Friday, July 30, 2010

What we did Thursday

Try: freestyle etc
1. For me: pilates warmup
2. Lateral flexion, indirect rein, yield HQ Try gets offended at the HQ yield
3. 9 step backup--forgot this
4. Patterns--did bullseye at the canter once each way
5. Canter was nice
6. Tenshun, at ease--thought about this ??tenshun
7. Focus up on downward transitions--makes for smooth transition when I remember
8. Rhythm in transitions
9. Stop, turn back etc without reins or leg?? pretty good

Keystone - confidence building
Played in round pen with objects: pedestal, barrel, green ball and tarp.
Did not push--gentle, took my time as it is important that Keystone not trot in reaction for now.
Pedestal--he is confident putting his nose on pedestal and I can drive him to it.
Barrel--this was new--put a treat on the barrel and afterward Keystone was fine with putting his nose on it.
Ball and tarp: Keystone would not go close. I had two buckets on the tarp and moving one bucket to the pedestal Keystone was fine with touch it.
Vet comes tomorrow if trot is oked then I will play a little colder/warmer with tarp and/or ball--accept a little reward, go on to something else and come back. This weekend I may move the toys to the ring where we have more room to move.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wed Keystone On Line - Self Assessed level 1

Self assessed level 1: I will want it more solid before considering filming it.

Friendly:

1) Under chin, over ears, change hands at the withers—great second time.
2) Swing rope 6x with rhythm—this is ok but sometimes Keystone moves so repetition would make this more consistent.
3) Walk away and swing stick string in front in pendulum fashion: no problem But back away and swing it between us—will take repetition to be relaxed

Porcupine:

1) Lowering and lifting head—lowering getting better with phases and keeping it down longer. Might be good to encourage it more. Lifting head—first time—soft. Haltering: turning head to me—okish, could be lower and softer.
2) Lateral flexion: no—did not trust me and walked around—take the time it takes.

Driving:

1) Stick on withers—pretty good—tapping rear end works and beginning to be able to direct front end to stay straight and use tapping rear end to match my gait.. Stick to me. Walk stop and back is there but backing isn’t soft. Needed extra work on driving front end from zone 1.

Yoyo: prep with tapping and stroking the rope is much less stressful and went rather well.

Touch It—was great at the pedestal—Played “your getting colder” and driving much smoother.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Monday and Tuesday

Monday:
Today, still following Dr orders not to ride for the knee BUT played liberty with Try--mostly stick to me and circling AND 1st time back with Keystone who is ok to walk/do ground work. Keystone and I played with level 1 on line friendly and porcupine and he is starting to think and figure out "touch it" pattern.

Tuesday:
Bethanna rode Try around the picnic table out of the gate, up the road, thru the barn to the ring etc over and over until she relaxed. Dominance games.

Keystone: got in the ring before the kids camp. Takes Keystone awhile to focus.

Friendly: Again we played with friendly but better after some other games. Did not get the quality of relaxation I would have liked.

Porcupine--worked on phases and he was really light for head down, backing, FQ/HQ 360 yields. Backing from the chest is light and better than ever with Try--from the nose is there but slower to respond than Try.

Driving: Backing from driving toward his chest is ok. Did zone 3 driving--good to bring his head up from the grass but he likes to slip to comfy Z2 driving.
Yoyo--did not do this today--next time.
Circling: did not do either as he would probably start trotting and that is a no-no until August 1 with his injury.

Sideways--I have decided to speed him up til he understands then go back to slow (with the fence, both ways). (Still only a few steps as its almost a trot.)

Squeeze: he is absolutely not claustrophobic--he did a tight squeeze between tree and pedestal and yesterday between barn and truck getting to round pen. Also did sniff the trailer because there was one parked in the drive. next time: squeeze and straddle a pole would be good--walking only AND communication to one foot at a time.

Stick to me: Did a little stick to me yoyo back--it happened but would be good with repetition. Ok to do this with walk, halt, back, walk transitions--no trotting.
Touch It: He is starting to get the idea about touch it and I am giving treats when I lead him to object and he puts his nose on it.
Figure 8: Did not do as likely to trot.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Liberty Audition sent in!

Liberty audition tape

Well if today wasn't a strange day! Went out to check on Try and thought we'd do a little liberty and up the energy a little after last time and filmed it. Well about 2/3 of the way it occured to me that we might actually have enough of the compulsories done in 10 minutes to sent it off!

Sooooooooo it isn't wonderful--plenty of stuff not as good as usual BUT compulsories done in some fashion in 10 minutes so what the heck. I figure the worst that can happen is that it doesn't pass and I have to redo--no biggie.

BUT if I pass, I am done with L3 and become an L4 student--wrap ma brain around that!!

Well onward naturally--I see orthopedic dr Wed and hopefully can convince him that its ok to ride within whatever parameters. Keystone is well enough for some On Line and I am looking forward to learning some about dressage. yahoo

Dressage?

Yesterday I enjoyed watching a dressage practice session with Cathy Gould and her two horses and her friend Ruth at Catherine Mark's gorgeous indoor riding facility. Am considering whether learning a bit about dressage will be a good idea for Try and I as we approach level 4 finesse. Also considering materials by Walter Zettl and Karen Rohlf.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Silly Me

Today, despite knee injury, I figured Try and I could at least do a little slow, careful liberty behind the barn. I was pleased with how it went and was glad I filmed it.

Got home and viewed the video--wow--knee or not we need sharpness, more lively, greater contact, more energy, more, more, more--looked like I needed to light a fire under the both of us. Time off? The weather? More warmup time needed?

Thinking about this, I wonder, if next time I'm up for this (??Sunday) if it would be a good idea to repeat some of the stuff on line and film to see the difference. Am I going slow and begging hoping to keep Try from going LBE and disobedient????

More to come....

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wednesday How Interesting

Today: went to the barn with the idea of doing just a little to be careful of the knee.

Learned: Beth Anna rode Try for me yesterday and Try was wonderful--rode her on the buckle in the ring, walk, trot canter--just lovely. BA left the ring and Try went balistic with where SHE wanted to go--over the top dominance behavior. How interesting!!

So today Try and I spent a couple minutes in the round corral--I took off the halter and we did a few seconds of stick to me walk stop back and then one lovely figure 8. So I called it a day for liberty. We then went to the ring where we did a few walk/trot and walk/canter transitions--most of it really lovely. Tho Try pinned her ears like crazy at other horses. She is really in a mood right now. We left the ring and walked a little near the barn with backup, sideways and some turns on the haunches BUT she really wasn't relaxed or thinking just responding to cues but revved for it to be over and get back to the barn!! (Not something new--(being up leaving the ring and the trip back to the barn carrying a rider) but surely interesting to consider.)

Then bath/catch ups of grooming stuff etc.