Thursday - lotsa bareback canter

I started with Try today. Nice grooming in the cool barn. Warmed up in the ring in baretek pad and rope halter. Played with HQ yields, and turns on the haunches and forehand. Then went to the round corral for bridleless--forgot the savvy string around her neck GGG. We walked, trotted and played with the indirect and direct rein from intention and then did the pattern we learned from Marie--it was great except the direct rein staying back on her haunches part--we would have had that but time was getting short. (and miles to go before I sleep) Anyway finished with fun bareback canter all over the ring. Shower, dwell time. I enjoyed her company so much.

Then Keystone: Warmup without stirrups for my relaxation. Lovely energy today--just inbetween introverted and extraverted. walk/trot/canter then played with contact for my learning. Finished with bareback canter--I am trying to learn to help him use HQ better so he can regain strength he had in the past. He was such a pleasure, willing, sweet. With a bit of luck so we can stay together, I am going to really learn from him. We are so fortunate.

Here is Keystone--top:dirty and still needs to shed out, after about a month. He has gained so much weight, conditioning and energy. Below: from coggins photos two weeks after returning.

Wednesday - Kathy - things coming together

Great dressage lesson with Kathy. I am beginning to piece together a better alignment and relaxation for myself as a rider, understanding i.e. when Try gets sticky to transition to a higher gait--quite consistent with Parelli etc. Kathy is helping me to take things Try and I know i.e. turns on the haunches or leg yield to the rail and expand on them. I also am realizing that there is a lot of dressage terminology that I want to learn to the point of it being unconscious knowledge to speed my understanding.

A few things from today:
1. Homework is downward transitions on the HQ rather than FQ from a 2 beat trot to a 4 beat walk. Begin by visualizing and checking my relaxation, then slowing my posting, sitting the trot for a couple strides, then IN MY body begin the 4 beat walk. Focus upward to help Try be uphill. Makes for a smooth transition--I could feel the difference.

2. A cool pattern to play with--walk on the rail into a circle with a HQ yield plus FQ stepping across (small swing) until I get parallel to the rail then leg yield back to the rail. Try's body in leg yield remains parallel to the rail while we travel forward and sideways to the rail.

A memory

I remember auditing my first Parelli clinic taught by Carol Coppinger in Raleigh, hosted by Lauren Kahn back in ??2004. One thing that stayed in my mind was a demo Carol did that she finished by sitting on Ranger's HQ as above (not Ranger) and cueing him to back out of the arena. When I saw this photo from a recent tour stop it brought back this memory.

Treat - Bucket filling day

Saturday--stopped by the barn on my way home from town and gave Key and Try a carrot.

A few pics of a dirty Keystone below. He has gained a lot of weight

since coming back to Rollover but still under weight and under fit. Sweet, sweet guy.

 Keystone eating hay and spots his human.

 Starting to come to the fence.

 Outa the way guys--its my carrot/human.

Yep--its my carrot/human.

Thursday Excitement

Keystone, Alex and Smitty at rest with Lincoln standing guard--early am at Rollover.

(Photo taken from my car as I pulled in.)

  

Thursday was eventful:

First Try and I reviewed in the back paddock

1. circling game and contact--Try was really trying to figure out the good deal and perhaps getting the idea that when she starts thinking away from me that I know it.
2. reviewed HQ yield--Try doesn't want me to get into position and wants to face me quickly. We got several great steps in each direction but was not able to keep it going for several steps in succession like last time. Great draw!
3. sideways from zone 1 was better than yesterday--my focus being really important.

Next: Keystone in the ring. I was able to experience today, for the first time, taking contact by maintaining the reins and softening when he softened into the contact. Walk and sitting trot and some posting trot. Then played with sitting on my balance point in the canter--this isn't working for me--likely my strength in his slow big canter strides.

