T 11/30

phone call 11/30/11

Specifics

1.     Not finding a place to stop 30 min BB/BL: ??no curiosity, goes to sleep or says I am supposed to maintain gait. Suggestion: increase the intensity, ask more out of her, add tack for my safety and up the gait, etc. She could be waiting for me to tell her what to do and I want her to be interested, curious and ask questions. Passenger game doesn’t work for horse a. afraid and needing leadership (Target/Keystone) or b. one with no druthers who is happy to keep going until cued.

2.     Steady rein:

a.     For next time: don’t do it during first part of session. Be careful if it’s a walk that I am neutral not energiless—passenger frame of mind. Pattern and trot may be good idea.

b.     Dan: strong focus, my hohum walk, perhaps ask for an EVEN slower walk. Be prepared to play thru the ugly and use spurs or carrot stick if necessary. Try needs to know I am committed to us learning the steady rein. That it means something. So Try will say dang you really want this, don’t you? So she finds the steady rein as a good deal—cause her to care about the good deal.

3.     The GATE:

a.     altho improved coming out of ring area, others still a problem—Try just picks up this little burst of energy—it isn’t really anything b ad but its not emotionally fit.

b.     Dan: match her energy +4 and yoyo, snappy backup at high level then go forward just as hard—continue yoyo until she asks if we could just tone it down. I don’t win the game until she wants to give up on the intensity first. Show horses often gate has become sweet spot i.e. just let me outa here!

What we have been doing—lots of time away—trail ride for BA horse, trip to another farm—Try great—just a tad of extra E—new place, rain, in season and other horses taken away from her. Good for boredom issue as well as confidence.

Negative and positive charts: I see some improvement and the biggest thing that shows up on the chart is Try being bored, disinterested and just doing stuff to please me rather than curious, interested, alive. I used to think that energy was great cause I felt so safe but I now realize its not.

Priorities from 300 hr Thanksgiving summary

1.     Emot RBE intensity is our friend

2.     Boredom

3.     Me—phasing, zero tolerance, waiting for Try to process, take the T it takes etc

4.     The phys conditioning for both of us—lateral for Try

5.     Then L4 task

Intensity Discussion:

I need to plan various levels of intensity into our sessions not just let them happen. Then Try can be comfortable with my applying low and high levels of intensity.

Boredom, disinterest

Varying intensity will help with this also. i.e. fig 8—1^st half fast as possible and 2^nd half slow as possible then keep changing it up as Try learns a pattern so quickly. Then she will need to listen, pay attention not be on autopilot. So intensity then is not only for relaxation and confidence. Dan noted that for hunters a relaxed consistency is desirable. Try’s relaxed, safe bored energy could actually be a dream come true for many riders. For interest, Dan continues to say putting things to a purpose. i.e. games with other riders.

END GOAL??????????? Unicorn and wood nymph Dan says this is not unrealistic but to begin from where Try is and what she is capable of. This would be the stick to me—slow i.e. like line dancing or riding at a trot or canter to music. I mentioned Blue Hors Matinee and discovered that the horse is like the girl in ballet and you are showing off the horse and the rider is directing the horse similar to the boy in ballet partnering. Also Dave Lichman and the dance/horse troupe that worked with natural dressage. I think I can start with playing music and asking for a little liberty and see what fits and use what Try offers and dance a little myself. Film the whole thing and edit out any little bits I like.

OK HERE IS THE SUMMARY having gone back through a lot of notes:

I have been logging my hours at Parelli Central and discovered from last Thanksgiving to this one I have logged 300 hours. WOW. My first thought is that the time went really quickly. Then I asked: what did I accomplish, what did I learn, what have I forgotten to do or not yet accomplished??

I.                Emotional Fitness:

a.     Try’s fears and lack of confidence, mine, and solutions—intensity is our friend.

 

The biggest learning of the year is that Try goes RBE in certain situations--it’s mild and not dangerous to me. However, she won't be learning if she is not left brainPlus, how could I be so uncaring as to cause (or not prevent) her to experience negative emotion. . Her RBE reaction can be related to old baggage OR to something I have done—i.e. confusing cues etc. I had thought she was LBI having a tantrum or LBE. NOPE. Even if its LBI anger, that is emotion and as expressed with extraversion, so can be treated as RBE. This has surely been a yearlong study.

