"Slow and right beats fast and wrong, and slow and right BUILDS fast and right, and NOTHING beats fast and right!" ~Pat Parelli
Over the past few days, I've gained a new appreciation for that Parelli-ism. You see, I've been hitting a new level of incompetence with Crest. It seems to happen more often with him than with my other projects, which is not all-together to shocking, but this particular bout of incompetence has been a bit more extreme, in that I couldn't simply step back and research my way out of it.
To be honest, this all started with my realizing that I'm unconfident enough that I cannot canter on Crest and feel safe, and I feel like that's really holding us back from progressing into L3 freestyle.
It's cause by different things for both of us. For me, it's fear. I've never been hurt cantering on him, but I've had too many near misses and little hits to my confidence that have built up over time, as well as not recognizing fear and plowing my own thresholds. That's an easy enough problem to solve with approach and retreat mentally--but then actually fixing my fear on his back is really hard, especially since it's not a worry about my ABILITY to canter (put me on any other horse and I'll canter standing up, backwards, forwards, you name it, all with confidence), but in my ability to canter ON HIM.
For Crest, it's an emotional issue. He comes unglued really fast and really easily with a rider. You've probably heard me elude to that fact in prior posts. It used to be that he had a hard time controlling his body--he'd get very emotional even cantering online, but after spending the early summer with Farrah, and spending the majority of the fall developing his online to L4, that's not much of an issue anymore. When I get on his back, though, he falls apart. I'm sure I'm not helping. I tend to want to canter, but only a little bit, so to speak. That trust isn't there 100% a lot of the time.
The issue I was faced with was how one builds confidence as a rider, while helping the horse become a less-emotional individual WITH a rider. To me, it seemed like the kind of thing that shouldn't be solved at the same time, but the problem was, I couldn't seem to find another way to do it.
I sent emails to 3 friends of mine who are Parelli professionals, seeking their thoughts and feedback. Two of the three gave me really really good philosophical thoughts to ponder...post-its with these thoughts now line the frame on my monitor as I type this. The third came back with "hands-on" information, and this is where "Slow and right" comes in.
We often generalize that extroverts need to move their feet. They are, after-all, extroverts. What I seem to forget, apparently too often, is that confident, Left-Brained horses are not always confident left-brained learners. In fact, in Crest's case, he's not a confident learner at all.
The FIRST thing my friend said in her email was this thought-provoking paragraph:
"You have to make your horse's confidence primary. When you get him calm, confident and trusting, it will be easier for you to trust him. I think that you're not paying enough attention to his emotional state and pushing him over thresholds that you are probably not even aware of. Slow down, make it easier for him. Break things down in to little chunks. And where necessary, get off for HIS confidence - which probably goes before yours. And when I talk about his confidence, it may not be that he's afraid, as in prey animal afraid, but that he's lost confidence in your leadership."
...Naturally. We've been through this before. I think there's a blog entry from early 2008 with nearly the same advice with regard to a different subject.
So for the past week, Crest and I have been taking it SLOWLY. When I say slowly, I mean observing MICROSCOPIC behaviors. I've re-watched some key demos in the Liberty and Horse Behavior pack, and have actually incorporated some things Pat has done with Casper into our liberty play, here, as well as lots of short pattern-oriented rides. Haven't seen any huge effect yet, but again, "slow and right..." We'll get there, it's been a great lesson in dropping the time-line (which I hadn't even realized I had on him!)
Interestingly enough, the effect that this has had on Prin is for the better, too--I think my introvert is feeling a little resentful--"Sure, you'll finally slow down if it's HIM?" ...nah, kidding! But seriously, she's doing really well as a result, too--the giddyup and go that she's got in her draw, flying changes, and circling game are pretty impressive. It's only taken me 7 years and another horse to teach me the lesson, but hey!
So anyway, with that said, I'm off to go play with a couple ponies.
Photo by Margaret Chant and edited by Jessica Metropulos
Showing posts with label horses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horses. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, July 17, 2009
One of Those Impulse Buys
This is going to be a double-post Friday, since I'm cool like that, and I think each one of these stories deserves it's own title. So, me, being me, am always sort of semi-looking for nice horses for sale. Not that I can really afford to own more than what I've got right now, but anyway. So, quite often I find give-aways that, while being nice looking, aren't really what I'm looking for.
So anyway, I'm also a sucker for a big English sport horse. I've kind of turned Prin INTO that image because I'm such a sucker for it. Anyway, It's not often that a beautiful big English sport horse comes along at a price I can afford. Well... it did, at the least expected time ever.
There is a family that owned (until recently) a weekend home about 6 miles from me. They had a GORGEOUS facility, pool, rock climbing gym, prime horse facility, beautiful barn, and 3 gorgeous horses, one of which is this beautiful TB gelding.
He's a 12 yr old gelding, 16.3-17hh (haven't actually measured him yet, but he's at least as tall as Caesar, who's 16.3), Unraced thoroughbred who IMO, looks more like a warmblood. He moves more like one too, and I think he's an AMAZING dressage prospect off-hand, we'll have to see how he'd be as a jumper, too. I get a good feeling from this guy though, hes super fancy.
He'll be home on Tuesday, and after that, we'll play and see what happens. He's just too cool :) More later on him...pretty excited!
So anyway, I'm also a sucker for a big English sport horse. I've kind of turned Prin INTO that image because I'm such a sucker for it. Anyway, It's not often that a beautiful big English sport horse comes along at a price I can afford. Well... it did, at the least expected time ever.
There is a family that owned (until recently) a weekend home about 6 miles from me. They had a GORGEOUS facility, pool, rock climbing gym, prime horse facility, beautiful barn, and 3 gorgeous horses, one of which is this beautiful TB gelding.
He's a 12 yr old gelding, 16.3-17hh (haven't actually measured him yet, but he's at least as tall as Caesar, who's 16.3), Unraced thoroughbred who IMO, looks more like a warmblood. He moves more like one too, and I think he's an AMAZING dressage prospect off-hand, we'll have to see how he'd be as a jumper, too. I get a good feeling from this guy though, hes super fancy.
