Catch up

Well, I have been posting at Target's page or PP page. We have been having 1/2 week of heavy rain 24/7 with few breaks so largely a week off.

Yesterday BA and I had our riding lesson indoors primarily discussing what I experienced at the clinic last weekend with Kelly and phone conversation with Dan and preparations for the next week and a half with Bethanna gone on her honeymoon.

Got a break in the rain mid afternoon and came back to the barn to play with Target in his pasture--first 3 games. Lovely, confident horse.

Joyous clinic

Saturday and Sunday clinic with Kelly Sigler. Joyous celebration of the journey past, present and future including two private riding lessons on making the transition from freestyle to finesse riding and level 3 finesse fluid rein, stretching.

More on this in PP sub blog soon.

Great day today with Target

Spent 4 hours today with Wendy's horse Target. I am blogging separately for Target--also notes from Dan Thompson are under PP.

This weekend clinic with Kelly Sigler.

New HORSE!!

Today my friend Wendy is loaning me a horse to play with for a couple weeks. BA and I brought home Wendy's Target 15'2 paint, lovely canter. I am so excited. Photos soon!!

easy bareback day

Monday, with still a little bit of warmth in Try's back leg, rather than do nothing we got out and walked a bit. On the ground played with the life up idea, riding leisurely walking with some attention to indirect rein on the right side and 7 step soft feel.

Afternoon: phone call with Dan Thompson on questions/follow up to visit a few weeks ago. Will post notes later here or under the PP/clinic sub-blog.

Go to Plan B

Well, I was so excited--in my riding lesson with Bethanna we were going to play with bridleless canter yoyos--yee hah!! I arrived at the barn and found Try's right hind leg was swollen so no lesson, no riding.

BA suggested I just go ride Angel (medium pony) for fun.I was hesitant as I am soooo used to Try or Keystone and Angel is a goey little pony with a pony stride. Also I've not ridden her for two years. Anyway, saddled up and trotted, (posting, two point) and canter. BA was out in the ring riding Haylie and told me to go with Angel's canter with my arms and .t was really fun. I could feel the improvement two years of riding has made for me. It is strange to be hovering over a pony at the trot when I am used to the 15'1 15'2 horses.

Gave Angel and then Try great long showers and cold water on Try's leg/bute.
Thinking very seriously of getting one of Wendy's horses for awhile to play with--with two great months of fall weather, why not spend a 1/2 day Mon-Fri with horses??

What a glorious day!!!!!!!!!

The weather was wonderful and we had so much fun!! We were both in the mood to canter and canter we did.

Playing with concept of Energy, focus, intention, I've tried to figure out the best games to play to get the idea across. I decided best is games where she sees me clearly and the action required is simple--not requiring a complex combination of movement. So today we played with backing--Try really got the idea of my focus and mother in law face--but not the idea that my friendly face means stop. Hmmmmmmmmm. Then HQ disengagement from a look--took a phase 4 one time to get the idea across and then it was good--Try could see/feel the difference in my intense energy wanting her to move the HQ and the friendly I love you I just want to massage your butt.

Circling game: ?? how do I get Try to leave the rope on the ground?? I did quit both directions when she had the best attitude.

Canter: lateral flexion nice, indirect rein to the right--opposition reflex. 7 step soft feel nice. Counter canter--I do believe we had it! We also did cloverleaf at a canter and just cantered about.

Riley: today--followed me, curious and enjoyed playing the easter egg hunt on his own, spooked a little at the wind.

Better today, added trot at least

Today, Try was better--cuts looked good but a little swelling so plan called for no cantering.

Round pen: walk and a little trot as yesterday, Try offered to sidepass barrel away and toward. Stayed with me on stick to me--thought about making assumptions and kept changing things up. played with energy up and down--need to ask, whether I should pick games where Try can see my facial expression.

At one point, Try left so we played the catch me game. She would stop but not come when I backed. One time she took off bucking and farting--so much for taking it easy. I have filmed this issue--how its clear on the film.

Saddling: pinned ears at the saddle going onto her back. No ear pinning for a couple days now pulling on girth strap.

Riding: what a lovely mind reader Try was today. Lateral flexion was good--indirect rein Try was leaning on the rein on the right bend--went up in my phases and I think she is starting to get the idea.
I set two cones and we started by going thru turn and face and wait--varied the direction and type of turn and then backed thru the cones--took almost no urging for any of it. Did a little trot, stop, back wait--good reactions to go and stop and lovely still wait. Also intersperced some contact--7 step soft feel even from walk continuing to walk and side passing. Then no stirrups posting trot but only about 4 laps. Finished by setting cavaletti pole up on pedestal and cones to make a little "jump" repeating the turn and face and back from before--little opposition reflex from Try over backing up to the jump.

Next Riley in the round pen, friendly and porcupine went well and we played the easter egg hunt game. Next time take a book and do dwell and see if he will be more curious. Today he wasn't afraid but he wasn't really relaxed.

The best laid plans ...

I arrived this Monday am with the intention of upping the ante: liberty--focus, energy and riding some full out canter laps among other stuff.

Well, Try had been kicked--bunch of cuts on her left hind leg and some swelling expected--washed, cold water 10 min, saave? and bute. But we were very limited to some walking in the round pen. Little energy up and down in sideways, figure 8 and stick to me. then bareback ride walk, stop, back, change direction from seat, weight, turn on haunches etc.

BA lunged Try and I in lotsa saddles

BA and I had watched some Walter Zettl footage and saw someone lunging a horse/rider as an independant seat exercise. I said that looked like fun sooooooo for today's lesson BA lunged Try and I (i.e. bridleless) in various saddles to compare.

