Oh lovely...
So this is what I get for not playing with my semi-unsound LBE of a Crest-monster consistantly for the past 5 weeks. (You get a cookie if you plowed through THAT run-on sentence) I decided that I wanted to play with him a bit, since he's been running around and looking sound for the past few days.
So he sidled up to me as I approached, per usual Cresty style, we haltered up and played stick to me from zone 4 to the gate. Very typical Crest, just hyper and playful. I brought him into the north paddock, and that's when I started to notice some edgy types of behaviors. Crest, while still playful, would throw in a nervous SNORT every couple of seconds. Being slightly unsure of how to read it (and having nothing there to interrupt anyway) I passed it off as adrenaline, and went on to do something a little less "hyper", to get him off his wind a little.
Next we went into the round corral to practice some long-overdue L2 liberty, and that's when things really came "unglued" (except they didn't really, I held it together well, I thought) Crest was totally RB, being anything close to being away from my side (which is charming, had it been LB clingy, not "Save me from the monsters" clingy) and what fascinating was that the majority of the time, if he had to leave my side at ALL, he'd go RBI. Which is a side I RARELY see of him. RBI is the side that comes out in a stressful learning situation, which hardly happens any more since I've gotten more savvy about setting things up for success with him. So. RBI, but a very explosive to RBE sort of RBI. So let me phrase it this way. The entire session was kind of touch and go between sitting doing nothing and freaking out like loonies together.
Finally, we got to a fairly confident spot, and I ended it on a very confident note buy asking him to step up on his pedestal (which he LOVES, and is ALWAYS confident about) and we called it. As I was putting him back in the pasture, the RBI struck one more time, as he was standing there, being what I thought was quiet and obedient, all of a sudden he shied into me. No idea what that was about, but we got things sorted, and I took the halter off only AFTER he got LB. So. Interesting. Guess I know what...or rather WHO I need to be spending some more time with!
Photo by Margaret Chant and edited by Jessica Metropulos
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
YAYYYYYY!!!!
Okay.
I seriously...love...LOVE my job. LOVE it. LOVE!
I had a lesson with a Ms. Anne Dyken today (she is the woman who made my Fluidity saddle a reality). She has owned her main horse, Blixen, for almost 3 years, and is quite timid around him. I've worked with her several times over the last four months. She's gained a lot of confidence, but is still too unconfident to ride this horse (she had a bad fall a while back, not on Blixen, but it still made her a little hesitant to ride anything, especially not her goofy Extroverted gelding).
Well, at the end of today's lesson with Blixen (they went over some basic ground stuff), she calmly asked me if I wanted her to do anything else. I answered what was she thinking of? She tried to look innocent and calmly said 'Well, I don't know, maybe you'd want me to throw my leg over a horse...'
She rode Blixen. Bareback. In a halter. OH MYLANTA! I was so proud, and we were both just bawling...it's such an amazing thing, seeing people get this sort of confidence and success with their horses, and getting to be a part of it. I am so lucky to get to do this with my life! And you know what? No Savvy Team performance could EVER bring me such a feeling.
Here's some pictures:
I seriously...love...LOVE my job. LOVE it. LOVE!
I had a lesson with a Ms. Anne Dyken today (she is the woman who made my Fluidity saddle a reality). She has owned her main horse, Blixen, for almost 3 years, and is quite timid around him. I've worked with her several times over the last four months. She's gained a lot of confidence, but is still too unconfident to ride this horse (she had a bad fall a while back, not on Blixen, but it still made her a little hesitant to ride anything, especially not her goofy Extroverted gelding).
Well, at the end of today's lesson with Blixen (they went over some basic ground stuff), she calmly asked me if I wanted her to do anything else. I answered what was she thinking of? She tried to look innocent and calmly said 'Well, I don't know, maybe you'd want me to throw my leg over a horse...'
She rode Blixen. Bareback. In a halter. OH MYLANTA! I was so proud, and we were both just bawling...it's such an amazing thing, seeing people get this sort of confidence and success with their horses, and getting to be a part of it. I am so lucky to get to do this with my life! And you know what? No Savvy Team performance could EVER bring me such a feeling.
Here's some pictures:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Luna-tic? Nah!
That is actually a very clever play on words, considering the horse I'm about to talk about.
The family friend that I got Crest from has a Quarab mare named Luna. Luna is 8 years old this year, a bay mare, 15hh, and the most fascinating extreme LB horse I've ever dealt with, simply because she's CUNNING. She thinks...and then thinks some more. And then acts...very deliberately.
Her horsenality chart. The two RB dots apply when Either a) I get too firm too fast, or b) she gets pushed over a threshhold.
Anyway, I've put something like 150 hours (I think?) of training on Luna, with mixed results due to MY level of savvy. When I'm on my game, we get along great, and we have a great time. But Luna's a defiant sort, and we've certainly had our fair share of, erm...interesting sessions. There have been times where she's fully deserved the nickname I used above..."Lunatic".
So, Luna is up at our place for another tune-up for a couple weeks. We brought her up yesterday, which couldn't have been easier, she loaded within 2 minutes or something (She put fronts, then loaded full, came out, then went in and we left her in) and settled in with her old herd buddy, Crest (he's in LOVE, by the way) and things went well.
Tonight, I decided, being that she and Crest were sappily hanging all over eachother (Is that REALLY how I looked the first 3 months dating Warren? I'm SO SORRY...UGH!) that she was pretty well settled in, and could do a bit of a play session.
I pulled her out, much to Crest's dismay (He RAN the fence line whinnying, and we were less than 50 feet away the entire time!). We started with the 22' line right away, just seeing what she remembered, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the old nickname I gave her doesn't really fit anymore. She was not dominant at all, very compliant, played a very impressive set of L2 quality 7 games, and then decided that barrels were the most amusing thing in the world, and that knocking them over was the only way to go.