He'll be home on Tuesday, and after that, we'll play and see what happens. He's just too cool :) More later on him...pretty excited!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
New Year, New Goals
Hi all,
Apologies for the belated post, It's been a really weird few days. I just wanted to quickly review my 2009 goals before I leave for my course :)
Equine Goals:
*Make the most of the course experience (learn all possible, stay open to suggestion, etc)
*Pass L3 no later than April (You've put this off LONG ENOUGH, Fran!)
*Perform in the Savvy Spotlight at Madison
*Attend several clinics--Nita Jo? Dave Ellis? Karen Rohlf?
*Delve father into L3 with Crest
*Buy truck and possibly trailer (haha, that's a stretch!)
*Continue studies with Farrah
*Begin some jumping lessons with Prin (Otter Creek?)
*Go to Pagosa for a week with Crest? ($$ permitting)
*Develop and learn more about Natural Trimming
Personal Goals:
*Lose some weight (Yes, this is EVERYONE'S goal...but I'm actually gonna do it!)
*Don't sweat the small stuff (And Remember, Franny, it's ALL small stuff!)
*Figure out what I'm doing with my life (Furthering my education)
*Become a better teacher
*Learn to address that 10% (Katie would get this, not many others)
*Continue to develop as a centered (and edgeless, LOL Linda!) individual.
*"Que Cera, Cera"
*Manage my finances better (ACK! WHERE IS MY CHECKBOOK THESE DAYS?!)
This is what i can think of off hand. More to come I'm sure. But for now, Off to find my checkbook. Which I KNOW still exists!
Apologies for the belated post, It's been a really weird few days. I just wanted to quickly review my 2009 goals before I leave for my course :)
Equine Goals:
*Make the most of the course experience (learn all possible, stay open to suggestion, etc)
*Pass L3 no later than April (You've put this off LONG ENOUGH, Fran!)
*Perform in the Savvy Spotlight at Madison
*Attend several clinics--Nita Jo? Dave Ellis? Karen Rohlf?
*Delve father into L3 with Crest
*Buy truck and possibly trailer (haha, that's a stretch!)
*Continue studies with Farrah
*Begin some jumping lessons with Prin (Otter Creek?)
*Go to Pagosa for a week with Crest? ($$ permitting)
*Develop and learn more about Natural Trimming
Personal Goals:
*Lose some weight (Yes, this is EVERYONE'S goal...but I'm actually gonna do it!)
*Don't sweat the small stuff (And Remember, Franny, it's ALL small stuff!)
*Figure out what I'm doing with my life (Furthering my education)
*Become a better teacher
*Learn to address that 10% (Katie would get this, not many others)
*Continue to develop as a centered (and edgeless, LOL Linda!) individual.
*"Que Cera, Cera"
*Manage my finances better (ACK! WHERE IS MY CHECKBOOK THESE DAYS?!)
This is what i can think of off hand. More to come I'm sure. But for now, Off to find my checkbook. Which I KNOW still exists!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Updates and Such
BRRRR!!! Sorry I've dropped off the face of the planet, my life got crazy! I've had a really interesting week, and while I'd love to write about all of it, my fingers are freezing, (WHO ORDERED THIS WEATHER?!)so I'm going to try to keep kind of general.
Thursday through Sunday last, I took a road trip across the state. First stop was Green Bay to visit my friend and fellow PNHer, Heidi, then back to Mosinee to teach at Anne's for 3 days.
The visit to Heidi's was a blast, we ate a lovely dinner on Thursday night, then stayed up WAY TOO LATE watching Best of Show. Friday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed and made our way to Algoma to go visit Heidi's horse Charmer. To begin with, Heidi got out Charm and I was partnered with a horse named Dutch, who belonged to the barn owner. He was a bay ball of fun, reminded me a lot of Crest, very playful and devoted to pleasing. We had a good time. Next, we put my fluidity saddle on Charmer, and BOY was there a change! This horse is not one prone to stretching or round/correct self carriage. Check out this video!
Pretty neat huh?
We finished my visit with lunch at a lovely little cafe in Algoma and then I hit the road back to Mosinee.
Saturday was a fun day. It was just warm enough to give the snow a nice crunch, so Anne and I got out the snowmobile and broke some trails around her property both to walk the wiener dogs on (the snow is so deep it swallows them) and also for us to ride on. That was an adventure in itself because this girl here hasn't driven a snowmobile in a couple years, and this one happened to have a sticky throttle. You can imagine where that went... Anyway, we also played with Clearwater, both basic 7 games and also trail riding, some trail riding stuff, and we ended the day on a good note. Sunday, the weather was nasty, but even so, we braved the sleet and went out to play with all things blanket-y. We started with Clear, who couldn't have cared less, then we moved to Blix, who I KNEW would be scary if we just went straight to the blanket. First, I decided we should get him confident with rhythm in general before even TRYING to desensitize him to a big flopping blanket. We played with friendly game with the carrot stick and string, and also discovered that Blixen is a closet LBI...yes. You read correctly. He's a cookie monster. Everything suddenly became easy when we realized this. Anyway, a long story short, carrot stick/string, then saddle blanket, then blanket, with not a single flinch. Very cool stuff.
I got home Sunday night, and have pretty much been home-bound since, it's been a brutal mostly subzero week so far, today was the warmest at 10 above and sunny with little or no windchill. Today I had a nice session with Prin and Nugget though. Prin's been spoiled and not been played with much, so today was an interesting battle of leadership, which I ended up winning by pulling out some exercises from the old Levels. She wasn't quite sure what to think, but it all worked out. Also I played with standing to the trot, an exercise suggested to aid in my apparent inability to properly sit the trot--not caused by a lack of fluidity entirely, but also a lack of properly developed muscle. This has made the person that suggested this exercise public enemy number 1 to my legs, which currently ache so much I can't straighten them entirely. But it definitely aided my sitting trot! I could feel that right away.
