End of the Quarter

Ending with lots of improvement with Keystone and real attitude issues with Try. I will be doing a lot of soul searching in the upcoming week as to how to help Try and me to find a happier place.

1. Passenger and stick to her.
2. Dwell
3. Only twice a week
4. Shift lessons to Keystone only
5. Kathy? fix canter without contact?
6. Moody mare, hormones?
7. Work through control issues--round pen catch me
8. Control and HQ??
9. Canter: ride with out contact long enough for Try to relax?

What is the best way to help Try be relaxed and happy?????
I guess we are ending the quarter with a cliff hanger LOL.

Friday with Kathy and Try

Today we took our time to get Try to decide the good deal was actually the easy thing. She was resistant to both contact and quality of gait. I never asked for contact directly but we found it in the movement. Kathy kept giving me strategies to keep Try thinking and searching for a better answer. Including various HQ/FQ isolations and bending and even turns on the haunches and forehand. Canter we used smaller circle to reset--like a half halt in a way--maintain the smaller circle until the canter becomes better then make the circle a little larger. Then if need be to get smaller--outside leg and rein move Try in a bit while inside leg and rein prevents falling in.

Keystone - first canter with contact

Lesson today with Keystone - first canter with contact AND in bareback pad. I was proud of the fact that I could concentrate on corrections and do so bareback. Problem tho between all of that was falling back into western pleasure habits of hands low etc.

Wednesday - Whats up with Try?

Try was witchy again today. Whats up with that? Has been going on for over a week off and on. She has not been ugly on the ground where I am comfortable with ugly but we are starting to see more ugly in the saddle. Is she ok with the ground and just not want to carry a rider? Is she testing me to see if she can scare me away from asking/pressure to learn? Is it tied to moody mare or treats? Does she need a break? Go some where else?

Anyway today we did all our lead line stuff on the right side. Then in the ring as warmup we did just a bit of stick to me on the right side and it was generally nice--just a bit of wanting to put me on the left side. Then back and over and forward and hq yield pattern. And 360 HQ to be loose and really stepping. Mounting--I had her nearly set up to mount on the right side--she moved out of position and repositioned herself on the left side.

Passenger walk/jog til she blew. Review for Kathy/Fri did not go well tho we got it done in the end including canter.

Keystone on the other hand got the prize for improving and great attitude. Spent nearly an hour treating the rain rot--clipping his butt and later hot/warm water on the places and light scrub with rainrot shampoo. He really liked having his butt rubbed.

We did warmup and serpentines, trot laps on inside track then ?6-8 laps of canter, and reviewed trotting with light contact and flexion, sitting and posting and transitioning up and down from walk and patterns/change of direction.

Notes: Monday with Dan

Priorities: Giving up control of HQ, Distance, Right side.

What we did on line and liberty:

1.      Liberty: for right side—developing confidence and experience—stick to her game. What is Try thinking? Match her energy, foot falls, stride, body position. This is something great to do when we don’t have much time!

2.      Although the next topic was distance on the circle—we were not able to play with it until we worked through the issue of giving up control of Try’s HQ which we stayed with on the circle until Try was able to do that.

3.      On line: distance on the circle—moving farther away less of an issue. Want the drive and draw to set distance to come from intention. I have never taught Try that I want a certain distance—I have left it to her to choose the distance from me. Therefore, she cannot possibly understand how to circle me at liberty in an open space except perhaps at a close distance. To draw and shorten the distance, I can use spiraling technique and vary my body position—we played with squaring my body to directly ask for draw.

What we did riding:

1.      Passenger riding like Stick to Her on the ground: Where is Try thinking, matching her energy, body, etc. Be careful that I am not thinking something different i.e. My thinking please don’t go to the gate when Try is thinking I want to go to the gate.

2.      Releasing the HQ: On the circle again, using overhead opposite arm with stick to better match what I would like Try to do in her body.

a.      Get a good attempt at moving HQ

b.      Get a really good step with HQ

c.      Plant front foot and good step with HQ

d.      All of the above plus keep going.

3.      Move on HQ: trot 20 strides or so and disengage HQ to a stop (as opposed to 2 legs asking her to engage to stop—remember looking up.)

4.      Prep for offensive sidepass. Try and I look to the left while I ask right haunch to move to the left.

 

Tuesday felt like Monday

Still working on notes from session with Dan.

Today was Try only and we reviewed everything from Monday.