I hopped on and rode her around too, and she was VERY responsive, which is impressive, because with a rider, she has a tendency to become more LBI and "Make me!" and loves to buck into upward transitions. Tonight, that was not the case, and I was very pleased. I only walked and trotted, but her transitions were Phase 1/Phase 2 quality, and I was pleased with it.
Maybe this chunk of time can be devoted to refining her! YAY! She's great! So...Luna-tic? Nah! Horse that's grown up a lot in a year? Yeah! Will keep you posted as we keep going.
Luna in winter 2006.
The family friend that I got Crest from has a Quarab mare named Luna. Luna is 8 years old this year, a bay mare, 15hh, and the most fascinating extreme LB horse I've ever dealt with, simply because she's CUNNING. She thinks...and then thinks some more. And then acts...very deliberately.
Her horsenality chart. The two RB dots apply when Either a) I get too firm too fast, or b) she gets pushed over a threshhold.
Anyway, I've put something like 150 hours (I think?) of training on Luna, with mixed results due to MY level of savvy. When I'm on my game, we get along great, and we have a great time. But Luna's a defiant sort, and we've certainly had our fair share of, erm...interesting sessions. There have been times where she's fully deserved the nickname I used above..."Lunatic".
So, Luna is up at our place for another tune-up for a couple weeks. We brought her up yesterday, which couldn't have been easier, she loaded within 2 minutes or something (She put fronts, then loaded full, came out, then went in and we left her in) and settled in with her old herd buddy, Crest (he's in LOVE, by the way) and things went well.
Tonight, I decided, being that she and Crest were sappily hanging all over eachother (Is that REALLY how I looked the first 3 months dating Warren? I'm SO SORRY...UGH!) that she was pretty well settled in, and could do a bit of a play session.
I pulled her out, much to Crest's dismay (He RAN the fence line whinnying, and we were less than 50 feet away the entire time!). We started with the 22' line right away, just seeing what she remembered, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the old nickname I gave her doesn't really fit anymore. She was not dominant at all, very compliant, played a very impressive set of L2 quality 7 games, and then decided that barrels were the most amusing thing in the world, and that knocking them over was the only way to go.
I hopped on and rode her around too, and she was VERY responsive, which is impressive, because with a rider, she has a tendency to become more LBI and "Make me!" and loves to buck into upward transitions. Tonight, that was not the case, and I was very pleased. I only walked and trotted, but her transitions were Phase 1/Phase 2 quality, and I was pleased with it.
Maybe this chunk of time can be devoted to refining her! YAY! She's great! So...Luna-tic? Nah! Horse that's grown up a lot in a year? Yeah! Will keep you posted as we keep going.
Luna in winter 2006.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lessons in Shimming
Visited Sherri today out at her place, today. We took the girls (Cerra, 6 yr old QH cross mare, and Cheyenne, 4 yr old QH mare) out for a little spin, which was fun. The really interesting thing about playing with those two is that they're such polar opposites of eachother. Cerra's a deeply layered RBI mare, prone to spooking, bolting, and sudden panic attacks. Cheyenne is a happy-go-lucky (sometimes a bit TOO happy) LBE mare, who enjoys putting anything and everything in her mouth, and also takes pride and joy in eating so persistantly on rides that you'd like to rip your hair out.
Anyway, so Sherri started on Chy, I started on Cerra. Cheyenne was tacked up in a Circle Y Park and Trail saddle with Parelli Theraflex Pad, and had a Parelli halter and reins. Cerra was decked out in my Fluidity saddle (She really needs that Super Wide gullet!!) theraflex pad, and bridle with confidence snaffle and finesse reins. We rode out to the big field (66 acre alfalfa) and just played around for a bit. Cerra and I did some Canter/Halt transitions, which she's sickeningly good at.
Sherri and Cheyenne were butting heads a bit, however. Chy has this lovely tendency to sull up and get LBI food oriented when we come anywhere NEAR a field with edible foliage. And Sherri, of course, does not want to spend all afternoon waiting for the fatty to fill up so they can move on. So it ended up that I got on and did some "WIPE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE!" from her back, but as I was doing this, I began kind of observing some patterns.
*Chy's attitude usually comes with upward transitions that require more topline, and with backing up.
*Her neck gets bracy, her head goes up before anything else
*Gaits seem rushed
All these things point to a shimming problem in my mind. Chy's having problems rounding/using her topline, and when she goes to put her head down (she's a pleasure bred QH) she would get snotty, like something was poking her (like a poorly shimmed/placed saddle)
So, we rode back to Sherri's, pulled out her marking stick (Sorry Sherri, I know that's just one more thing for L and D to give you crap about!) my extra sets of shims, and we untacked. I gave a full shim demo, all the way from marking Chy's scapula at rest and in motion, to explaining where the saddle needed to be placed, to how Chy needed to be shimmed. (Looking like 2 or 3 thick in the shoulder, and a wedge) That all went well, and the moment of truth came when Sherri hopped on. First thing she said I think was "Oh wow, I feel so much...farther back?"
She and Chy walked, trotted, and cantered around, and I can say from an observer's perspective that Cheyenne looked MUCH more comfortable, and the look on her face was that of mild interest, not complete and total resent (cranky). She stretched her neck down and blew several times, a good indication: Topline is coming up, ribcage is expanding, and therefore the horse wants to stretch and breath. So overall, I'm pleased to see this, and we'll see what we can do to keep it going next week!
Afterward, they gave me a little liberty demo, which was a pleasent surprise. They looked LOVELY, Chy's LBE enthusiasm is really really fun to play with, and Sherri's done a great job in developing it.
I really appreciated Sherri's comment in jest at the end of the session "Wow, that was the best $10 I've spent in a long time!" Glad you got your money's worth, Sherri :)
A photo of Chy and Sherri, taken in April 2007. Kinda fun, look how far you guys have come!!
Anyway, so Sherri started on Chy, I started on Cerra. Cheyenne was tacked up in a Circle Y Park and Trail saddle with Parelli Theraflex Pad, and had a Parelli halter and reins. Cerra was decked out in my Fluidity saddle (She really needs that Super Wide gullet!!) theraflex pad, and bridle with confidence snaffle and finesse reins. We rode out to the big field (66 acre alfalfa) and just played around for a bit. Cerra and I did some Canter/Halt transitions, which she's sickeningly good at.