Nugget was fantastic, she was very LBE today, her motto was "Look at meeee, I'm WIIIILLLD!!!" We played with some W/G/T/C (G as in GAIT!) stuff, and that little horse just likes to GOOOOOOO. Very fun, she's gonna be a helluva trail horse :)
Anyway, I need to go play with some paperwork, YAY. Course in 19 days :)
Thursday through Sunday last, I took a road trip across the state. First stop was Green Bay to visit my friend and fellow PNHer, Heidi, then back to Mosinee to teach at Anne's for 3 days.
The visit to Heidi's was a blast, we ate a lovely dinner on Thursday night, then stayed up WAY TOO LATE watching Best of Show. Friday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed and made our way to Algoma to go visit Heidi's horse Charmer. To begin with, Heidi got out Charm and I was partnered with a horse named Dutch, who belonged to the barn owner. He was a bay ball of fun, reminded me a lot of Crest, very playful and devoted to pleasing. We had a good time. Next, we put my fluidity saddle on Charmer, and BOY was there a change! This horse is not one prone to stretching or round/correct self carriage. Check out this video!
Pretty neat huh?
We finished my visit with lunch at a lovely little cafe in Algoma and then I hit the road back to Mosinee.
Saturday was a fun day. It was just warm enough to give the snow a nice crunch, so Anne and I got out the snowmobile and broke some trails around her property both to walk the wiener dogs on (the snow is so deep it swallows them) and also for us to ride on. That was an adventure in itself because this girl here hasn't driven a snowmobile in a couple years, and this one happened to have a sticky throttle. You can imagine where that went... Anyway, we also played with Clearwater, both basic 7 games and also trail riding, some trail riding stuff, and we ended the day on a good note. Sunday, the weather was nasty, but even so, we braved the sleet and went out to play with all things blanket-y. We started with Clear, who couldn't have cared less, then we moved to Blix, who I KNEW would be scary if we just went straight to the blanket. First, I decided we should get him confident with rhythm in general before even TRYING to desensitize him to a big flopping blanket. We played with friendly game with the carrot stick and string, and also discovered that Blixen is a closet LBI...yes. You read correctly. He's a cookie monster. Everything suddenly became easy when we realized this. Anyway, a long story short, carrot stick/string, then saddle blanket, then blanket, with not a single flinch. Very cool stuff.
I got home Sunday night, and have pretty much been home-bound since, it's been a brutal mostly subzero week so far, today was the warmest at 10 above and sunny with little or no windchill. Today I had a nice session with Prin and Nugget though. Prin's been spoiled and not been played with much, so today was an interesting battle of leadership, which I ended up winning by pulling out some exercises from the old Levels. She wasn't quite sure what to think, but it all worked out. Also I played with standing to the trot, an exercise suggested to aid in my apparent inability to properly sit the trot--not caused by a lack of fluidity entirely, but also a lack of properly developed muscle. This has made the person that suggested this exercise public enemy number 1 to my legs, which currently ache so much I can't straighten them entirely. But it definitely aided my sitting trot! I could feel that right away.
Nugget was fantastic, she was very LBE today, her motto was "Look at meeee, I'm WIIIILLLD!!!" We played with some W/G/T/C (G as in GAIT!) stuff, and that little horse just likes to GOOOOOOO. Very fun, she's gonna be a helluva trail horse :)
Anyway, I need to go play with some paperwork, YAY. Course in 19 days :)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Good Intentions, Anyway...
One of the top things that people say they miss when they move from the midwest to a warmer climate, is the lack of seasons...they say warm all the the time gets old. I say they're crazy.
We got about 6 inches of snow last night, enough to cause administrators around the area to call school off, etc. When school is called off in WI, most of the time, you KNOW there's a good reason for it, because if the plows can't get it done, no one's driving anywhere. That being said, what better way to start out the day than go for a drive, eh?
I spent most of my morning at Warren's, doing some work on the computer, chatting over coffee, and just hanging out with my boy. We had a fantastic time, I don't usually get that much quality time with him during the week because he's working a lot, etc. He had to work tonight, as well, so I was "booted" at 2:30 so he could get ready.
I decided to head for the farm, since it was a gorgeous day after snowfall. Perfect temperature to hop on and go for a bareback "dash through the snow".
Richard's drive way has always been some cause for concern to me during the winter, having a 2WD car, and usually by mid December, I'm left to park at the top of the hill that goes down to the driveway. Today, I wasn't entirely sure on the traction, so I did a fairly classic traction test: Try reversing out every couple of feet until you start to feel the slightest inkling of slipping. If you feel that AT ALL, DO NOT PROCEED. I did this going down the hill, and didn't hit a single spot I couldn't back out of, so I just let myself creep down the hill slowly, and went up the other side. This side of the hill has NEVER (Never say never?) given me a problem during the winter. It's a straight shot up, not very steep, and doesn't drift badly at all, and usually, there's at least a little bit of gravel to get a grip on. Today's conditions looked no different. I started to climb the hill at about 15 mph, as usual, and got nearly to the top, and then felt the thing EVERYONE dreads. My tires started to spin and give way to the soft but "full-bodied" snow.
Now at this point, I realized I wasn't going to crest the hill. The smart thing to do would have been to park the car and run into Richard's on foot and grab our ever-present bucket of wood ash, come back, dump it in my slippery spot, and continue driving. Of course, I'm not that smart. So, what do I do? I decide I should probably back down the hill and get a better "running start". WRONG. As SOON as I started to back, I started to slide. I cranked my wheel around to try to get back on the road, and instead of straightening up, I slid more crooked. When I looked out my rear-view and saw the ditch I was already 1/2 into, I realized that I was just downright screwed. I half heartedly tried to drive out, realized that it was hopeless, put the car in park, and trudged into the farm to do feed, anyway.