Then walk up the road to the white house with Try and I and Bethanna riding Keystone to test how Keystone might be on a trail. BA led for that purpose. We got to the cows and Key was terrified. Even crossing the road and Try leading did not help. BA got off and stayed with him and we retreated. Key was confident otherwise--better near the ponds than Try.

When we started out Try threw a fit. I had mounted on the fence in the drive without warming up and reestablishing connection. This will be a new fun thing for us to play with!

Photos taken by Kathy of session with Marie

zone 5 driving: touch it (hat on post)

Attempting to use porcupine game with the mane for sideways towards, which we did NOT get and changed the game to lead by the mane to be successful.

I think I am asking Try to send on the circle
but I am leaning forward in my upper body which makes it predatory.

Figure 8 from intention (and leg) this was not as light as I would have liked either at the walk or the trot. I would like to go back and make this a ?7 day pattern to see if it can be light and done with few corrections--i.e. use responsibility of maintaining direction on the pattern.

Monday and Tuesday - April 16/17

Monday: Try and I - little review for Kathy, dwell time, filling the bucket.

Tuesday: good day with Kathy--Try happy. Yields on the ground on line for shoulder fore and HQ yield. Riding: circle increase and decrease size. Leg yield forward and over back to the fence not diagonal. Forward and relaxation are the most important. Rhythm phase 2, cluck 3, leg 4.

Wednesday Marie Pruden and Keystone in the field

Began with an easy walk/trot/canter in the field with Keystone who looked and felt good. Big relief to me after his being sore.

Try: 2 hours with Marie Pruden
1. ways to progress the games--LBI/level 3 Try will get bored faster than other horses.
2. slow down for Try--curbing my RBE as over cueing, fast cueing, multiple cueing irritates Try and doesn't do anything for our relationship. Also if my E is not equal to phases then speed is also not equal to my energy--i.e. just because I am quick to catch the moment doesn't mean I have to be heavy in phasing.
3. contact on the circle (and every where--is Try with me mentally and emotionally?)
4. Focus--mine
5. Use more drive than draw.
6. When/what to drop back to when the first thing doesn't work--back to a more basic task that is.
7. Use patterns i.e. 7 days (progressing or 3-4?)

What we did:
On Line
1. Sideways progressed--can we play from zone 1? (for me one step at a time, keep pressure on til get a good HQ side step and release) Then from farther away. Variation could do from zone 5.
2. Circling--step back for send and my bellybutton keeps the contact. When Try loses contact AT ALL then fast but only phase 3 disengagement HQ, wait for process/lick and chew. When moves sideways in contact with me and straightens soft disengage and reward.
3. Squeeze--on the fence from 20 feet send, turn and face. I had not considered when Try turns that it is good she faces me (contact) and then I can ask her to turn parallel to the fence to wait.
4. Can you? porcupine and driving. Porcupine trying to find something completely new--I tried asking for sideways towards from her mane--didn't work and changed it to lead by the mane. Driving tried zone 5 driving to touch it--more specific than a bridge etc--and it was difficult, tried zone 4/3 and then stick string. Also porcupine asking for back up from tail wasn't there so went to hocks/not there and then to string around leg and we got it.

Freestyle: bridleless
1. indirect rein from focus alone? getting a good HQ yield from focus only supported by leg only if necessary. one step at a time/light cueing/progress IF Try is light.
2. direct rein from focus--more difficult. on the rail back 4 and time asking her to step out on 5th step
3. putting them together: walk on the rail, indirect rein to face rail, sideways a couple steps, stop and wait, then direct rein--step by step--for 180 turn on the rail (turn on the haunches).
4. challenge: figure 8 at walk and trot with arms folded--we did it but Try wasn't light.

Thursday--I shoulda stayed home

Today I was a mess--tired, frustrated over non horse stuff but went to the barn as I wanted to pick BA's brain re fitness for Keystone. Got him, groomed but noticed he was sore--walked a little in the ring and it was iffy as to what would be best for him so I opted not to ride. He will get several days off. Fingers crossed that it goes away quickly.