Sherri and Cheyenne were butting heads a bit, however. Chy has this lovely tendency to sull up and get LBI food oriented when we come anywhere NEAR a field with edible foliage. And Sherri, of course, does not want to spend all afternoon waiting for the fatty to fill up so they can move on. So it ended up that I got on and did some "WIPE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE!" from her back, but as I was doing this, I began kind of observing some patterns.
*Chy's attitude usually comes with upward transitions that require more topline, and with backing up.
*Her neck gets bracy, her head goes up before anything else
*Gaits seem rushed
All these things point to a shimming problem in my mind. Chy's having problems rounding/using her topline, and when she goes to put her head down (she's a pleasure bred QH) she would get snotty, like something was poking her (like a poorly shimmed/placed saddle)
So, we rode back to Sherri's, pulled out her marking stick (Sorry Sherri, I know that's just one more thing for L and D to give you crap about!) my extra sets of shims, and we untacked. I gave a full shim demo, all the way from marking Chy's scapula at rest and in motion, to explaining where the saddle needed to be placed, to how Chy needed to be shimmed. (Looking like 2 or 3 thick in the shoulder, and a wedge) That all went well, and the moment of truth came when Sherri hopped on. First thing she said I think was "Oh wow, I feel so much...farther back?"
She and Chy walked, trotted, and cantered around, and I can say from an observer's perspective that Cheyenne looked MUCH more comfortable, and the look on her face was that of mild interest, not complete and total resent (cranky). She stretched her neck down and blew several times, a good indication: Topline is coming up, ribcage is expanding, and therefore the horse wants to stretch and breath. So overall, I'm pleased to see this, and we'll see what we can do to keep it going next week!
Afterward, they gave me a little liberty demo, which was a pleasent surprise. They looked LOVELY, Chy's LBE enthusiasm is really really fun to play with, and Sherri's done a great job in developing it.
I really appreciated Sherri's comment in jest at the end of the session "Wow, that was the best $10 I've spent in a long time!" Glad you got your money's worth, Sherri :)
A photo of Chy and Sherri, taken in April 2007. Kinda fun, look how far you guys have come!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Confessions of a Finesse Addict
Haha, yep, you read right.
It's taken years for me to fall this head-over-heels in love with the fourth and most difficult savvy, but now, I'm addicted! Let me share some much needed humor about my new found addiction. There are many pros and cons, which I'm finding, much to my great amusement, and the slight irritation of my horse.
First of all, the difficulty in going back to the "old ways". No matter how much I want to, I can't help but think about finesse when I'm doing anything else. Tonight, for example, I was playing with Prin, very much at liberty in the North Paddock. And as we're running around and playing (OMG, my horse has gotten so LBE it's scary!) I'm watching her, thinking "Holy cow, she's REALLY USING HER TOPLINE WELL tonight!" ARGH! I'm sorry Prin! You're gorgeous, that's all!
Secondly, readjusting to new movement. I've been riding in a saddle mostly for the past week or so. There's been a large gap in the amount of bareback I've done (curse my fluidity saddle?) recently, and boy did I feel it tonight, not only in the sense that it's been a while, but also that my horse has built new muscles (YAY!) and her movement has changed...again! So, big, bouncy, HQ driven movement, combined with lack of bareback riding=BAD! So, I'm back to freestyle for a while...I've got to, for both my and my horse's sanity!
Thirdly, lack of response to turns with the Carrot Stick. There was a time earlier this summer when Prin was headed towards reining quality spins using just the CS. Yeah, not so much anymore! We spent about 10 minutes this evening just doing 180s on the fence, simply because we needed it. She did great though, I'll give her that.
Fourthly, Doesn't Parelli say somewhere, sometime (or, erm...A LOT, ALWAYS) to ride finesse like you don't have reins, and to ride freestyle like you've got them? Since WHEN has it been the other way around?! I've become somewhat overzealous with using my reins. *Slaps hands* BAD FRAN! And it's subtle too, it's not like I'm pulling her head around, I just found myself going to use reins, and not having them tonight. Must start using my body more in my finesse.
All in all though, really, I'm THRILLED with how the finesse is going. But there are 4 savvies for a reason, and despite my addiction, I'm losing focus on the other three. So I guess the point of this is, GET BACK ON TRACK FRANNIE! (But keep up with the Finesse)
So that's my little confession. I'm amused.
It's taken years for me to fall this head-over-heels in love with the fourth and most difficult savvy, but now, I'm addicted! Let me share some much needed humor about my new found addiction. There are many pros and cons, which I'm finding, much to my great amusement, and the slight irritation of my horse.
First of all, the difficulty in going back to the "old ways". No matter how much I want to, I can't help but think about finesse when I'm doing anything else. Tonight, for example, I was playing with Prin, very much at liberty in the North Paddock. And as we're running around and playing (OMG, my horse has gotten so LBE it's scary!) I'm watching her, thinking "Holy cow, she's REALLY USING HER TOPLINE WELL tonight!" ARGH! I'm sorry Prin! You're gorgeous, that's all!
Secondly, readjusting to new movement. I've been riding in a saddle mostly for the past week or so. There's been a large gap in the amount of bareback I've done (curse my fluidity saddle?) recently, and boy did I feel it tonight, not only in the sense that it's been a while, but also that my horse has built new muscles (YAY!) and her movement has changed...again! So, big, bouncy, HQ driven movement, combined with lack of bareback riding=BAD! So, I'm back to freestyle for a while...I've got to, for both my and my horse's sanity!
Thirdly, lack of response to turns with the Carrot Stick. There was a time earlier this summer when Prin was headed towards reining quality spins using just the CS. Yeah, not so much anymore! We spent about 10 minutes this evening just doing 180s on the fence, simply because we needed it. She did great though, I'll give her that.