Richard and I will pull the car out tomorrow (would have tonight, but the sun was setting by the time he got there, and he didn't have his tire chains) so all is not lost, but I'm disgusted with my stupid decision. Ah well...such is winter in WI. My intentions were good, at least. Thank goodness for warm savvy places like Florida :)
We got about 6 inches of snow last night, enough to cause administrators around the area to call school off, etc. When school is called off in WI, most of the time, you KNOW there's a good reason for it, because if the plows can't get it done, no one's driving anywhere. That being said, what better way to start out the day than go for a drive, eh?
I spent most of my morning at Warren's, doing some work on the computer, chatting over coffee, and just hanging out with my boy. We had a fantastic time, I don't usually get that much quality time with him during the week because he's working a lot, etc. He had to work tonight, as well, so I was "booted" at 2:30 so he could get ready.
I decided to head for the farm, since it was a gorgeous day after snowfall. Perfect temperature to hop on and go for a bareback "dash through the snow".
Richard's drive way has always been some cause for concern to me during the winter, having a 2WD car, and usually by mid December, I'm left to park at the top of the hill that goes down to the driveway. Today, I wasn't entirely sure on the traction, so I did a fairly classic traction test: Try reversing out every couple of feet until you start to feel the slightest inkling of slipping. If you feel that AT ALL, DO NOT PROCEED. I did this going down the hill, and didn't hit a single spot I couldn't back out of, so I just let myself creep down the hill slowly, and went up the other side. This side of the hill has NEVER (Never say never?) given me a problem during the winter. It's a straight shot up, not very steep, and doesn't drift badly at all, and usually, there's at least a little bit of gravel to get a grip on. Today's conditions looked no different. I started to climb the hill at about 15 mph, as usual, and got nearly to the top, and then felt the thing EVERYONE dreads. My tires started to spin and give way to the soft but "full-bodied" snow.
Now at this point, I realized I wasn't going to crest the hill. The smart thing to do would have been to park the car and run into Richard's on foot and grab our ever-present bucket of wood ash, come back, dump it in my slippery spot, and continue driving. Of course, I'm not that smart. So, what do I do? I decide I should probably back down the hill and get a better "running start". WRONG. As SOON as I started to back, I started to slide. I cranked my wheel around to try to get back on the road, and instead of straightening up, I slid more crooked. When I looked out my rear-view and saw the ditch I was already 1/2 into, I realized that I was just downright screwed. I half heartedly tried to drive out, realized that it was hopeless, put the car in park, and trudged into the farm to do feed, anyway.
Richard and I will pull the car out tomorrow (would have tonight, but the sun was setting by the time he got there, and he didn't have his tire chains) so all is not lost, but I'm disgusted with my stupid decision. Ah well...such is winter in WI. My intentions were good, at least. Thank goodness for warm savvy places like Florida :)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pads and Blankets and Girths--OH MY!
That pretty much sums up the session Nugget and I had together this afternoon.
After being with me a week, miss Nugget has taken very well to the seven games. She's a bit sticky in her driving and yoyo, and likes to be CLOSE in her circling, (Extrovert much?) but she's got the concept to basically a L1 standard. We're constantly improving, of course, but she's where she needs to be for me right now anyway.
So today was all about introducing Nugget to my other "toys", saddle pads and blankets, and then the concept of the girth. I dont' want to push the saddling too hard on a horse that's not ready for it, but simulations are fun, and Nugget's so smart, I felt she was ready for me.
I started out by just randomly placing saddle pads around the paddock, over barrels, fences, rails, etc, so we could just "happen" upon them as we played. This was REALLY funny, because Nugget immediately caught onto the difference, and wasn't quite sure what to think. Her first response was to follow her LBE side, and go ATTACK THE PADS, but then she'd scare herself half to death, jolt backwards, then suspiciously walk foward, sniff, and then start pawing...such a funny pattern. I let her figure this out with the 4 pads I had laid out, and we repeated the cycle until she wasn't phased anymore, then I started to play with desensitizing her to them. I'd pick them up and throw them, drop them, wave them in the air, etc. None of this really seemed to bother her, but she was very perplexed...the look on her face said it all: "What the...? Um...weirdo?"
Finally, after much silly preparation, I got to the point, and started "contact" friendly game with the pads, putting them all over her body and having her move with them on her, too. She handled it all like a trooper, though I will say it was funny watching her try to "follow the feel" off the blanket on her neck. She kept putting her head DOWN, then flinging it up and throwing the pad in the air, then looking amused and confused as it landed on her back. Personally, I think it was a game entirely.
Next, I introduced her to the concept of the girth by playing with the 22' line. The goal was eventually to put a flank rope around her barrel and get her used to varying degrees of pressure, and also getting her to follow the feel off the rope. Started off by simply throwing different parts of the rope over her back, and letting her get used to it bouncing and dragging around her, etc. She did great with that, didn't even bat an eye as it was bouncing around and hitting her legs. So then I put it around her barrel as a flank rope, sort of expecting a rodeo, but not entirely, since her calm behavior was proving me wrong in all other aspects.
And of course, she was calm as could be. She got a little unconfident and walked around kind of quickly, but soon started blowing off adrenaline and settling in. We played on both sides, and she really got it. I'm VERY pleased with her. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow, and hopefully by next week, we may be playing consistantly in the bareback pad :)
That's all for now, folks. Gotta go finish some dishes and go to bed UBER EARLY!
After being with me a week, miss Nugget has taken very well to the seven games. She's a bit sticky in her driving and yoyo, and likes to be CLOSE in her circling, (Extrovert much?) but she's got the concept to basically a L1 standard. We're constantly improving, of course, but she's where she needs to be for me right now anyway.
So today was all about introducing Nugget to my other "toys", saddle pads and blankets, and then the concept of the girth. I dont' want to push the saddling too hard on a horse that's not ready for it, but simulations are fun, and Nugget's so smart, I felt she was ready for me.
