Monday December 24

Try:
Played with drawing HQ from intention in the field, groom, riding in the field and ring, walk/trot/canter, a bit of contact, meander up and road, etc. in preparation for days away due to Christmas activity.

Key:
Dwell and graze on lead line, groom, walk/trot/canter, etc.

Catch up

December 17 Monday Try ring was wet walk and trot. Walk up the road, graze etc. great picking me up on the fences to remount. Key nice easy hack.

December 19 Try light ride, nice easy connection. Key full hack and 15 minutes riding with contact.

December 20 Try lesson with Kathy. Not good...I was sick and Try not in the mood to cooperate.

Tour Stop

Amerika ride

 

Session with Beth Collins and Amerika

 

 

1. Sitting more deeply on right hip--I have found that its not always right but often right or left more deeply rather than balanced between the two.

2. Try leg cue for canter as little sweep.

3. Ring finger holds the reins not thumbs.

4. For fast canter I overcued and unintentionally put my leg on when I got nervous

5. For Try transitions both engaging and disengaging I want to come from energy in seat or upper thigh and lastly reins.

6. For fast canter--for me 2 point variation to solve issues until canter is smooth??

 



Try

some observations from Sharon: Try likes dressage as it makes her body feel good and trail riding. Tired of boring, old stuff. Likes different and new. Generally physically she is fine--some possible arthritis in ??left front knew. Likes Dan but not being pushed--duh. Likes our time together and happy to be in her pasture. HUG.

Tuesday

The usual stuff--groom, hanging out, walking in and out together except played briefly with drawing HQ from intention and it is improved--big HQ step toward me and just a big of movement in front. Still not a plant in front and HQ only big step to me.

 Lesson with Kathy 2 hours--and of course we did not ride the whole time, talking, hanging out as well. When we finished Try wanted to just hang with us! Try seemed to thoroughly enjoy the two hours! Course Kathy gave her treats--we only rode for 3 segments and when Try improved we quit and Try got a treat. Best canter with contact--using outside rein to rebalance, outside leg to step deeper--quality of canter improved--using HQ better and more consistent and canter was never rough. Working on my positioning hips open and relaxed, long leg, weighting stirrup to bend and change direction, transition to walk to prevent falling on the forehand etc.

1. Keep hip open and relaxed. With back injury I was tenser than usual and tended to raise and shorten leg and pitch forward which puts Try on her forehand.

2. Took right hand and held the rein near the left hand which helped me keep my hands in the center and raised a bit. Important to keep my hands/elbows relaxed and in position to help Try be relaxed in the contact. Wantonly minor adjustment with the reins, to not drop her in the contact.

3. Homework: more frequent changes of direction and bends/yields etc to re-energize Try and keep her interest.

4. Transition to the walk using HQ instead of stumbling onto FQ

5. Canter departs using HQ--indirect rein/falling leaf and backing and 1/4 turns on HQ. Also lifting the FH. Outside rein and leg are her security blanket for her to frame up. Rein rebalances and my leg helps her to step deeper--keeps her from falling in.

Next time: leather reins and set up camera and tripod.

6. Remember use outside rein to rebalance. Outside rein and leg are her security

Monday

I feel energized by the tour stop.

What I have decided:
1. As much as I am physically able to do so--to treat winter 3 months as if it is summer i.e. go for it without wimping or whining over the cold.
2. To keep my focus on
     a. Helping Try and I to forge a better and better connection
     b. Help Try know it is a good deal for her--that she can trust me to give up control as needed
     c. To focus on improving my finesse riding.
     d. To focus on finesse L4 with Try for physical development in lessons with Kathy.
     e. Work for balance of fun and variety for Try and Keystone.
     f. Continue every opportunity to learn from Dan, Kathy, etc.
3. What I will NOT do as a way to further the aims above.
     a. I will not get sidetracked by other things to learn or play with unless they can fit into my overall goals.
     b. I have dropped my PC membership to digital and I will not watch the dvds unless desperate for something new.