Then got Try and was in no mood to concentrate or to baby either or us so we went out and rode hard and fast trot and canter.

More photos from Kathy of Tuesday

Wednesday - day after sessions with Dan

Wow did Try ever get it!! I know she is good but wow. Every step of the online draw from intention, S bends and HQ yield she remembered, did better than ever--almost offered it! She likely could have done it at liberty she was so good. Now I will lose much of it if we don't progress: so if she is giving huge HQ step across and halt now HQ step across and keep going and yes I will likely get some "ugly."
Riding the figure 8 for HQ yield, using my body as above (modern dance karate chop plus mirliton reed flutes on other shoulder and I got huge HQ steps and she kept going without getting reactive and I was able to cue from leg alone. What an awesome girl.

Keystone was lovely but not awesome. I thought constantly about the concept of my energy is separate from phases. Low energy so I don't make him RBE but use all 4 phases. Being conscious of my being relaxed and not predatory especially the eyes. He got the difference in when the stick string means something and when it doesn't. So its all about me not the stick/string/whip. Yoyo--focus, life up relaxed, low energy, soft eyes and then phases--I think I nagged at phase 2 again and he gave me pretty good yoyo backing. He has nice draw for level 1/2. Circling game--one time I put more energy than I wanted and he left at a trot--but that was what I asked. To progress the game--walk/trot transitions for relaxation. Sideways on the rail focusing over his back at zone 3 worked really well. Still not particular about my phases.

More on Tuesday

Yesterday I was surprised and touched that Dan arrived 30 minutes early so I could have extra time for Keystone. Dan asked what was my purpose in L1 with Keystone and I said mental stimulation.

Keystone: I explained that while we had made our way thru the level 1 tasks that Key wasn't getting it the way Try does and I knew he needed intensity to learn about finding the good deal BUT with the stiffle injury and just getting back in shape I was not comfortable with how physically reactive he gets. Innately LBI, RBI with the new Parelli on line stuff and quickly RBE. Dan was fantastic at showing me how to use mental intensity rather than physical to accomplish this.

1. My energy level is not the same or tied to phases. Sooo I can have a low energy that Keystone needs and still use all 4 phases. I want to remember soft eyes and not cue phase 1 with predatory eyes. Previously I was skipping the phase 1 I would use with Try, basically nagging at phase 2 and afraid to go to phase 3/4.

2. Also I learned that I need to relearn components of level 1 on line--that I am skipping over steps. i.e. yoyo is same for Key as Try (soft eyes) and circling--go back to (soft energy) slow lead it, lift it, swing it and even 3 phases to touch it--all the while keeping the low energy. Phase 4 doesn't mean get predatory!! (In the afternoon, Dan kept saying Am I working hard, am I rushing?)

3. The game is about me not the rope or stick and string: game--swing stick under rope facing zone 1 so it means nothing--I must be completely friendly--then ask for the back up so he learns the difference. Also asking Key to walk as asked rather than trot to escape in the circle game its not about the rope.

4. Mental intensity: Dan cues more with his rib cage than his facial expression/eyes.

TRY: I asked that we concentrate on HQ yields so I could understand it well enough for Try and I to make it happen without Dan's presence.

Interesting: I compared the difficulty in finding an extreme friendly with Try and when I was able to get a reaction Dan said it wasn't extreme friendly--as I got energy up and predatory and it was no longer a friendly game!!

1. On Line: This time we approached it from the S bend approach where I back and draw.
     a. Will Try draw on 22' line at the new phase 1 of intention alone?
     b. Back and then draw a circle only using modern dance slice and reed flutes finger to shoulder
     c. then back both circles
     d. then cue shoulder to yield
     e. then cue HQ until get good step across

2. Riding HQ yield--get good circle, then good figure eight--again same use of my body--check for the tighter circle. Then cue for HQ yield until get that good swinging motion of big step across.
GOAL: can maintain circle or diagonal sideways with that big HQ step.