I started out by just randomly placing saddle pads around the paddock, over barrels, fences, rails, etc, so we could just "happen" upon them as we played. This was REALLY funny, because Nugget immediately caught onto the difference, and wasn't quite sure what to think. Her first response was to follow her LBE side, and go ATTACK THE PADS, but then she'd scare herself half to death, jolt backwards, then suspiciously walk foward, sniff, and then start pawing...such a funny pattern. I let her figure this out with the 4 pads I had laid out, and we repeated the cycle until she wasn't phased anymore, then I started to play with desensitizing her to them. I'd pick them up and throw them, drop them, wave them in the air, etc. None of this really seemed to bother her, but she was very perplexed...the look on her face said it all: "What the...? Um...weirdo?"
Finally, after much silly preparation, I got to the point, and started "contact" friendly game with the pads, putting them all over her body and having her move with them on her, too. She handled it all like a trooper, though I will say it was funny watching her try to "follow the feel" off the blanket on her neck. She kept putting her head DOWN, then flinging it up and throwing the pad in the air, then looking amused and confused as it landed on her back. Personally, I think it was a game entirely.
Next, I introduced her to the concept of the girth by playing with the 22' line. The goal was eventually to put a flank rope around her barrel and get her used to varying degrees of pressure, and also getting her to follow the feel off the rope. Started off by simply throwing different parts of the rope over her back, and letting her get used to it bouncing and dragging around her, etc. She did great with that, didn't even bat an eye as it was bouncing around and hitting her legs. So then I put it around her barrel as a flank rope, sort of expecting a rodeo, but not entirely, since her calm behavior was proving me wrong in all other aspects.
And of course, she was calm as could be. She got a little unconfident and walked around kind of quickly, but soon started blowing off adrenaline and settling in. We played on both sides, and she really got it. I'm VERY pleased with her. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow, and hopefully by next week, we may be playing consistantly in the bareback pad :)
That's all for now, folks. Gotta go finish some dishes and go to bed UBER EARLY!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Motivation!
You know, it's really interesting, studying horses, Parelli, etc, for years, knowing horsenality front to back, and having a seemingly excellent grasp on even the most obscure little pieces of information on how to play with different horses in different situations, and yet, the variations of strategies are so great that you don't realize you've missed something until...well...you find what you missed.
Now, if you were able to follow that obnoxiously long run-on, congrats. What I'm getting at is that there are SO MANY WAYS to motivate an LBI, and if you think you've tried them all, chances are, you really haven't. I had one such experience today with Prin. Now you would think, after having this horse for 6 years, KNOWING she's an LBI, KNOWING she likes food and scratches and slowness, you might get it, and get creative.
I've played a lot with incentives recently, especially now that we're getting more into things that require a greater level of athletecism, that Prin, little miss LBI that she is, doesn't necessarily WANT to do. I've found that there's REALLY nothing Prin won't do for a Winnies cookie, but often times, especially if she's farther out on the line, etc, the moment passes before I can reel her in to give her a cookie, and then we kind of lose all sense of goodness.
So, anyway, today, I happened upon something that actually worked really well, and I found it completely by accident. I had been playing on the 45' line a bit, which had gone okay. We were playing with relaxing and stretching down in the canter, which actually did come together, Prin was blowing and extending out a bit (as opposed to lifting her neck and getting "crunched up")and looked a bit more comfortable. But, as usual, there was a lack of try, and a big "Why am I DOING this? I'm BORED! I HATE circles!" and when she DID try, no way could I get her attention quick enough to get her to associate the reward with the behavior.
After finishing up on a fairly decent note, I left the line and halter on Prin and went and got her feed pan with her grain, and as I was climbing the fence, a thought struck me. I don't know WHY the synapses connected, but for some reason, I thought of how much Prin liked her grain, and just how tangible and OBVIOUS a feed pan was, and how if I placed it strategically enough in the center of the circle, let Prin know I had it, and then set the situation up, my horse would literally create her own motivation. The very best way I can put this is in one word: SUCCESS!
I sent Prin out on the circle, and INSTANTLY encountered a new thing: I actually had trouble getting her to TAKE the rope! usually, on the 45' she goes "Hey, rope, cool! Bye!" and goes to the end. Today, it was a consistant, comfortable 35-40 feet, with slack, belly of the rope dragging, and a WHOLE NEW HORSE out there. She was stretched and moving round, carrying her body arched with the circle, and with NO DRAG AT ALL on her halter. WOW. I couldn't BELIEVE it! She wasn't offering anything spectacularly athletic, but I wasn't expecting that, but the change in mental/physical alone was enough to boggle my mind. I did eventually GET her to canter a couple laps in each direction (using her shoulders correctly, btw) and also got a whole new level of close range circling (WOW let's talk flexibility!).
All in all, a very interesting experience. We'll have to see how this pans out, and whether or not there is a situational thing here, or I've really figured out WHY Farrah actually plays with her horses before they eat ;)
Pix to come tomorrow, lets hope!
Savvy on, and hey look, it's only 10:30! I might get some good sleep tonight!
Now, if you were able to follow that obnoxiously long run-on, congrats. What I'm getting at is that there are SO MANY WAYS to motivate an LBI, and if you think you've tried them all, chances are, you really haven't. I had one such experience today with Prin. Now you would think, after having this horse for 6 years, KNOWING she's an LBI, KNOWING she likes food and scratches and slowness, you might get it, and get creative.
I've played a lot with incentives recently, especially now that we're getting more into things that require a greater level of athletecism, that Prin, little miss LBI that she is, doesn't necessarily WANT to do. I've found that there's REALLY nothing Prin won't do for a Winnies cookie, but often times, especially if she's farther out on the line, etc, the moment passes before I can reel her in to give her a cookie, and then we kind of lose all sense of goodness.
