Monday phone coaching with Dan

Phone coaching July 9, 2012 based on my issues below and most generally my guilt over studying with a nonParelli instructor.

Several revelations:

Purpose: My learning riding with contact from Kathy is purpose for the horse. Pat and Linda are learning from others and continually redefining and adjusting their idea of what PNH is. Thus I can certainly do this as well. As Dan says “Good horsemanship is good horsemanship.” Also as I say “I can’t learn to ride with contact from a dvd.”

The topic of teaching the horse to take the contact (i.e. Game of Contact): Try will take the contact from me and Keystone does not. Having the horse decide to take the contact and control it may not happen for every horse. Some may not get the idea and human will be maintaining the contact. Keystone has had very different experiences than Try and may not care in the same way and has a 23 year strong habit of expectation.

HQ yield and Try—it is in her nature to do it when asked but not offer it as she has a habit of minimum effort—doing what is easy.

Z5 driving: good to do this on a regular basis i.e. going where she wants to go until any negatives associated with driving are erased from Try’s mind. In fact, lead line is great info—is the horse with you, light, leaning, going ahead, lagging behind?

Catching game:  My awareness now in a different place. Horses want to know: do you even know what is going on or are they being ignored in a rude manner. Horses and humans are so different. Humans ego-centric thinking about me. Horses are hyper aware of the herd instead. So when we show that lack of awareness horses know it. (And I might add, some horse/human relation is aware but could be based on fear—Bill Scott, etc. and this is NOT what I want. Intense connection) ASK DAN

Another source of guilt for me has been neglecting “task” on the road to level 4 on line and liberty. I have been using ground games as 1. Fun and variety for us both, 2. Warmup for riding, and 3. Attitude adjustment as needed. We have been playing in Try’s field with toys etc and just allowing it to happen—either of us might suggest the game, get something and move on to another game.

Dan says this is another plane of WHY are we doing it. The above purposes being good purposes and perhaps more meaningful to Try. i.e finding mental and physical readiness. This is not to say that task is thrown out the window—task is important to me for purposes other than l4 or just because its on the todo list.

Try offering, cueing from intention without realizing I am doing it are steps toward UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE not something to feel guilty about. Good subconscious or even unconscious purposes.

Keystone: ok not playing THE SEVEN GAMES—we are doing what we do from a Parelli perspective of relationship, caring and respect.