Saturday, May 30

Quiet Day

circling game 45' line in small pasture by barn--walk and eat, trot a little
arena: sideways towards and away. Try thought the answer to everything was sideways towards. circling game 22' line--walk and change directions. weave w/sidepass.

no stirrups 4 laps, cleaned ears etc

Friday, May 29 Day off

Not going to the barn today. Need catch up day around the house.
Maybe go to barn and mist Try off and give a few treats--graze a little???

Anyway: holes to patch/stuff to do

1. program: girthy
2. circle game
3. make habit to clean ALL 4 feet from same side.
4. program: clean teats
5. program: tilt head to me to halter
6. make habit to mount parelli way-western
7. using vocal cues
8. review basics of freestyle riding

idea for new game: sidepass away and toward the weave pattern.

Thursday, May 28

Filmed today:
some stuff good, some not so
trailer loading was good
weave bad around the ends--needed to be farther away
extreme friendly good
sideways towards not straight
lead by leg good; lead by tail stopped in middle
pedestal good
barrels good--better if I could be farther away
circling game: yuck had to work to get 6 laps at canter then rest was messy.
cavaletti good--better with less cueing

transitions from one to another need to be smoothed out--I don't practice these

More on Wednesday: Teleseminar/Hot Line

See Circling game blog for info on hot line call/Julia on
How can I make the circling game fun?

Teleseminar notes:

• Eating grass: don't ask them to raise their head
• patterns, patterns, patterns
• leadership: about having a plan
• cleaning privates--can use carrot stick for approach/retreat in beginning
• stiff shoulders riding--think pulling armpits down
• welcome to new level of incompetence

Wed May 27 Stinky Day

Wow what an off day. Was it me? Was it her? Was it us?

Trailer load, lead by hocks and tail and pedestal were great.

Extreme friendly she moved on 5th slap
Weave: soso took some time
barrel sidepass--not clean
Knocked over barrel with cone with gusto
Cavaletti: unclear about sidepass away and toward. Rest was good.

Circle game: yuck. Only part I liked was when she got ticked and took off with exuberance and I egged her on. That was fun for me.

Tue May 26 GREAT day

Try met me at the gate!

1. Try and I did circling game, cavaletti stuff and weave, lead by tail--see below.
2. 4 laps no stirrups
3. BA moved trailer out--took a few tries then 3 good trailer loads, the third sitting in the chair.

For Wed:
practice the choreographed routine for Thur filming, including trailer in arena.

Monday, May 25 Memorial Day

Quick trip to barn:

Online:
Circling game: good trot, 2 laps of canter, traveling circles, change of direction at the trot
Lead by hocks, tail: 10 steps each very light!!
Cavaletti: little confusion for Try--offering sideways towards for everything but fairly quickly got sideways away and towards, front foot, back foot and straddle vertically.
Weave: mess, did finally get it at a walk with me standing close.

Try very sweet.

Sunday, May 24 Quiet day

Easy day:

1. did barrels/treats again--still a walk but did it at liberty w/me 10' or so away. Just didn't see any need for the line.

2. Try offered sideways towards so tried w/cavaletti pole--sideways away and towards and it was there!

3. circle:

level 1 yoyo back wait, send at a trot 2 laps was good.
level 2: three tries, my emotional fitness, waiting allowing and being ready to use phases if necessary--by the third try I got one pretty lap of true canter w/o attitude and stopped and rewarded.

end of game
bath/fly stuff

Saturday, May 23 Dwell Time

I had planned to take the day off and go to gym instead of barn then realized an opportunity in that Try would be in her stall and bored because of heat/Bethanna out of town etc.

We went for a walk to the best clover. Then in ring set up two barrels with treats and walked from one to another several times. Interesting--Try never decided to trot--just walk to her next treat.

Then a trail walk up the road and back checking out the sites.

NO CIRCLING!! I did study circling this am and have a plan to review driving the front end and circling level 1 to re-establish things then move forward as we are ready. BUT today I thought we needed to stay away from it after the confusing day yesterday.

Thursday, May 21 first filming L3 online, Kelly Sigler's critique, Friday followup

Part 1:

1. Circling game 2+ minutes: walk/trot/walk/stop and back on the circle then change direction trot then canter 6 laps, disengage hind quarters to stop and bring in

we need to see the send- you were nagging a bit asking her to trot at first. She lost her contact- in the backup, you will see her looking away. When you asked her to canter going to the right, she looked a bit grumpy- think about setting it up so that she is more positive/happy and keeping contact. must do a change of direction without breaking gait at trot.
Add obstacles: cavalettis and cones to relieve boredom ??
Fri: obstacles good but confusing, breaking gait over cavalettis avoiding cones
BUT Try was tired and I need to go back to square 1 with circling game, clean, review for us both.
Cleaning: good at level 1 and level 2: Still need 6 laps of true canter, snappy w/o attitude.
Tue: 3+3 canter, s but not falling leaf. For Wed: put it together.