Fourthly, Doesn't Parelli say somewhere, sometime (or, erm...A LOT, ALWAYS) to ride finesse like you don't have reins, and to ride freestyle like you've got them? Since WHEN has it been the other way around?! I've become somewhat overzealous with using my reins. *Slaps hands* BAD FRAN! And it's subtle too, it's not like I'm pulling her head around, I just found myself going to use reins, and not having them tonight. Must start using my body more in my finesse.
All in all though, really, I'm THRILLED with how the finesse is going. But there are 4 savvies for a reason, and despite my addiction, I'm losing focus on the other three. So I guess the point of this is, GET BACK ON TRACK FRANNIE! (But keep up with the Finesse)
So that's my little confession. I'm amused.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hmmm...how INTERESTING
Wow...well, interesting is a bit of an understatement when it comes to describing my session with Prinny tonight.
Some people who will read this know that since getting home from my trip back east, Prin's been anything but what I left her as. She's been sullen, sour, unmotivated and unwilling, and physically, she's lost her topline and all collection we had at one point. It's unbelievable how she could have possibly back tracked that far in 11 days off, but she did, and I've been struggling to stay patient with it, since it's about 6 months of work completely shot.
So anyway, I brought out my tools tonight, and decided that I wanted to use my 45' line for some reason (I've been on the 22' line for the past 3 days) and that was the first weird observation, and big change. As SOON as I snapped up to the 45' line, Prin was well on her way back to being her old self, the playful, snotty, mild LBE that I left when I went back east. I KNEW there was a reason I used that previously, and now I realize that it's because that 22' line was too restrictive. And boy did Prin tell me that.
Starting out, Prin and I just played around a little bit with transitions at the full 45 feet, trying to refine to something close to quality. After 3 or 4 tries, she was doing canter/halt at about a phase 2, which I was pleased with, so I moved on to some zone 5 stuff, and she and I had a bit of a moment, in the negative sense of the word. Not going to lie, I was being a bit rude (asking for too much, too hard) and she fired a warning kick at me, which I totally deserved, but it startled me, none the less, being that Prin is not the type to deliver feedback that bluntly. But I guess that's good, I, in fact, CAN'T get away with murder anymore. But, boy did someone hide her hiney quickly when she realized how surprised I was!
Anyway, we played a bit more to get back on a good track, then I bridled up and hopped on, and here's the best way of putting it. Prin came TO the bridle today. She didn't wait for ME to get friendly with it, she came TO IT. Her longitudinal flexion was ASTOUNDING (I did 6 months of fluid rein/snakey bends with the confidence snaffle last year, and I didn't see results to come NEAR this) I don't think I could have taken her nose off the ground had I wanted to, and the power in her hind quarters, and the lifting in her back combined to make the most incredible ride I've ever had I think. My horse is now living up to her warmblood act, and I'm THRILLED! Pray that Kansas City goes through for me, will you? I really want to show not only Linda, but Farrah just how far she's come!
I put her on the small rings for a little while and cruised around with our power steering and vertical flexion, and I can't help but think that Parelli must have made the Cradle this complex on purpose, so that the result would be all the more satisfying. I'm thrilled, and to my mentors who have gotten on my case for not smiling while I ride, you should have seen me tonight. I had a grin from ear to ear, doing FINESSE! HA!
Life is GOOD!
Some people who will read this know that since getting home from my trip back east, Prin's been anything but what I left her as. She's been sullen, sour, unmotivated and unwilling, and physically, she's lost her topline and all collection we had at one point. It's unbelievable how she could have possibly back tracked that far in 11 days off, but she did, and I've been struggling to stay patient with it, since it's about 6 months of work completely shot.
So anyway, I brought out my tools tonight, and decided that I wanted to use my 45' line for some reason (I've been on the 22' line for the past 3 days) and that was the first weird observation, and big change. As SOON as I snapped up to the 45' line, Prin was well on her way back to being her old self, the playful, snotty, mild LBE that I left when I went back east. I KNEW there was a reason I used that previously, and now I realize that it's because that 22' line was too restrictive. And boy did Prin tell me that.
Starting out, Prin and I just played around a little bit with transitions at the full 45 feet, trying to refine to something close to quality. After 3 or 4 tries, she was doing canter/halt at about a phase 2, which I was pleased with, so I moved on to some zone 5 stuff, and she and I had a bit of a moment, in the negative sense of the word. Not going to lie, I was being a bit rude (asking for too much, too hard) and she fired a warning kick at me, which I totally deserved, but it startled me, none the less, being that Prin is not the type to deliver feedback that bluntly. But I guess that's good, I, in fact, CAN'T get away with murder anymore. But, boy did someone hide her hiney quickly when she realized how surprised I was!
Anyway, we played a bit more to get back on a good track, then I bridled up and hopped on, and here's the best way of putting it. Prin came TO the bridle today. She didn't wait for ME to get friendly with it, she came TO IT. Her longitudinal flexion was ASTOUNDING (I did 6 months of fluid rein/snakey bends with the confidence snaffle last year, and I didn't see results to come NEAR this) I don't think I could have taken her nose off the ground had I wanted to, and the power in her hind quarters, and the lifting in her back combined to make the most incredible ride I've ever had I think. My horse is now living up to her warmblood act, and I'm THRILLED! Pray that Kansas City goes through for me, will you? I really want to show not only Linda, but Farrah just how far she's come!
I put her on the small rings for a little while and cruised around with our power steering and vertical flexion, and I can't help but think that Parelli must have made the Cradle this complex on purpose, so that the result would be all the more satisfying. I'm thrilled, and to my mentors who have gotten on my case for not smiling while I ride, you should have seen me tonight. I had a grin from ear to ear, doing FINESSE! HA!
Life is GOOD!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Raw Emotion and Shadows
Hi all,
It's been a very interesting and erm...busy past couple of days to say the least. I've just finally worked up the energy to get on here and post, even though I've had news the past couple days in a row. So lets see how much of this I can portray, while keeping my blog to a reasonable length.
