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.