So, anyway, today, I happened upon something that actually worked really well, and I found it completely by accident. I had been playing on the 45' line a bit, which had gone okay. We were playing with relaxing and stretching down in the canter, which actually did come together, Prin was blowing and extending out a bit (as opposed to lifting her neck and getting "crunched up")and looked a bit more comfortable. But, as usual, there was a lack of try, and a big "Why am I DOING this? I'm BORED! I HATE circles!" and when she DID try, no way could I get her attention quick enough to get her to associate the reward with the behavior.
After finishing up on a fairly decent note, I left the line and halter on Prin and went and got her feed pan with her grain, and as I was climbing the fence, a thought struck me. I don't know WHY the synapses connected, but for some reason, I thought of how much Prin liked her grain, and just how tangible and OBVIOUS a feed pan was, and how if I placed it strategically enough in the center of the circle, let Prin know I had it, and then set the situation up, my horse would literally create her own motivation. The very best way I can put this is in one word: SUCCESS!
I sent Prin out on the circle, and INSTANTLY encountered a new thing: I actually had trouble getting her to TAKE the rope! usually, on the 45' she goes "Hey, rope, cool! Bye!" and goes to the end. Today, it was a consistant, comfortable 35-40 feet, with slack, belly of the rope dragging, and a WHOLE NEW HORSE out there. She was stretched and moving round, carrying her body arched with the circle, and with NO DRAG AT ALL on her halter. WOW. I couldn't BELIEVE it! She wasn't offering anything spectacularly athletic, but I wasn't expecting that, but the change in mental/physical alone was enough to boggle my mind. I did eventually GET her to canter a couple laps in each direction (using her shoulders correctly, btw) and also got a whole new level of close range circling (WOW let's talk flexibility!).
All in all, a very interesting experience. We'll have to see how this pans out, and whether or not there is a situational thing here, or I've really figured out WHY Farrah actually plays with her horses before they eat ;)
Pix to come tomorrow, lets hope!
Savvy on, and hey look, it's only 10:30! I might get some good sleep tonight!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Filming Filming, Filming, and KNEELING!
Short blog tonight, but I felt like I should probably update since I've been mystery woman all fall, and am in danger of keeping it up.
Yesterday and today (and part of tomorrow for that matter), I've spent the majority of my time filming one of my student's L1 assessment. It's gone almost flawlessly, save for a few humorous bobbles in the Squeeze game, and follow the rail, and a great "finger freezing" episode toward the end of the saddling.
I'm now in the process of rough-cutting the video together (fancy stuff comes tomorrow, after we finish the pushing passenger lesson) and I'm thoroughly enjoying something that I KNOW what should look like, as opposed to my "highlight" videos, which I really never have a plan for.
Anyway, the final part of this would have to do with Prin :) I've been playing with all sorts of fun stuff this summer/fall/ and now into winter, and one of them is the bow/lie down task. Farrah has always emphasized the importance of breaking everything down into tiny little bits and getting each component perfect, so that they all come together flawlessly into the task. I understand this, of course, but it is only human of me to go "C'mon, can't you just LIE DOWN?!" Which is EXACTLY why it's been an epic failure so far.
I noticed today, as I was playing with Prin's bow (she's getting REALLY good at that) that if she is left to her own devices with her legs, she'll actually put a knee down on her own without my asking. I played around with different degrees of weight and balance on her, and realized that she's actually far more confident if I just pick her foot up for her, then let it go. Two times trying this, and Prin swept low into a MAGNIFICENT bow, and then she turned, looked at me, and put her other knee down, and knelt, much like I've seen Farrah do with Caesar on multiple occasions. I gave her about a cookie, rubbed her a BUNCH, and then ASKED her to get up...I'm pretty sure she'dve gone all the way down for me, had I asked, but I wanted her to feel safe and confident around me so that she'd be confident in my asking her to do it again some time. So...YAY! Progress!
I'm learning every day just how important being particular about the little pieces is. I'm SO glad I spent time getting her shoulders loose, getting her to stretch her topline, getting her to Spanish walk and park out. It's starting to come together, and I'm REALLY excited for the progress.
And on that note, I'm off for bed. It's COLD tonight! I'm not ready for winter yet!!
Yesterday and today (and part of tomorrow for that matter), I've spent the majority of my time filming one of my student's L1 assessment. It's gone almost flawlessly, save for a few humorous bobbles in the Squeeze game, and follow the rail, and a great "finger freezing" episode toward the end of the saddling.
I'm now in the process of rough-cutting the video together (fancy stuff comes tomorrow, after we finish the pushing passenger lesson) and I'm thoroughly enjoying something that I KNOW what should look like, as opposed to my "highlight" videos, which I really never have a plan for.
Anyway, the final part of this would have to do with Prin :) I've been playing with all sorts of fun stuff this summer/fall/ and now into winter, and one of them is the bow/lie down task. Farrah has always emphasized the importance of breaking everything down into tiny little bits and getting each component perfect, so that they all come together flawlessly into the task. I understand this, of course, but it is only human of me to go "C'mon, can't you just LIE DOWN?!" Which is EXACTLY why it's been an epic failure so far.
I noticed today, as I was playing with Prin's bow (she's getting REALLY good at that) that if she is left to her own devices with her legs, she'll actually put a knee down on her own without my asking. I played around with different degrees of weight and balance on her, and realized that she's actually far more confident if I just pick her foot up for her, then let it go. Two times trying this, and Prin swept low into a MAGNIFICENT bow, and then she turned, looked at me, and put her other knee down, and knelt, much like I've seen Farrah do with Caesar on multiple occasions. I gave her about a cookie, rubbed her a BUNCH, and then ASKED her to get up...I'm pretty sure she'dve gone all the way down for me, had I asked, but I wanted her to feel safe and confident around me so that she'd be confident in my asking her to do it again some time. So...YAY! Progress!
I'm learning every day just how important being particular about the little pieces is. I'm SO glad I spent time getting her shoulders loose, getting her to stretch her topline, getting her to Spanish walk and park out. It's starting to come together, and I'm REALLY excited for the progress.