Tonight illustrates what Pat Parelli jokes with audiences frequently about. He will often say "How many people here have seen a human go through the WHOLE RANGE of pure, RAW emotions in ONE SESSION with a horse?" And a lot of the times, its true, in a negative sense in that we get mad, upset, happy, etc, at our horses. Tonight, that was not the case. I ran the gammot of emotions, but it was at my cradle bridle...AGAIN! I'm still sort of in the experimentation phase, and long story short, what I thought I had figured out as the correct setting was causing Prin to sull up, lose all forward motion, and then have a freak out (Not entirely sure if it was annoyance or fear) and rear, run backwards, etc. Needless to say, even though this is portrayed in the Bridle wisdom article, after happening 8 or 10 times, you begin to think that you must be doing something to aggrevate it, especially when the finesse is all well and a little bland in the stretchy chinstrap.
I emailed LP and have yet to hear back, but fortunately, kudos for the timing, love, Farrah called today to talk Savvy Conference plans, and I sprung my burning questions on her. She had some suggestions:
*Try the solid strap looser (is that a word?)
*Rubber band the strap in place if the loose setting makes it come un-fastened...I like the way she thinks!
*If she's as blocked in Zone 1 as it sounds like, collect her up NOT moving forward and use one rein...like in a sideways or shoulder in type deal. That way, she's not feeling pushed into a wall.
*If her zone 1 is blocked, mine might be too (DUUUHHHH!!!!!! *headdesk*)
*LOTS of fluid rein, but only until she realizes it's not blocking her, not until she's rooting and leaning.
*Longitudinal flexion is GOOD!
So I went back out after dinner, actually not at all planning on playing with that, but after Prin saw me coming (NOT EVEN FOR HER!) and took off for the other end of the pasture, I decided we needed to get some things straightened out.
We played a bit on the ground, actually trying to keep things interesting and painfully slow (I've not been taking my own advice on LBIs!!) so as to motivate more. After that, we bridled up, and basically went down the line of ideas Farrah had. It was really interesting, because when Prin was feeling blocked, I hadn't noticed before, but she actually started to drift sideways subtly. Way to pick up on that, Fran. We mainly did a lot of fluid rein though, and it took a while, and the changes were really subtle at first (I experienced a great feel for "Drive" with the hind quarters on Prin...that's where it all started) Once her stride changed, then her neck lowered...like an inch at a time, and then she started blowing, and then it all came together in one big BANG...and I stopped, unbridled, and promptly started balling on my horse's shoulder. It's been a MONTH of frustration with that thing, and we FINALLY had a HUGE break. HUGE. I could not BELIEVE IT! THANK YOU FARRAH!
Onto "Shadows". Mikaela got her new horse! He's FABULOUS. LBE to the max, he was so easy to get here, he loaded right into the trailer, rode quietly, and now has settled in and won't leave us alone, go figure. He's very clever, a fast learner, but really cocky. He's reared a couple times with me trying to drive his front end.
My only concern thus far is that Micky has for some reason developed an OBSESSION with teaching him to circle (NO! NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!) and that's not what he needs right now. He doesn't even know the Principle games yet! I'd hate to see that perfect little LBE lose his spark this early, especially since Micky's not up to subtlties in horsenality yet. I'll have to be careful and coach this one well, maybe I'll pull the same thing I did on Richard "You know...there are 6 other games. From now on, the circling game is banned within 20 miles of here." haha. And of course, Liberty and Horse behavior will become a regular around here.
Anyway, pictures:
GORGEOUS horse...really he is. 15.1hh, and smart as a whip. Love the blue halter on him, too.
Very expressive face
It's been a very interesting and erm...busy past couple of days to say the least. I've just finally worked up the energy to get on here and post, even though I've had news the past couple days in a row. So lets see how much of this I can portray, while keeping my blog to a reasonable length.
Tonight illustrates what Pat Parelli jokes with audiences frequently about. He will often say "How many people here have seen a human go through the WHOLE RANGE of pure, RAW emotions in ONE SESSION with a horse?" And a lot of the times, its true, in a negative sense in that we get mad, upset, happy, etc, at our horses. Tonight, that was not the case. I ran the gammot of emotions, but it was at my cradle bridle...AGAIN! I'm still sort of in the experimentation phase, and long story short, what I thought I had figured out as the correct setting was causing Prin to sull up, lose all forward motion, and then have a freak out (Not entirely sure if it was annoyance or fear) and rear, run backwards, etc. Needless to say, even though this is portrayed in the Bridle wisdom article, after happening 8 or 10 times, you begin to think that you must be doing something to aggrevate it, especially when the finesse is all well and a little bland in the stretchy chinstrap.
I emailed LP and have yet to hear back, but fortunately, kudos for the timing, love, Farrah called today to talk Savvy Conference plans, and I sprung my burning questions on her. She had some suggestions:
*Try the solid strap looser (is that a word?)
*Rubber band the strap in place if the loose setting makes it come un-fastened...I like the way she thinks!
*If she's as blocked in Zone 1 as it sounds like, collect her up NOT moving forward and use one rein...like in a sideways or shoulder in type deal. That way, she's not feeling pushed into a wall.
*If her zone 1 is blocked, mine might be too (DUUUHHHH!!!!!! *headdesk*)
*LOTS of fluid rein, but only until she realizes it's not blocking her, not until she's rooting and leaning.
*Longitudinal flexion is GOOD!
So I went back out after dinner, actually not at all planning on playing with that, but after Prin saw me coming (NOT EVEN FOR HER!) and took off for the other end of the pasture, I decided we needed to get some things straightened out.