2. Extreme friendly game: helicopter, slap ground 6 times in zone 5

must be able to take your hand off of her and play the extreme friendly still
Fri: done, not an issue

3. Lead by the hocks and the tail
with a 22 foot rope, not your hands
Fri: done not an issue
Great: 10 steps, light as a feather with rope.
tue: even better
try to lead her with just a few strands of her tail and snappier
Fri: better, good idea to go for 10' for both of these each time. Lots of treats.
Mon: good, light ten steps, tail resting in palm of hand Tue: maybe 1/4 of hairs

4. Sideways towards
sideways towards is looking good!
Fri: WOW--try it with cavaletti pole, then maybe barrel!!! and alternate away and toward.


Part 2:

1. Weave at walk then trot
try the weave at a longer distance/ need the draw at trot so she does not break gait
mark out my distance w/cavalettis or 45’ line for practice
Needs clarity, trot and my distance before filming Tue: better, try going even slower, do less and reward but be farther away

2. Pedestal

pedestal looks good, might want to try four!

3. Sidepass 3 barrels in an L shape
nice sideways over the 3 barrels!

4. Knock cone off barrel without knocking over barrel
nice cone knocking (she is so cute)


5. Cavaletti pole: one foot on pole then straddle between front legs, hind legs, horizontally and vertically

great with the cavaletti
Clean up so it is clear to Try.
Tue: better away and toward, step in front for fr foot, one foot, back foot, then do vertical

1. Transitions, practice stick to me at the trot or drive z5
2. Time within the 10 minute limit for "jump to me"??

Tuesday, May 19 How Interesting!! Wednesday no stirrups

BA and I watched LBE/LBI dvd w/Linda, Lois and Clyde.
Discussed: I am not as LBE as Lois, of course,
Try is between LBI naturally can get quite extroverted easily and still be confident.
It isn't hard to get her going.

I am lightening cues, slowing down and rewarding all the littl subtle stuff she loves.
BUT she gives me attitude when I ask for canter in circling game.
From BA--Test: before beginning session, round pen, hide the hiney, ask for circle and gradually ask for faster gaits, if attitude at canter, up my leadership. THEN begin a session together

Worked into nice circling game canter and weave.

Wednesday: basic no stirrups workout on our own. hanging in there with 4 laps 2/3 mile until filming project is completed.

Monday, May 18 Raining

Then and Now

2008: I was wandering aimlessly between L2 (which was pretty solid) and L3, which seemed impossible. I was trying to focus on horsenality and anything that looked like fun.

2009: I feel so energized by the new levels--I am actually doing well with much of L3 and plan to film my online audition soon. I am looking at the ways my LBE energy impacts my LBI partner and finding good stuff for us both.

Friday, May 15 BFO

Amazing day of learning for me.

online savvy only--did part of course set up for audition. Thinking of watching my cueing--light, not nagging, not criticizing, not over asking etc

round pen warmup: friendly including slapping ground while walking 360. bounced ball on Try, lead by hocks was wonderful and she offered much with lead by tail--one ofthe best ever. Also a little hide the hiney from a look--she quickly gave 2 eyes

sideways towards: super even walking to me as I backed up. Lots a treats.

circle game: took my time and allowed Try time to decide to play just calmly reasked until we had walk/trot/stop/back in one direction. Then resend the other direction at a trot, asked for canter and got three laps of sloppy canter and called game over and gave treats. Figure that blew her mind that I didn't up my phases and demand a proper canter.

(If Try were a human, I would never have demanded a proper canter--just asked nicely, explained etc.)

Jump towards and back up--took my time keeping hq in line on the back.

Finished with knock cone off barrel--took a few tries but I believe Try understood the game!! Try did not seem to want our time together to end.

Try was offering lots of stuff i.e. going to a cone and straddling it, touch it games.

Wednesday, May 13 Another Great Day

Today:

set up arena for online audition toys/obstacles/patterns

took my time as much as I could as a LBE and treated, rest, strokes, don't know how long it took

I learned:
1. spread out the toys--confusing for us both
2. plan how we get from one toy to another
3. do not over cue--let her do it
4. see if better to do circle game before weave--both a big sluggish and Try not really focusing by that time.

Later:
no stirrups 4 laps
AND Question Box pattern: English saddle, no reins hooked to saddle--using body weight and leg only--no stick. Started great to do at a walk by the time we got to the final small circle Try started not listening to my leg which I may have been overcueing by that point so I upped phases. Then we did beautiful two large circle posting trots, my relaxing into my balance point to bring her back to the walk thru the ? box. Quit then on a good note.

Tuesday, May 12 Glorious Day

Wonderful day.

drove up w/ plan for online and no stirrups--ba asked if we could do Thur lesson.

lesson: question box and corners patterns, western saddle, haltamore ropes over saddle and one carrot stick. Biggest lesson for ? box is lightness with cues and constant conscious awareness of what I am overdoing with the carrot sticks. Pattern at a walk is place to check that Try is with me mentally and up phase with stick--not constant nagging and use of stick through out.

Corners: sidepass with stick???? I need to SLOWLY ask for shoulder/HQ bit by bit and not rush.

Showed ba online improvements: fabulous extreme friendly and 8 strides of sideways towards!!
Showed off pedestal to Cathy's BF Matt.