And on that note, I'm off for bed. It's COLD tonight! I'm not ready for winter yet!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Fitness and Flexibility
It has become painfully evident to me over the past few days that Prin is grossly out of shape, and also very inflexible. I've known of some of the inflexibility since June, but only now is the extent of the problem becoming obvious. Prin's got what I would call a fairly straight, inflexible rib cage, some (although not nearly as much)tension in her stifles, and of course, really locked down shoulders. Such is the build and intent of a western-pleasure type stock horse, but I DON'T WANT THAT, so, we're going to change that.
Yesterday and today, under the guidance of Farrah (over the phone-haha), I set up some obstacle assessments to see where exactly my horse is at, and what needs to develop, and based on that, I think I've kind of come up with a fitness and flexibility program for her that is as follows:
Finding a Rhythm
Prin has a bit of an issue finding a good rhythm online with an obstacle in her path. She has a tendency to think in straight lines instead of circles (typical LBI much?) and so as she's circling, she'll jump the jump, then continue off in a straight line, instead of flexing and bending back into the circle after jumping. She does fairly well on the 12' line, but the goal is to get her doing it out to the end of the 45 line comfortably. Planning to build the 12' line to up to, say 30-50 laps (currently comfortable at about 15-18), then get the 22' line to that level, etc, and hopefully by the time we're to the 45' line, someone will be fit enough to handle lots of cantering.
Lateral Flexibility
I'm going to find a copy of Karen Rohlf's book/video, and start using her flexibility exericises. Farrah introduced me to just a taste of that at her clinic in June, and it seemed to make sense. I'd love to see how Prin does and builds in her movement with consistant use. So...with that out there, anyone have a copy they'd like to part with?
Longitudinal flexibility
Prin and I have been playing a lot with longitudinal flexion all summer, but I never realized how vital it was to my horse's ability to collect until earlier this fall. Getting Princess to do it in the walk and trot, and even some in the canter (PLEASE email or leave a comment if you're wondering about this) and having her STAY IN IT long enough to build muscle will really help Prin's topline strengthen and grow.
Stamina
Long trots/canters to build rhythm and stamina will really help her I think. My plan is to take her for trots/canters 2-3 times a week, starting for 15 minutes and building up. I know it sounds like a lot, but to put it in perspective for you, Farrah was telling me that when she was training for her 2* in eventing, she was CANTERING AND GALLOPING (not walking and trotting) but CANTERING AND GALLOPING up to 2 hours A DAY. Yeah, that was one fit horse. I don't need Prin to be THAT athletic, necessarily, but I want her to be fit and comfortable enough to be able to do the kind of high level manuvers I want to complete.
Nutrition
This is the one area that I'm still a little iffy about. I've heard so many different opinions, and I'm not finding ANY consistancies. Prin is getting fed with 14 other horses about 8 small square bales a day. Probably gets about 1/2 a bale for herself. Right now I have her supplemented with a 5 pint scoop of soaked alfalfa cubes and a half scoop of oats and sunflower seeds for fiber and oils once daily. I feel like this might be off. She's turning her nose up to the hay cubes pretty badly, which makes me think that that might not be what she needs. Anyone have any ideas? She needs to GAIN WEIGHT as well as keep it on. I'd like to avoid anything high in sugars, and unhelpful fats, and really focus on proteins, fiber and healthy oils. Thoughts are appreciated right now, and I've got a bit of a budget to play with, but not too much.
That's what I've got in the works right now for Prin. It's really sad to look at Crest and think "That horse could do this already...argh Prin!" Oh well, such is the life of a LBE vs an LBI. Please let me know your thoughts :)
Savvy out!
F
PS, YAY OBAMA!!! Talk about a change we can believe in, check out that LANDSLIDE of a win :)
Yesterday and today, under the guidance of Farrah (over the phone-haha), I set up some obstacle assessments to see where exactly my horse is at, and what needs to develop, and based on that, I think I've kind of come up with a fitness and flexibility program for her that is as follows:
Finding a Rhythm
Prin has a bit of an issue finding a good rhythm online with an obstacle in her path. She has a tendency to think in straight lines instead of circles (typical LBI much?) and so as she's circling, she'll jump the jump, then continue off in a straight line, instead of flexing and bending back into the circle after jumping. She does fairly well on the 12' line, but the goal is to get her doing it out to the end of the 45 line comfortably. Planning to build the 12' line to up to, say 30-50 laps (currently comfortable at about 15-18), then get the 22' line to that level, etc, and hopefully by the time we're to the 45' line, someone will be fit enough to handle lots of cantering.
Lateral Flexibility
I'm going to find a copy of Karen Rohlf's book/video, and start using her flexibility exericises. Farrah introduced me to just a taste of that at her clinic in June, and it seemed to make sense. I'd love to see how Prin does and builds in her movement with consistant use. So...with that out there, anyone have a copy they'd like to part with?
Longitudinal flexibility
Prin and I have been playing a lot with longitudinal flexion all summer, but I never realized how vital it was to my horse's ability to collect until earlier this fall. Getting Princess to do it in the walk and trot, and even some in the canter (PLEASE email or leave a comment if you're wondering about this) and having her STAY IN IT long enough to build muscle will really help Prin's topline strengthen and grow.
Stamina
Long trots/canters to build rhythm and stamina will really help her I think. My plan is to take her for trots/canters 2-3 times a week, starting for 15 minutes and building up. I know it sounds like a lot, but to put it in perspective for you, Farrah was telling me that when she was training for her 2* in eventing, she was CANTERING AND GALLOPING (not walking and trotting) but CANTERING AND GALLOPING up to 2 hours A DAY. Yeah, that was one fit horse. I don't need Prin to be THAT athletic, necessarily, but I want her to be fit and comfortable enough to be able to do the kind of high level manuvers I want to complete.