Monday

Try: catch me in the pasture and a bit of sticking together. BA rode by and was impressed that Try would come to me from ??40 feet while her pasture mate trotted off the other direction. In her pasture--played a little with drawing HQ only from intention then dwell, walking in together, groom, and finished our riding with more draw HQ--just a bit each time until she figured it out. Started in the ring, walked and I did my warmup pilates, passenger, meandered and jogged awhile so Try could get used to 2 new geldings on the farm next to the ring. She was still a little distracted for what I wanted to do so we left and rode in her pasture. We trotted for quality of gait, Played with weighting the stirrup and follow my shoulder/focus. When she knew that was what I wanted she had it but it took a little while. hmmmm. We did a little taking contact and light flexion review to prepare for Tuesday's lesson.

Keystone: Lovely catching game in the field--saw me and sorta wanted to come from ??40 feet and was able to come from about 25 feet!! Long slow walking together in from the field, good grooming and shower at the end and hanging out in his field at the end. warmup on loose rein: walk/trot/canter. clover leaf/serpentines, inside track etc. Good impulsion and he felt good. light contact and flexion--2 laps

Sat/Sun Tour Stop

Tour Stop in Williamston
Not very good at taking pictures--

 Emily and Ryan's horses playing at liberty

 Rider biomechanics session

 Rider biomechanics session

Emily and Ryan

Thursday - Dan Thompson - 3hours

December 6 2012

Since September

1. Low keyed, less intense connection—this was a good thing—trust myself
2. Lessons with Kathy—giving up control and HQ/FQ isolations

1. Old age fear—Dan dealt with this—examples and lt less physical cueing a good thing
2. More intuitive and less planned and goal oriented – still a good thing
3. Parelli materials fig 8—information only—need a more narrow focus rather than try to absorb the clutter of all Parelli info
4. stopping over jump—trot and maintain gait or stop over pole—see below heavy on FH
5. Need reset as to connection--get back on track as to control/distance/right side/ and giving up HQ

Stuff to do maybe

1. Figure 8 online and liberty: right hand loop
2. Stopping over cavaletti pole
3. Opening and closing gate while mounted
4. Quality of canter gait

Impressions and ah ha’s

1. The greatest moment was the figure 8 on line. Try was motivated, happy and playing with the pattern as an LBE which freed me up to be able to enjoy the RBE that I am.
2. This was accomplished not by mechanics of what am I doing right or wrong in my body nor motivating Try as LBI by smacking the ground in the middle LOL.
4. This happened because Dan helped me make this pattern interesting for Try.
5. It had never occurred to me to vary and be particular about shape and distance.
7. First—a good circle shape as Try had the tendency to hug the obstacle to avoid the game.
8. Then two circles with my turning my body to accomplish that.
10. Then distance small and large circles, maybe one small and the other large
11. Shape can be circles or infinity sign etc.
13. From this I realized that the Parelli dvd on the subject sent me in the wrong direction with my thoughts and plans and I need to be careful as Try is her own self and we are in L4. My avoidance of the dvds may actually be a good thing—my instincts better and Dan/Kathy one on one coaching better than one size fits all dvds or magazine articles. Balance and not overdo to keep Try happy also important.
14. Another example was my taking the exercise from magazine to develop Try stopping over pole and sidepassing towards to get off the pole.
16. I thought this would be good as we already sort of had it. BUT putting on the breaks was the problem, talking with Dan I realize this exercise requires Try to fall onto her FH—something we are trying to avoid at this stage. Thus I am putting this task as a priority 4 to reconsider at a later time.
17. Another big ah ha was the fixing/development continuum. As we have made progress with the fixing we are able to happily proceed with dressage physical/intellectual/mental skill development for both Try and I.
19. Especially as Kathy watches the fixing portion with Dan and incorporates it into our development lessons IE giving Try time to figure things out rather than make her do stuff which doesn’t facilitate learning AND helping her learn that she is safe to give up control i.e. of her HQ.
20. So my guilt over not doing fixing with Parelli ground work was off track—it was being done in lesson. I was doing a good thing by using on line and liberty as a pleasant warmup to get us loosely connected for riding.
22. Also a fix is my lack of big goal focus and energy and frustration.
23. The Gate: Try does not like confrontation and positively pushing into pressure is an issue.