I have learned intellectually RBE means to match her energy and stay with her until she relaxes and sometimes have success in applying this. Previously I had tried to be calm and calm her as it frightened me. In fact, I have felt keenly, especially when riding, even the tiniest bit of emotion and it scared me so I avoided doing all sorts of things without even realizing it. I should list a bunch of these also.

I have learned that Try will also just be a bit RBI when she feels what she perceives as too much pressure or intensity. My bringing up my big RBE/LBE energy to ask her for something has its place in helping her relax in the face of intensity but I know that much energy can be scary for her. She "cares" really easily. The goal is not to avoid intensity but to help Try learn to relax with it more and more until intensity “becomes our friend.” Porcupine game is good for RBI’s—i.e. hand holding, contact.

 Our fears and confidence building accomplishments:

1.      This summer lots of riding in the pastures, patterns, canter as this has scared me in the past when Try would get emotional.

2.      One fun day BA, Jen and I played leap frog in one of the big pastures—really turned Try loose and both of us were happy and confident.

3.      Frequent trail rides or passenger rides off the farm.

4.      Field trips to other facilities: indoor at Wind Drift, Cottonwood, Jasmine Meadows

5.      Swimming in the pond at Cottonwood

6.      Hunter hack at Cottonwood

7.      Bareback canter with the bareback pad

8.      In and out of the gates near the ring

9.      Canter patterns, halt, drop reins and relax

10.   No stirrups posting trot using carrot stick and no reins

Fears and Confidence building ideas for the future:

1.      Big patterns in the big pasture, alone, cantering

2.      Continue every opportunity to go somewhere else

3.      Begin study with the natural horsemanship/dressage instructor

4.      Trot and canter trail rides off the property by myself

5.      Call Wendy and schedule a cow day for BA, Try and I

6.      Another project horse for English riding

7.      More gates!

8.      Jumps, variations, turn and relax

9.      Check assessment sheets for ideas for practice in intensity and precision

b.     Good enough, being particular, nagging, waiting for Try to process, zero tolerance, power up, staying with it long enough: Try’s respect, my wimpiness, Try’s curiosity and problem solving:

1.      I have learned that I settle for good enough--from being ok with asking 3-4 times before she does something to quitting with a sorta try on her part. (Again, good to go back and add examples.)

2.      I am studying the patterns we have of my settling for good enough and saying zero tolerance when I see things falling below the level we could be at. Example—picking me up at the mounting place.

3.      This year I only used task to accomplish goals tho I do organize by "task" in planning a session. Whether we make progress with a task depends on attitude and relationship alone, NOT the task.

4.      Richard, Arnold and Jim Carrey: studying the energy I use in cueing.

5.      If Try is in a pissy mood, I can change it pretty quickly

6.      Walk til she blows, lateral flexion for Try and Pilates for me, and jog then walk to relax are a warm-up for riding that gets both of us ready to do something.

7.      Being particular/precision: pick a task from assessment sheet/visualize/film

c.     Analities and Match

1.      Try is all over the chart and varies in intensity where ever she is. She is basically LBI—on her own in her pasture she mostly eats and doesn’t run around like the geldings do. Hardest for me to ID is when she is LBE.

2.      I am all over the chart also and can flex: I am LBE is a lot of intellectual learning situations. I have strong LBI attention to detail and can work quietly on my own. I most certainly can be RBI and go there if afraid.

3.      I am OK with being mostly RBE—I am proud of the assets of creativity, energy and caring about others. In a few situations with people I trust I can enjoy being wildly RBE. I do hide it a lot as it can be really obnoxious to left brain or introverted folks.

4.      Match: Try and I are a pretty good match for energy but she is more dominant. We both can flex on energy as needed. Dominance is all about the zero tolerance etc. see above.

II.              Physical Fitness—for both Try and me

For me: Riding more laps of 2 point and no stirrups posting trot. Also canter bareback and at 2 point. Plus—power up—my fitness away from the barn. This felt just fabulous last summer but I have lost ground this fall with stuff going on—Dad’s death, etc. I loved this summer riding as I concentrated on my fitness and could do a solid mile of no stirrups posting trot or a mile of canter in the bareback pad. (Not both on the same day! GGG) I have an emotional need to be fit and am my happiest that way.