We played a bit on the ground, actually trying to keep things interesting and painfully slow (I've not been taking my own advice on LBIs!!) so as to motivate more. After that, we bridled up, and basically went down the line of ideas Farrah had. It was really interesting, because when Prin was feeling blocked, I hadn't noticed before, but she actually started to drift sideways subtly. Way to pick up on that, Fran. We mainly did a lot of fluid rein though, and it took a while, and the changes were really subtle at first (I experienced a great feel for "Drive" with the hind quarters on Prin...that's where it all started) Once her stride changed, then her neck lowered...like an inch at a time, and then she started blowing, and then it all came together in one big BANG...and I stopped, unbridled, and promptly started balling on my horse's shoulder. It's been a MONTH of frustration with that thing, and we FINALLY had a HUGE break. HUGE. I could not BELIEVE IT! THANK YOU FARRAH!
Onto "Shadows". Mikaela got her new horse! He's FABULOUS. LBE to the max, he was so easy to get here, he loaded right into the trailer, rode quietly, and now has settled in and won't leave us alone, go figure. He's very clever, a fast learner, but really cocky. He's reared a couple times with me trying to drive his front end.
My only concern thus far is that Micky has for some reason developed an OBSESSION with teaching him to circle (NO! NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!) and that's not what he needs right now. He doesn't even know the Principle games yet! I'd hate to see that perfect little LBE lose his spark this early, especially since Micky's not up to subtlties in horsenality yet. I'll have to be careful and coach this one well, maybe I'll pull the same thing I did on Richard "You know...there are 6 other games. From now on, the circling game is banned within 20 miles of here." haha. And of course, Liberty and Horse behavior will become a regular around here.
Anyway, pictures:
GORGEOUS horse...really he is. 15.1hh, and smart as a whip. Love the blue halter on him, too.
Very expressive face
Monday, August 11, 2008
Broke much?
Haha...
I made a really painful (BUT EXCITING!) withdrawal from my bank account today...The $350 needed for my savvy conference ticket! I can't believe it's actually happening! But, the painful thing is, the paying is killing my account, I've got literally $17 in my name at the moment, split between two accounts! Fortunately, I do have a lot of lessons, etc, scheduled for the week, and the boys go home on Friday, so that'll be another much needed $300, but still...I HATE being broke-lol
Other than that, didn't do too much of note today, it was really just very horsey. Tim came out and rode Buddy and played a little with Scoot (which went REALLY well), and then Micky and I rode Prin and Cricket down to Studebaker junction (A local trail down into the coulee, there's an old Studebaker pickup parked to rust down there) The spotty girls did wonderfully, including, *gasp* a nice long canter out of Cricket up the hill. She definitely enjoys being out, and a couple weeks of climbing that trail will get her all nice and muscled.
Also took Crest and Knighters out for a little hack-y thing. Crest, unfortunately, is out in his ribs again for whatever the reason (haven't ridden him since being home)but sitting on them to the side seemed to help quite a bit. Hopefully several rides and we'll have him straightened out.
Okay, time to go finish mowing the yard, ugh.
I made a really painful (BUT EXCITING!) withdrawal from my bank account today...The $350 needed for my savvy conference ticket! I can't believe it's actually happening! But, the painful thing is, the paying is killing my account, I've got literally $17 in my name at the moment, split between two accounts! Fortunately, I do have a lot of lessons, etc, scheduled for the week, and the boys go home on Friday, so that'll be another much needed $300, but still...I HATE being broke-lol
Other than that, didn't do too much of note today, it was really just very horsey. Tim came out and rode Buddy and played a little with Scoot (which went REALLY well), and then Micky and I rode Prin and Cricket down to Studebaker junction (A local trail down into the coulee, there's an old Studebaker pickup parked to rust down there) The spotty girls did wonderfully, including, *gasp* a nice long canter out of Cricket up the hill. She definitely enjoys being out, and a couple weeks of climbing that trail will get her all nice and muscled.
Also took Crest and Knighters out for a little hack-y thing. Crest, unfortunately, is out in his ribs again for whatever the reason (haven't ridden him since being home)but sitting on them to the side seemed to help quite a bit. Hopefully several rides and we'll have him straightened out.
Okay, time to go finish mowing the yard, ugh.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Soul Mates...
Very very interesting day today.
Mikaela and I went "horse shopping" today at the Jonsgaards place (where I got Prinny and Knight) And the exciting thing is, I think she's found herself a horse! I'm really excited for her, for sure. Here's some info:
Name: Shadow
Breed: AQHA
Age: early 2006 baby (2 years, 5 months, or so)
Height: 15.2hh (!!! He's gonna be HUGE!)
Color: The most gorgeous bay roan you'll EVER see, no white markings.
Horsenality: LBE!!!!
We just played with him a little bit here and there, just some basics, the principle games mainly, just to make sure he had a brain (which, fortunately, he does). Basically, Shadow is a big, nosey colt with the coolest "in your pocket" attitude, and he's not phased by anything--seems like a really fun one to start. He's playful and exuberant, but not extremely so, just enough to be really fun...you know, the type to lead himself and "help" you hold your equipment. He's also a beautiful mover with almost perfect conformation. They're asking $1000 for him, and Micky is thrilled, as am I, obviously. I just have this image of this gorgeous colt trotting around in a black fluidity saddle for some reason-haha
Anyway, that's my good news, and there's a reason I put it first, because now I get to wallow in my own self pity for a while.
I've been dating Warren for 5 years, and for those who have known me for that time, it's been a real roller coaster ride, up and down, all around, really hectic relationship. But at the core of it, there was a steady, unchanging love for eachother, regardless of how many horrible things happened. We've always been "soul mates"...if you will.
Well,it suddenly became VERY clear to me today that things have changed...a LOT...in our relationship. Firstly, I haven't seen him since I got back from the trip back east. I called to see if he were around and wanted to spend some time together, and I found out he was working. That was fine, I was going to Red Wing (where he works) today anyway to do a horse analysis, and so I decided to stop in and say hi to him at work. I walked in the door, and spotted him manning a very un-busy cash register, so I meandered over to say hi. He saw me, and said "Hi..." completely un-smiling. I cocked an eyebrow and said "Cranky?" and he says "Meh...whatever", avoiding my eyes completely. Warren's never been the real expressive or happy type, so I just kind of passed it off as a bad day, talked to him for a little while, and then left. No big deal.