1. dressage saddle: walk, jog, trot felt good--canter did not feel secure--sitting on balance point and relaxing legs down.

2. next close contact saddle: canter at 2 point felt solid--not as much sitting. Then I lunged Try and BA and she said my saddle is too slippery--I MOST definately agree.

3. Got baretek--but BA said no--get parelli bareback pad. The best canter of the day--used muscles from above the knee to inner thigh lightly, sat the canter, forward posture.

Did not do western saddle.

Consider: IF I am not in western saddle, how do I canter on my balance point--do I use leg muscles or just let them relax completely????????

I vote for more days in the week.

Lovely day with Try--beautiful weather. Round pen--catch me game--she is still stopping and looking at me--I need to film and ask Dan. Riding: standard warmup + 6 laps no stirrups--harder today than last week. After Try said ok thats it--session over as other horses leaving ring. I didn't feel I could leave it like that nor was I up to canter laps so went to the 2 circle pattern and played with bending on the circle and drop to walk canter lead changes--Try was up at first then settled in and concentrated nicely. I love this Try girl.

Fun Riding Lesson

Last week BA and I watched 1/2 of L4 freestyle dvd. So today BA taught lesson on the yoyo game. Western saddle but bridleless: phases seat, leg, leg, string around the neck. walk halt walk transitions, walk halt back, then walk trot halt, trot halt back etc.

I am reminded to take my time and think--keep my basics clean. Also not to get emotional as Try's life comes up.

after the non hurricane

Friday: L4 circling game variations and non hurricane aftermath. Returned all the many Parelli toys to the play area. Horses came in Thur about 11 am spent the night in--got back out about 7 and back in about 8am.

Try was hungry and unhappy so it took a little while to help her relax. We went into the paddock beside the ring and played games slowly at first, then building intention--circling, sideways, yoyo--until she began to change gears mentally.

Then went to the ring and walked around passenger--check out the jump standards that were all down, the lack of grass and nasty old hay bales.

I studied the L4 freestyle dvd chapter on circling in the am so had something new for us to play with. Set out two cones and drew intersecting circles to form a figure 8. According to plan we walked the circles for a bit until Try figured out the pattern and I did not need to cue except an occasional bit of leg--had intended to use 2 carrot sticks but did not get to it. We walked and trotted circles and figure 8's with the change from one circle to another coming with my shoulder/seat as the cue--Try was just LOVELY at this and my bend in my body helped her bend on the circle as well. Would be good to film some soon. Anyway, what a smart girl. Also cantered both--felt the circles were a bit small but remembered smaller circles are part of L4--did drop to walk changes as Pat showed in the video but probably could have done flying (limping) changes just as well.

Did not get to the bullseye in and out--I want to play with this in all gaits from leg alone.
Also did not play with weight back on HQ to move FQ

Lateral flexion and indirect rein lighter.
Canter stop back relax was great.
bowtie in the figure 8
7 step soft feel--Try did not react

Lovely Day with Try in anticipation of hurricane

I was nervous about hurricane--you never know--so went to barn and had lovely ride with Try that made me feel so much better. I thought she might be a bit up about coming storm but nope. We walked around for while, then trot, then played with the canter a bunch of ways, including stop/back/relax, lead changes. Also 7 step soft feel was nice I think. The indirect rein ?? I don't know exactly--she wasn't leaning on rein exactly nor really soft but went from one to another so it made the concept of phases confusing.

Love vs. Fear

So much of horsemanship is about me—my fitness mentally, emotionally and physically and being a “better” self for my horse. Thus, the benefits are obvious of preparing my frame of mind: such as relaxation and visualization before heading out to the barn, using touching and loving Try as a means to be relaxed and centered, focused and self assessment when I get home—how did it go today?

This brings together learning from past experiences such as the concept of Fear vs. Love. When all I feel is love—that lovely warm, cozy “buzz.”, the session at the barn with Try is guaranteed to be wonderful. Conversely, any negativity on my part is fear driven and going to affect my relationship with Try. Love promotes awareness on a greater level of what both of us are thinking and feeling. Love promotes the freedom of joy, improvisation and my confidence. Negativity or fear: examples are feeling adversarial toward Try—that I must win, or direct line—I must win now. Another example is negative self talk –i.e. that I have failed by not achieving whatever goal.

Some strategies that may help include constant conscious awareness of where I am on the love/fear scale. The same depth of awareness of what Try is feeling. Relaxation and friendly for us both, dwell time, grazing, passenger time, grooming and bathing, doing the opposite of the expected. Also acting class repetition game to help me be aware of both of us on a deeper level, watching my facial expression—does it say “You are so beautiful, I just want to give you a big hug”? Another is focus on light cueing, how light is light, make vs. want and ambassador of yes. Also what is fun for Try?—eating, showing off, new learning, new places and sometimes exuberant movement or just hanging out and being rubbed. Or, what are we going to do today that is new?

Big project completed!

Kudos to me--printed two books of blogger and clinic notes. Went thru each and pulled out stuff to consider and todos--sorted them into categories and added them to study file on my hard drive.

yesterday watched 1/2 of L4 freestyle with BA for some ideas for Thursday's lesson. Dwell time with Try in round pen area--grazing, grooming, 2 soft asks for draw--good, then wet wash rug to cool, relax both of us.

tomorrow--depending on how soon we get rain from hurricane--lesson bridleless with western saddle and sticks--have not done that per say in some time. Should be fun!