Tuesday Dan at Rollover and Paulas

A few photos

Dan with Kathy's Ashley

Lisa and Tiara - Happy Birthday Lisa

Paula and Zhivago

Dan and Zhivago

Kathy and Ashley

More--from Chris Shallcross

Notes Dan T yesterday

2012 4 10 April 10 Dan T

Two top priorities

1.      Where is my horse thinking?

2.      Can I control through the hind quarters?

Relationship requires commitment from both human and horse.

Liberty: the human is most scared that the horse will leave. But it is better to help the horse to truly commit by helping him to leave so he can understand the good deal.

Keystone: Walt and Dan simulation re lateral flexion or horse heavy/leaning on the reins. Important to use phases. Phase 1 is feeling the horse heavy on the rope, phase 2 is wiggle rope with slack, phase 3 wiggle without slack, phase 4 is whatever it takes to cause the horse to care.

HQ: 3 stages

1.      Can the horse move the HQ?
2.      Will the horse move the HQ?
3.      Can the human engage the horse’s HQ in a positive, useful manner.

Note: this is stepping across. Simulation—if human takes tiny step across, it is difficult to move. Big ol lunge across with good knee bend on both—human is poised ready for movement.

Chris: Dan asked why she starts with friendly instead of extreme friendly when with her LBI she has dominance/respect issues. Her horse doesn’t need friendly.

Sherri asked if it is ok to tip the horse’s nose (on line to get the bend on the circle)? Dan says the horse will give you the answer. Try it out—if she can’t get the bend w/o tipping his nose, then that’s the answer.

Use bend in my body to ask for the bend.

When the horse goes forward, is it with me or did she leave me. Can develop into a habit—do not release on it—active stay in control of the game—especially with a confident horse. Or passive method is to play on the horse’s terms—leave, and leave and leave until the horse asks the question may be better for an unconfident horse.

What is the finished product of bend on circle supposed to look like: big stepping across and maintaining forward motion??

Can vary the distance in the circle. Also human can walk forward on a circle or back on a circle—forward is driving like falling leaf, back is draw like S bends. Drive confident horse/draw unconfident or whatever works.

UGLY: I need to learn to love ugly. Important—it’s there—bring it out to help the horse over it.

Zone 5 driving: misnomer as beginning from porcupine game rather than driving game may be preferable at times, especially with an unconfident horse—porcupine is hand holding and reassuring providing solid leadership that horse desires. Disrespectful horse: use driving—“you just missed the good deal buddy.”

Riding:

1.      Leading rein start is also hand holding. Porcupine as teaching game and Driving as power of suggestion game.

2.      Lateral flexion: See notes on simulation with Dan/Walt.

3.      Simple start: life up, focus, squeeze w/all 4 cheeks then use savvy string to get a snappy start—ask Dan about when/how to use snappy start.

4.      Snappy stop?

5.      Ride the figure 8 and win the turn.

Easter Monday - Dan at Sherri's

Great day, great info:

Easter

This was a normal barn day because I needed the day with two days with Dan and Mary arriving Thursday.

Keystone: I am very excited to see that he has gain weight and conditioning and looks really different than 3 weeks ago. He is happier and more alive. I keep learning things about him. He is confident in a lot of ways and LBI but quickly RBE with new learning. He has made great strides with confidence over the carrot stick and savvy string. We have completed the level 1 On Line tasks with ??level 2 quality. He has issues with intensity: he gets very reactive at anything over a phase 2 which affects learning. He gets it and it improves each time lots of licking and chewing but he doesn't really get that this is a learning game and that he can seek and truly understand the good deal. Strange things scare him such as spray bottle. He is enjoying my mosing with him coming in from pasture and not hurrying him or demanding that he stick to ME. We are now up to 5 laps of trot and 3 of canter and he is doing well with it--not a big deal at all. With 5 days of that we will consider the conditioning month over and begin "just riding." Before his canter was to die for--the bareback on the beach type of canter--at present Try's canter is easier to ride. He seems to need my weight really forward for good impulsion in both trot and canter.