Well, I called him tonight, after finishing up for the evening, to see if he wanted to get together (away from work, just the two of us, etc) and he was kinda like... "Well, what the hell do you want to do?" which took me aback, so I snapped "Um, never mind, forget the whole idea." which lead to a fairly snarly arguement, which happens in our relationship every couple of months. Anyway, I found a good place to leave it (had to help my dad unload some things) and I called him back later.
Warren, very flatly, without any explanation, other than "I've developed a contempt for women since starting my new job." breaks up with me. Completely cold, uncaring, unloving, un...HUMAN.
And honestly, I dont' know how I feel about it. On the front, I'm very hurt and upset, but deeper at the core, I'm wondering HOW LONG I've been living under the delusion that he actually cared about me. Because it seems like it was a well rehearsed move on his part. I'm also living in a bit of a panic, because Warren's been the only guy in my life FOREVER. I'm just USED to having someone there, who cared about me, and loved me for who I was, no matter what. And now I'm suddenly questioning everything about myself, and I'm losing a lot of confidence. For once "WWLD" doesn't help the situation. I'm TERRIBLE with relationships like this.
So I leave you with this snippet of lyrics:
"They say everyone's got a someone;
A sweet somebody to love
It might be fate or destiny
Maybe written in the stars above
But I can't help but wonder
After all that I've been through
Maybe my Baby's
Nowhere to be found
And I was just born to be blue"
~The Judds
Mikaela and I went "horse shopping" today at the Jonsgaards place (where I got Prinny and Knight) And the exciting thing is, I think she's found herself a horse! I'm really excited for her, for sure. Here's some info:
Name: Shadow
Breed: AQHA
Age: early 2006 baby (2 years, 5 months, or so)
Height: 15.2hh (!!! He's gonna be HUGE!)
Color: The most gorgeous bay roan you'll EVER see, no white markings.
Horsenality: LBE!!!!
We just played with him a little bit here and there, just some basics, the principle games mainly, just to make sure he had a brain (which, fortunately, he does). Basically, Shadow is a big, nosey colt with the coolest "in your pocket" attitude, and he's not phased by anything--seems like a really fun one to start. He's playful and exuberant, but not extremely so, just enough to be really fun...you know, the type to lead himself and "help" you hold your equipment. He's also a beautiful mover with almost perfect conformation. They're asking $1000 for him, and Micky is thrilled, as am I, obviously. I just have this image of this gorgeous colt trotting around in a black fluidity saddle for some reason-haha
Anyway, that's my good news, and there's a reason I put it first, because now I get to wallow in my own self pity for a while.
I've been dating Warren for 5 years, and for those who have known me for that time, it's been a real roller coaster ride, up and down, all around, really hectic relationship. But at the core of it, there was a steady, unchanging love for eachother, regardless of how many horrible things happened. We've always been "soul mates"...if you will.
Well,it suddenly became VERY clear to me today that things have changed...a LOT...in our relationship. Firstly, I haven't seen him since I got back from the trip back east. I called to see if he were around and wanted to spend some time together, and I found out he was working. That was fine, I was going to Red Wing (where he works) today anyway to do a horse analysis, and so I decided to stop in and say hi to him at work. I walked in the door, and spotted him manning a very un-busy cash register, so I meandered over to say hi. He saw me, and said "Hi..." completely un-smiling. I cocked an eyebrow and said "Cranky?" and he says "Meh...whatever", avoiding my eyes completely. Warren's never been the real expressive or happy type, so I just kind of passed it off as a bad day, talked to him for a little while, and then left. No big deal.
Well, I called him tonight, after finishing up for the evening, to see if he wanted to get together (away from work, just the two of us, etc) and he was kinda like... "Well, what the hell do you want to do?" which took me aback, so I snapped "Um, never mind, forget the whole idea." which lead to a fairly snarly arguement, which happens in our relationship every couple of months. Anyway, I found a good place to leave it (had to help my dad unload some things) and I called him back later.
Warren, very flatly, without any explanation, other than "I've developed a contempt for women since starting my new job." breaks up with me. Completely cold, uncaring, unloving, un...HUMAN.
And honestly, I dont' know how I feel about it. On the front, I'm very hurt and upset, but deeper at the core, I'm wondering HOW LONG I've been living under the delusion that he actually cared about me. Because it seems like it was a well rehearsed move on his part. I'm also living in a bit of a panic, because Warren's been the only guy in my life FOREVER. I'm just USED to having someone there, who cared about me, and loved me for who I was, no matter what. And now I'm suddenly questioning everything about myself, and I'm losing a lot of confidence. For once "WWLD" doesn't help the situation. I'm TERRIBLE with relationships like this.
So I leave you with this snippet of lyrics:
"They say everyone's got a someone;
A sweet somebody to love
It might be fate or destiny
Maybe written in the stars above
But I can't help but wonder
After all that I've been through
Maybe my Baby's
Nowhere to be found
And I was just born to be blue"
~The Judds
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Life is GOOD!
Say that with an Aussie accent, and you've got a complete Linda-ism there.
Anyway.
I had a complete and total blasty blast with Mr. Buddy tonight! We rode for about an hour I think, I was with Micky and her cousin McKenzie, so I kinda lost track of the time giggling and such.
So anyway, Buddy was excellent. We played a lot with walk/trot/halt/back transitions, and man, Tim and I could not have been MORE WRONG when we made the assumption that he'd be difficult. He's brilliant! I can't really say much beyond that, he's just a COOL HORSE! He was sensitive and responsive, and obedient, and I'm just SO THRILLED with how he's coming along! I sure hope Scoot follows in his footsteps. After reviewing the article in the Savvy Times (Either February or May 08, can't remember) about cinchiness, I think I have a new lead towards Scoot's claustrophobia. Damn my brain and it's segues anyway! I'll keep posted on that.