After looked for help in Level 3 pack for sideways with sticks and didn't see it. Rewatched the fabulous funny dvd w/Linda, Lois and Clyde LBE human and LBI horse.

Monday, May 11

Rained out but got to do some online stuff:
1. Great helicopter 360 degrees and slap ground from z5 and walk away
2. Try is really offering sideways towards and curious about all objects
3. 4 barrels/treats/sideways faster--just starting to give Try the idea
4. drive to saddle and sniff--not an issue
Then the rains came--ggg.

homework

homework--watch Linda, Lois and Clyde again.

Sunday, May 10 How Interesting!

Lovely morning, horses inside as it will be close to 90 degrees soon.

Try glad to see me.

We went out back and did basic friendly and rubbing then extreme friendly. helicopter walking in circle around her followed by one slap in Z4-A5 and then walk away and reward with treat. Did that twice then did it two slaps and walk away--treat and end of game.

sideways towards!!!!!!!!!!! Went to the fence and asked and she gave me a 1/2 dozen steps right off the bat. Rewarded. did it again but took a minute for Try to offer the 2nd time. Treats, dwell time.

walking and mirroring--up to the other barn and back. then dwell time in arena and play with cavaletti--treats.

shower (not tied), fly stuff, treats, back in stall.

Friday, May 8, private time with Kelly Sigler!!

Thank you Kelly.

GREAT private session with Instructor Kelly Sigler yesterday, we concentrated on LBI horse and LBE human!! Kelly pointed out instances where I thought my horse had higher energy than I did and the reverse was true.

I feel so ready to be a better human for the LBI I love. How interesting? and isn't this stuff just the greatest? I love Parelli horsemanship.

Online Savvy
1. Extreme friendly in zone 5: one slap and turn and walk away to take the pressure off.
2. Sideways towards: helper on the other side to reinforce/treats
3. Sideways faster: barrels treats, helper would be good to place treats
4. Stick to me: I need to mirror her not just demand that she mirror me!! And be more aware of her true energy level and mine as well.
5. Circle—played with just walking places, stop, nose on object treat—letting her choose the obj.
6. Pedestal: no 4 feet won’t fit
7. Try offered all sorts of stuff, trot, canter, walking over bridge, cavalettis—often I misread where she would like to go.
8. Lots of treats and rest
9. I know I over cue—conscious awareness—Try responds to lighter and lighter cues—her phase one and my phase one are not in synch.

Riding
1. Got to play with Parelli western saddle, pad, shims and cradle bridle. Fantastic opportunity.
2. Like my saddle better, I like the deeper seat that puts me on my balance point—should send pic to Kelly
3. I learned: when Try is away from home she is more up and my usual freestyle riding falls apart.
4. I was relying on reins and voice too much for slowing. Need to stop/slow riding in my body. At home why can I ride with no reins for an entire session???
5. Over cueing turns—go back to neutral rein as soon as she starts making the turn.
6. Saddle kept slipping to the right—left shoulder?? Check this
7. Point to point and figure 8.
8. Be prepared to spend 20 minutes with Try on girthiness program.

Other
1. Kelly suggested emailing her for cookie info, checking ulcer info for girthiness and offered to watch our videos for audition on youtube before submitting
2. Will consider coming back to Mary’s in the fall—hope that works!
3. This was a very helpful session for me—just what I needed at the just the right time, full of up to date LBI help.

Thursday, May 7 Magic day

stick to me: online/round pen. Try offered canter to match mine from just a kiss.

freestyle: corners--sideway good from one rein and one stick. lovely big circles in MUDDY ring at a canter, my arms folded over my chest, even change of direction in the ring (not on the rail!) from just a soft leg cue!!!

Magic day.

Wednesday, May 6

OK another update:

call to parelli: new program to counter Try getting ticked at transitions (mostly upward), do the opposite go slower, faster, "you want to go slower? me too"

Monday: No stirrups in parelli question box and clover leaf patterns
Tuesday: rained out
Wednesday: Western saddle, muddy ring, clover leaf and question box at canter but not w/two sticks. Also pedestal at liberty was great, extreme friendly getting better but don't have it from zone 5 as yet. lead by the tail: opposition reflex--picked up carrot stick and she offered it??!!??

Really busy getting ready for private session with Kelly Sigler this Fri followed by 1st play day next Sat hosted by Betsy and Brandy and demo by Mariah Helms.

Sunday, May 3

Well, to sum up I've started playing with freestyle L3 patterns:

Tuesday: went to Mary's facility (wow) and discussed set up for private sessions with Kelly next Friday.

Wednesday we did western saddle L3 patterns and did all L3 online stuff--taking my time between tasks.

Thursday I had riding lesson concentrating on L3 cloverleaf at a trot which was good to go and L3 question box at canter drop to trot. That needs more work on my part to keep transitions calm. We did not get to corners game.

Friday: no stirrups on my own in cloverleaf and question box patterns at trot--Try was just lovely despite wind, being only horse outside etc.

Saturday: watched Davo ? from Australia work in round pen with 5 yr old mare that has not been handled. Good to have him in the area as a resource but not the best use of my time. Good also to see lots of Turkey Quarter people there and touch base.