1. stick to her on right side for 15 minutes--we walked all around but she would have preferred hang out at the gate with Ollie or eat hay--but she seemed relatively confident--I had to really concentrate to keep matching her--her stride is longer than mine--she does a little developpe with each step--and she keeps changing her rhythm.
2. then because right side is such an issue we played liberty games of back and over then sideways on the right side. Sideways towards took some time to do. (draw on right side being weak--i.e. fig 8)

hmm, isolate, separate, recombine
I must connect with Try first, if I would like her to connect with me.

3. Next circling on line with HQ yields--I started with 360 move your HQ as a warmup:

a.      Get a good attempt at moving HQ

b.      Get a really good step with HQ

c.      Plant front foot and good step with HQ

d.      All of the above plus keep going.

We fairly quickly got the good step, we got a few good plants, and I had to cue the keep going part.

4. distance on the circle--yes she will go to end of rope and I can use some drive but she does it anyway. wow this concept is so new for us both. Yes I can easily get her to circle into me with the spiral technique and I played with squaring my shoulder for a direct draw. I don't see how we get from here to teaching distance on the circle from intention drive/draw without using rope and stick/string.

Riding:
1. Passenger for 15 minutes: Game ok to stop at gate for 3 minutes then go again--off limits were hay. I practiced where is Try thinking and matching physically. She was thinking lets go to Ollie so I thought that too and she I guess felt it and picked up a bit of speed toward Ollie.

2. Then we did some walk/jog til ya blow warmup and then added trot and stop using HQ disengagement or 2 legs/look up engagement. (hmm--looking up--can that be the new lighter phase for whoa?). It took awhile at first for Try to disengage but she licked and chewed and it got faster.
Then played with the steps above and they went about as well as on the ground.

3. Offensive sideways--got one good step--but lots of resistance and confusion.

4. Finished with big trot and canter about the pasture for fitness and release.

Monday Dan Thompson at Rollover

Overview: Starting with stick-to-her game at liberty on her right side, which along with the passenger game later are great games for me getting in sync with Try. (Can't expect her to connect with me unless I connect first.) LOL Then lots of HQ stuff for fitness, readiness for sport and especially to help Try give up the need to be in control. Also explored the idea of--can I set the distance Try and I are apart in on line circling thru draw and drive intention--something necessary if we are ever to consider the circling game at liberty in a large open space. Still workin on my notes--will post later.

Friday lesson with Kathy

Try was not in the mood. It took a long time of her trying things before she gave up the control and went with the program. Canter was improved and rather nice on her "bad" side tracking right.

Strategies:
1. Try gets short and choppy (emotional)--go ahead and come down hard in the posting trot--took only a stride or two before Try decided to make the correction.
2. Try going too slow--more swing in my seat in posting and outside leg
3. Too fast: slow by pushing my abs out and posting slowly.

Remember:
1. Cue with inside of my calf, bounce a relaxed leg.
2. Orange string and holding crop with two hands.
3. Relax legs and ribcage in the canter.
4. Elbows--relax hands

Thursday

Key: again basic hack plus contact. He is getting the idea that the good deal is to maintain the bit of flexion. One area in the ring with uneven footing he lifts his head and upward transitions are not smooth.

Try: dwell time again and it did not go well. She did not come and had nasty attitude.

Wednesday

Had an appointment cancelled and some extra time in the afternoon so went to barn and did dwell time with Try in her pasture which seemed quite positive.

Tuesday

Try: I had planned a carefree bucket filling day in the field.
Started with easy warmup and then bareback passenger. Try was in a bad mood so I switched gears for liberty figure 8 in the round pen which led to catch me game--her left side relaxed and sheconnected mentally and gave up HQ quickly but right side was very emotional and took a long time. Then back to figure 8 and Try couldn't handle the right side of it and back to the rail for another catch me on that side. Then Try could not do the figure 8 still so went back to main area and did push me the ball at liberty and she had sufficient mental/emotional state for that. Then back to bareback and did canter cloverleafs.

Keystone: basic hack in the ring, and played with cueing and maintaining the contact.

Monday 9/17/12

Try:
catch me at liberty in the field--did focus on shoulder and she didn't leave. Then played with pushing the ball thru the cones to the barrel--I helped her the first time, gave treat and she was excited to repeat the game with much less help. I need to remember about clear endings even tho I would like to progress a task.

bareback--Try had a bit of attitude so we went to the round pen. I was not clear but played with the concepts from last lesson with Dan. She is much more emotional on her right side. played with not driving, and on left side, blocking FQ and driving HQ. I saw her connected mentally and it took her awhile to yield HQ.

bareback again: cantered cloverleaf and felt strong.