Try: I am concerned that she is not liking the contact/vertical flexion--the expression on her face is not relaxed and happy. But I LOVE what I am learning about improving my riding. My relaxation bringing a big relaxed, tracking up trot is just the best. I am seeing improvement at liberty in distance that we are communicating. A focus has been filling her bucket with positives. Trail ride soon would be great.

4th lesson with Kathy

lesson 1: I found an incredibly free glorious sitting trot

lesson 3: Try maintained a bit of vertical flexion at the trot for several laps in the round pen while Kathy worked on my riding.

lesson 4: I found a free posting trot with Try tracking up nicely with Kathy coaching my position. I look forward to finding this for myself!!!

Bend/Counter bend

• Purpose to release tension in neck and shoulder to get a better stride
• When Try objected transition up a gait walk to trot, trot to canter
• Result of transition: more relaxation and more energized

Downward transitions

·        I really want these as popping out of my seat is embarrassing

·        Canter to trot:

o   Good rhythm

o   Wait for ? and Try FQ lift??

o    I slow the canter in my body using my core to shorten my hip action

o   Stay on seat bones

o   Think ahead and visualize

o   Pick up posting in the trot quickly without rushing to cue Try that yes she is correct we are now going to trot

·        Trot to walk:

o   Envision

o   Sit on sitz bones

o   Follow trot but relax stride to cue

o   Then really relax

o   Core muscles/sit deep in saddle will cue

o   Careful not to be forward—stay on sitz bones (body wt on bowl of pelvis)

Lengthening Try’s stride in the canter

·        I need to mentally think rhythm

·        My hip as pendulum tells horse to increase stride

·        Relax my knees and lower leg/my lower legs at the girth not behind/post forward position and upper body over Try’s neck—leading with upper body

·        Soft focus—a hard focus on something specific I lose everything else—soft focus is global awareness

Shoulder fore

·        Try’s shoulder into ring and HQ stay on rail

·        Use inside leg to push and outside to say go forward

·        Leading rein on inside

·        Sit on rail hip.

·        GOAL is the go forward that is the MOST important.

From last lesson with Kathy (Wednesday, March 29):

  "Even in the pix, where she is above the bit, she opened her stride ;you needed to be proactive.  The one where she is tracking up and swinging hip and shoulder is nice. Good Job!" Kathy

Try is tracking up a bit--I think I am posting here

and my position is forward BUT no contact or flexion.

My thighs do look tense and held not relaxed down.

Try looks very muscular.

This one I have contact and a bit of flexion,

Try isn't excited about it and I seem to be pitched forward.

Monday gorgeous day 69/cloudy/windy

The weather really helped today--cool and relaxing with a nice windy breeze.

Try: She was in a nasty mood and after a bit of liberty circling got it out of her system and was lovely. Liberty--cue from intention--yoyo going and stopping from intention. Also sideways away the farthest from me ever and lovely big sideways to me at a nice pace.

Riding: review for Kathy--especially my relaxation and not changing my position in transitions.

Keystone: On Line: practice to see if we are ready to film level 1
1. rub w/stick belly, HQ and 6 swings over neck
2. back from chest and nose
3. drive HQ or FQ 360
4. yoyo gate
5. circle 4 laps at trot, traveling circles and change of direction
6. sideways on left side nice--right side did not want to move her FQ
7. squeeze thru 2' gap both ways
8. touch it--great on jump standards
9. figure 8 around the jumps at a walk

Ride: lateral flexion, indirect rein, (threw rope over head from the ground--not riding), 9 step backup
Then good responsive conditioning ride--day 4 of 4 laps each of trot and 2 of canter.

Sunday Happy Birthday Try

Goodies for Try on her birthday.

Keystone: conditioning ride, some freestyle basics, and on line level 1 almost there