WHAT WE DID

ON LINE

1. Catching game
2. Stick to me to the gate to get halter and rope
3. Played with sticking together on the rail: walk and stop on my HQ and back using stick in front and asking for nice backup ENGAGING to a stop. To prevent the stop to be falling on the FH.
4. We were then able to take this onto a circle—relatively small at first to make it more like stick to me. Try would swing her HQ away on the stop so I would drive Z1 to straighten and then back straight. (Repeating this in round pen would likely help with stopping on the circle.) On circle phase 1 is lifting the rope.
5. This exercise helped me understand why I want to stay away from the stopping over the pole that either results in falling on the FH OR relaxing to a stop!!
6. Sideways towards—Drawing HQ only from intention Prevent FQ from moving, lean back to draw. Wait it out until she figures it out. Life up.
7. Next was figure 8—an incredible high moment—see above. I feel so energized and proud that we are on track to good stuff!!!

RIDING

1. Girthiness: rub friendly
3. Tip nose and continue in opposite direction for counter bend
4. Indirect rein with good energy in HQ (stick?) then change of direction and maintain counter bend until I decide to straighten. This becomes set up to ask for canter depart using HQ. Falling leaf pattern.
6. Canter: my role in vicious circle of FH/back hurting/tension.
7. Flying lead—changing bend at shoulders plus HQ engagement
9. Can we engage HQ rather than disengage to a stop?
10. Offensive sidepass: pushing into pressure?? Lift rein and keep[p opposite leg on—sidepass in the bend not straight. Had to wait a long time for Try to give up control. The first time she was relaxed and kept suggesting other things then got frustrated and figured out what we wanted. The second time she got frustrated and emotional tho giving the task—we sidepassed a long ways until she relaxed and when we quit she fast walked away—still emotional. WAIT

END: unbridling—keep contact until Try relaxes.

1% better for 100 days = 100%

Old age—doing less is goal anyway

IMPROVEMENTS since September

1. Try offering to put one hind leg on an object
2. Picking me up at mounting block which will improve when we get drawing HQ from intention.
3. Backing (while not exactly desired—has so much better impulsion)
4. Figure 8—I saw and loved LBE fun. Joy for us both—my being able to recognize it as joy.
5. We are improving in fitness, skill, fixing control, giving up HQ, Try figuring it out, balancing fun with development sessions, relaxation within pressured learning.
6. Catching game
7. Moving from fixing to development while not neglecting fixing
8. Sideways towards from intention instead of phase 4
9. Old age: doing less is good anyway
10. More partnership

CATCHUP/CLEANUPS

Yoyo draw
Right side, zone3/4/5,
 

Tuesday - Keystone

Rode in the ring with Dawn/Hilton and BA/--good session with Key--he a little sore so we were careful.

Later Karen came and said Keystone's feet sore--not his back--and sore from feet trimmed too far back. GRRR.

catching up again

Last week:

Try: basic hack with emphasis on canter, great lesson--bending from wting stirrup and contact sooner plus super confident lovely trail ride back thru the woods.

Key: hacks, no lesson, trail ride with Dawn and Hilton in the woods.

Monday:

Try: on the ground--slow lovely, responsive warming up and nice stopping over pole at a trot--liberty/HQ bending on the circle and on line. Groom, ride in ring--passenger, HQ isol tea for two, backing, wheelbarrow turns, contact, wting inside stirrup to bend, canter. Then BA/Smitty, Try and I rode through the woods followed by long spa bath for Try, grazing in the good clover, etc.