Key:
Basic hack.
Contact review--did not go as well as last time--did keep the contact longer but I felt I was nagging.

Casual Friday--western saddle in the field---Try and Key

Try: in her pasture--no tasks, passenger at walk and jog. Then canter so I could practice relaxing my legs, balancing on my seat and relaxing my ribcage.

Keystone: brighter and happier in the western saddle in the field. Walk/trot/canter. Loose rein. Ride em cowboy.

Thursday with Keystone and Devon

Today Keystone and I had the best contact/flexion ever. We started with my asking at a stand still and reminding sooner rather than later. Also stopping and starting again if his head came up.

Then I got to ride Devon--I was nervous until we walked a little. He has a big trot but comfortable and a nice canter. I did not have spurs and he took advantage of that a bit.

Wednesday 13th lesson with Kathy and Try

Today we did travers and renvers mixing them up. Also canter with contact was much improved--my lower body more relaxed and I found out I was holding tension in my upper body as well. After the lesson Kathy and I talked about which freestyle/western pleasure cues to rate the quality of the canter were good to use for dressage. I CAN use holding with two legs--ok for western pleasure but not for parelli--as cue to slow the gait or to reset.

Monday call to Dan Control and Purpose

See clinic notes blog.

Discussed primarily issues of Try being afraid to give up control and what the heck is purpose.

Thursday, Friday and Monday

Thursday Keystone: basic hack and then some coaching on contact--hands go wide and hold til he releases then come back together. My energy needs to tell Key that I mean business.

Monday Keystone: after light hack warmup, reviewed the above, hands go wide, also right rein and bend and drifting out in the bend and reminders--took a long time to get one good lap around the ring. I forgot to take some time to close my eyes and feel Key's stride without any contact.

Friday Try: reviewed HQ/FQ off the circle and changed it up for variety. Also continued playing with the canter. I was amazed at what a difference that orange string made to keeping my hands quiet.

Kathy took a couple photos and commented: "Your position is definately improving.  Using the string is helping you relax your back, hips and legs.  You can see Try is downhill, but as your seat gets more secure you will be better able to energize her HQ so she can step under raising her back and shoulders."

"Elizabeth at canter nice seat"

"Working canter isolate hands"

Monday with Try: Played liberty games in the ring. Started with put one HQ on my hat. She got it immediately but not the concept of LEAVE the HQ there. Played with match my energy in the sticking together and cutting games. Then bareback walk/jog/canter. Two laps each way of canter working on relaxing my legs down and balancing on my derriere.

Tuesday

Continuing the review and rewriting and recombining of horsemanship notes.

Try: today played with sideways game, focus, intention, phases. lots of confusion and also some progress since even a year ago in energy, distance. Considering tho--I still need to go back to focus, life up, intention and get just a couple of steps and life down before asking for more. We did this at liberty in the ring. Pastures still too wet. Then walk/trot/canter. Canter to work on my relaxing my thighs and balancing on my seat when she starts pounding on FQ to see if she will relax and if I can avoid hurting my lower back. Also HQ/FQ stuff from Friday and contact. Shower and graze.

Keystone: basic hack and it was too hot and humid. Did play a bit with contact and forgot about following him when his head came up.

Thursday and Friday and Labor Day weekend

Thursday played with BA and Try on lengthening and shortening strides at trot and canter between two poles. Competition between Keystone, Try and Devon. LOL. Try, of course, was the champion at shortening at both gaits and by a mile at canter as she cantered in place--too funny to me to watch tho Try wasn't enthused! Lengthening at a trot she was behind both Key and Devon as might be expected tho not by much. Canter she was only 1/2 a stride behind Devon with a big skippy, counter canter.

Friday lesson with Kathy:
1. worked on HQ off the circle w/FQ maintaining on the circle--HQ outside and inside the circle in both directions. Then repeat w/FQ which was much easier. For HQ: bend in the direction, leg pushes HQ and opposite rein keeps FQ on the circle.
2. Canter tracking right: goal to relax and sit this more to help Try get conditioned to relax with it and use HQ, lessen the pounding that isn't good for my lower back.

Weekend:
Studying and recombining Dan notes from last two years.