For Try: canter laps, riding in the field with the hill, also lots of lateral work/isolations of FQ/HQ. When I do the lateral work, her canter is much better quality—using HQ more and not heavy on the forehand. On the ground, she is liking the 360s—getting smoother, better and better draw and I can ask from farther away. She used to be stiff in lateral flexion to the right and using treats to stretch she is now more flexible on the right than the left!

Fitness exercises:

1.      Falling leaf: HQ yield followed by FQ yield

2.      360 at liberty: from zone 5—FQ yield then HQ yield

3.      Wheelbarrow turns

4.      Sidepass—2^nd leg

5.      Back from HQ

6.      Rib isolation for lope quality

7.      Leg yields on and off the rail

8.      Snappy backup

9.      Cantering uphill

10.   Vertical, stretching down from fluid rein

11.   Lateral flexion and HQ yield from indirect rein as part of warm-up

12.   Bullseye and preparations for lead changes from weight shift etc (needs review)

13.   Soft feel

14.   Rhythm, relaxation, contact

III.            Level 4 Progress on Tasks by Savvy

On Line: I have pretty much ignored this!!!

Liberty:

1.      I have learned that if I am fairly close I don't need a rope connection AT ALL! Most tasks I can do on line and just about as good at liberty. BUT caveat--perhaps we are not really progressing in taking on L4 tasks.

2.      Draw is hugely improved this year.

3.      Sticking together we can walk, trot, canter, halt, back and sidepass away and toward—what’s next?

4.      Yoyo backing from my raised energy level and some stopping when I drop the energy level

Freestyle: Bridleless riding and bareback

1.      If I have a neck string or carrot stick and legs for cueing we are able to do a lot in the 200x300 ring tho patterns etc are not as precise as with reins.

2.      Variety of using inside leg to shape vs outside leg to push for precision bridleless

3.      Girthiness is improved: carrot stick swing to say that attitude won’t be tolerated.

4.      Exploration of where we are at in L4 freestyle—we can do it, its emotional fitness that is needed.

Finesse:

I just call everything freestyle but a lot is intro to finesse or more particular riding and some intro to contact with the bit. Would be good to check out assessment tasks.

Ideas for Fun or Variety within progressing Level 4

1.      Freestyle riding and the ball

2.      45’ line in the pasture

3.      ??using the telescopic carrot stick at liberty in larger areas??

4.      Set the electric slide to music

5.      Ride with music

6.      Trailer loading at liberty

7.      Check assessment lists and patterns for something different to do

8.      Make new creative patterns

9.      Pedestal, which foot?

10.   BB/BL in the ring? Games in round pen and back paddock?

End Goals??

I learned I do not have a realistic end goal. I don't have an end goal like someone might have training a green horse. AND the hidden goal I had didn't apply to a horse--both of us being free of thought and just jointly going with the moment improvisational with bodies so relaxed they don't really have boundaries. (Can't believe I just said this. I think this applies to a unicorn and wood sprite or something.) I did watch video of a bunch of the greats and they all look too muscular to me. I did like the energy of Rhett Fincher at the Wild Horse Taming and I think Annie Shank has a lot of this quality as well. It is comparable to the floaty/no muscle just skeleton relaxed look of ballet in my background.

I liked what Linda said that competitive riders are apt to have clear goals and know the steps to achieve them and pleasure riders only goals are to have fun trail riding on the weekend and that Parelli provides steps and goals for them. I guess that is where I fall with my goal being to learn to be the best horsewoman possible. I think I should have end goals beyond this.

Consider

1.      Play with 7 step soft feel and film it to see Try’s reaction

2.      Lead by the leg on line

3.      Check rhythm in the canter

4.      Gates

5.      Jumps

6.      Snappy go and whoa—Try will like it

7.      Barrels and poles—whee

8.      Z 5 driving with one hand

9.      On line circling drop back to draw

10.   Partial disengagement

11.   Use fluid rein to improve posture

12.   Learn steady rein

13.   Using shaping for BL and to setup for lead changes

14.   Passenger games – ultimate – no agenda – where ever, when ever

15.   Warm-up strong for impulsion

16.   Wheelbarrow turn

17.   Film and compare to past including 1^st liberty with Dan

18.   Spurs

19.   Leading rein to cue

20.   Long pt to pt stop 10’ from fence

21.   Natural dressage for more learning/my posture etc