In other news, I'm FINALLY catching up on emails that I've not been able to write since being away from my computer, and I had time to sit down and actually THINK about how cool this is:
I have a friend who lives in VA. We've known eachother forever, and recently (since December 2006) I've gotten her kinda interested in PNH. She's seen Pat and Linda twice now, and also has seen me play (and work my "magic"-har har) with a couple horses. Anyway, quite some time ago, she had mentioned that there were some people interested in having me come out and do some lessons/a clinic type of thing. I had always thought it sounded cool, but being that I was still in school, I never gave it any serious thought.
That is, until, I got an email from her on Wednesday. The offer is there, and it's looking like they'd fly me out (!!!!!) and then pay me some discussed amount. Obviously this is WAY in the planning stages, but HOLY CRAP. I'm SO FLATTERED! I can't wait to do this, and I'll keep you updated on the planning for SURE. I think we're looking at October maybe?
Anyway.
I had a complete and total blasty blast with Mr. Buddy tonight! We rode for about an hour I think, I was with Micky and her cousin McKenzie, so I kinda lost track of the time giggling and such.
So anyway, Buddy was excellent. We played a lot with walk/trot/halt/back transitions, and man, Tim and I could not have been MORE WRONG when we made the assumption that he'd be difficult. He's brilliant! I can't really say much beyond that, he's just a COOL HORSE! He was sensitive and responsive, and obedient, and I'm just SO THRILLED with how he's coming along! I sure hope Scoot follows in his footsteps. After reviewing the article in the Savvy Times (Either February or May 08, can't remember) about cinchiness, I think I have a new lead towards Scoot's claustrophobia. Damn my brain and it's segues anyway! I'll keep posted on that.
In other news, I'm FINALLY catching up on emails that I've not been able to write since being away from my computer, and I had time to sit down and actually THINK about how cool this is:
I have a friend who lives in VA. We've known eachother forever, and recently (since December 2006) I've gotten her kinda interested in PNH. She's seen Pat and Linda twice now, and also has seen me play (and work my "magic"-har har) with a couple horses. Anyway, quite some time ago, she had mentioned that there were some people interested in having me come out and do some lessons/a clinic type of thing. I had always thought it sounded cool, but being that I was still in school, I never gave it any serious thought.
That is, until, I got an email from her on Wednesday. The offer is there, and it's looking like they'd fly me out (!!!!!) and then pay me some discussed amount. Obviously this is WAY in the planning stages, but HOLY CRAP. I'm SO FLATTERED! I can't wait to do this, and I'll keep you updated on the planning for SURE. I think we're looking at October maybe?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Dramatic, Emotional rollercoaster of a week...
Okay, I'm never leaving Pepin again(You'll never hear those words leave my mouth again)...bad things happen to my friends, I end up missing my horses, getting interrogated about my college plans and horses (in a slightly patronizing, non interested way) by family members, have fun and spend too much money with Virge (IOU $89.90, btw darlin') and I wind up having to do a lot of driving...not that I mind that part, it means I could stay with Emily a little longer than anticipated, but still 7 hours alone sucks.
Okay, so to summarize my week in a list:
*Arrived in West Virginia on Wednesday last week. We camped Wednesday-Sunday
*Left WVA on Sunday, check my voicemail, and I find several good ones (Friend got her saddle, two people want lessons) and then I get the tear jerker...Micky's horse Digger had suddenly passed away on August 1st...while we were both out of town on our summer family vacations...It's been a rough week on both of us, by the way, Prayers and thoughs are very welcome at this point.
*Sunday-Tuesday, visited Virge. We had a blast jumping and playing with ponies, driving to the Dover store and buying expensive things (Got my flyspray and half chaps, by the way, Linda) as well as ranting about how unnecessary some of the things some of her neighbors had were, and diving and swimming on overly sized inflatable alligators.
*Wednesday, driving...BLAH!
*Thursday, driving, then hung out with Emily all day, watched her teach and got to play with Ellie (WEEEEEE!!!) and Shelby (LOVE that mare :D)
*Friday, well...driving, I guess...I'm not there yet though. This'll be the longest road trip I've taken on my own, but I think I'll be fine, I know my way home like the back of my hand, it's just the long drive that I'm not looking forward to.
I miss my horses soo much. I've played with so many good ones this trip, I've had opportunities to do some great things, but I just MISS my ol' Prinny! Not to mention Crest, Cricket, the boys, Knight, and of course Burt, my trusty fluidity saddle (haha!!!)
So anyway, time for me to go to bed, I'm headed out of Bloomington early tomorrow.
Looking forward to getting home :)
Okay, so to summarize my week in a list:
*Arrived in West Virginia on Wednesday last week. We camped Wednesday-Sunday
*Left WVA on Sunday, check my voicemail, and I find several good ones (Friend got her saddle, two people want lessons) and then I get the tear jerker...Micky's horse Digger had suddenly passed away on August 1st...while we were both out of town on our summer family vacations...It's been a rough week on both of us, by the way, Prayers and thoughs are very welcome at this point.
*Sunday-Tuesday, visited Virge. We had a blast jumping and playing with ponies, driving to the Dover store and buying expensive things (Got my flyspray and half chaps, by the way, Linda) as well as ranting about how unnecessary some of the things some of her neighbors had were, and diving and swimming on overly sized inflatable alligators.
*Wednesday, driving...BLAH!
*Thursday, driving, then hung out with Emily all day, watched her teach and got to play with Ellie (WEEEEEE!!!) and Shelby (LOVE that mare :D)
*Friday, well...driving, I guess...I'm not there yet though. This'll be the longest road trip I've taken on my own, but I think I'll be fine, I know my way home like the back of my hand, it's just the long drive that I'm not looking forward to.
I miss my horses soo much. I've played with so many good ones this trip, I've had opportunities to do some great things, but I just MISS my ol' Prinny! Not to mention Crest, Cricket, the boys, Knight, and of course Burt, my trusty fluidity saddle (haha!!!)
So anyway, time for me to go to bed, I'm headed out of Bloomington early tomorrow.
Looking forward to getting home :)
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