Nutrition
This is the one area that I'm still a little iffy about. I've heard so many different opinions, and I'm not finding ANY consistancies. Prin is getting fed with 14 other horses about 8 small square bales a day. Probably gets about 1/2 a bale for herself. Right now I have her supplemented with a 5 pint scoop of soaked alfalfa cubes and a half scoop of oats and sunflower seeds for fiber and oils once daily. I feel like this might be off. She's turning her nose up to the hay cubes pretty badly, which makes me think that that might not be what she needs. Anyone have any ideas? She needs to GAIN WEIGHT as well as keep it on. I'd like to avoid anything high in sugars, and unhelpful fats, and really focus on proteins, fiber and healthy oils. Thoughts are appreciated right now, and I've got a bit of a budget to play with, but not too much.
That's what I've got in the works right now for Prin. It's really sad to look at Crest and think "That horse could do this already...argh Prin!" Oh well, such is the life of a LBE vs an LBI. Please let me know your thoughts :)
Savvy out!
F
PS, YAY OBAMA!!! Talk about a change we can believe in, check out that LANDSLIDE of a win :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Lessons in Teaching, and a CRAP Homecoming
"The real skill in teaching comes when you don't cause chaos... that goes for teaching horses or humans. So setting it up for success and knowing what to teach when and in what environment is the key."
~Linda Parelli, 10/25/08
It's quotes like these that make a profound difference in how I look at my actions and how I plan to better myself. Advice taken and VERY appreciated.
I recieved an email (actually two) back about the situation portrayed in my last post. While I won't go into great detail (they were long emails), lets just say that the big thing I was missing was the environment in which I needed to teach. Just because I *think* I may be setting a situation up for success doesn't mean I necessarily did. Success, at that point, would have been away from the horse, perhaps in a simualation or just sitting down and discussing. Time with the horse is reserved strictly for feel, experimentation, and play. I type that out now, and all I'd really love to say is "Of COURSE...I KNEW THAT!" And probably to some degree, I did, but you never know how much you know, or don't know, until it throws itself in your face as a dirty, ugly reminder. So. Duely noted, and I will be a better person because of it.
Anyway, with that update covered, lets talk a little bit about the beautiful letdown my home state of WI has given me since returning. First off. Snow. Let's discuss this form of precipitation. Common usually from mid-late November onward, and present in our lives until late March (or later!). Notice firstly that there was NO MENTION of snow in October in that statement. And yet, here I sit, on October 26th, 2008, watching gray, icy flakes fall out of the sky. While they aren't sticking, there will be no denying it, SNOW has officially fallen for the first time this year.
Secondly, let's discuss WIND. While I don't mind a little here and there, cutting up to 40 mph in nasty gusts is anything but what I'd call pleasant. I'm not pleased with it.
Other than that though, I'm THRILLED to be home. Got to see my fuzzies today, and they were, *shocker* FUZZY! Prin was a spanish walking MACHINE (SEE MOM?! I STILL CAN DO IT!! I PRACTICED WHILE YOU WERE AWAY!!) Crest just a love bug, and Lady was...um...clingy. She whinnied for me when I got there (AWWW!!) and then proceeded to chase me around, etc. I'll be going back out soon, after I change into my fuzz-butts (winter riding pants)...first ride in them this season! WOW!
Savvy on!
~Linda Parelli, 10/25/08
It's quotes like these that make a profound difference in how I look at my actions and how I plan to better myself. Advice taken and VERY appreciated.
I recieved an email (actually two) back about the situation portrayed in my last post. While I won't go into great detail (they were long emails), lets just say that the big thing I was missing was the environment in which I needed to teach. Just because I *think* I may be setting a situation up for success doesn't mean I necessarily did. Success, at that point, would have been away from the horse, perhaps in a simualation or just sitting down and discussing. Time with the horse is reserved strictly for feel, experimentation, and play. I type that out now, and all I'd really love to say is "Of COURSE...I KNEW THAT!" And probably to some degree, I did, but you never know how much you know, or don't know, until it throws itself in your face as a dirty, ugly reminder. So. Duely noted, and I will be a better person because of it.
Anyway, with that update covered, lets talk a little bit about the beautiful letdown my home state of WI has given me since returning. First off. Snow. Let's discuss this form of precipitation. Common usually from mid-late November onward, and present in our lives until late March (or later!). Notice firstly that there was NO MENTION of snow in October in that statement. And yet, here I sit, on October 26th, 2008, watching gray, icy flakes fall out of the sky. While they aren't sticking, there will be no denying it, SNOW has officially fallen for the first time this year.
Secondly, let's discuss WIND. While I don't mind a little here and there, cutting up to 40 mph in nasty gusts is anything but what I'd call pleasant. I'm not pleased with it.
Other than that though, I'm THRILLED to be home. Got to see my fuzzies today, and they were, *shocker* FUZZY! Prin was a spanish walking MACHINE (SEE MOM?! I STILL CAN DO IT!! I PRACTICED WHILE YOU WERE AWAY!!) Crest just a love bug, and Lady was...um...clingy. She whinnied for me when I got there (AWWW!!) and then proceeded to chase me around, etc. I'll be going back out soon, after I change into my fuzz-butts (winter riding pants)...first ride in them this season! WOW!
Savvy on!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Now You See Me...
*Poof* and now you don't. This has GOT to be how my family feels right now. Here it is, October 16th, and my family has seen me a grand total of 4 days this month! I'm gone for a week in a row, come home for several days, leave for another week, come home for a couple days, and tomorrow will be no different. I'm a-leavin' on a jet plane...destined for Jacksonville, FL, and then back up to NC.
Things I've learned in this crazy month:
*I love to travel, but I'd better be with my horses!
*The feeling of complete and total panic when your car dies and refuses to restart in a parking lot in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere is NOT one I care to relive.
*Fall is the WRONG TIME to have a working student from the south come to study with you. Who KNEW someone could be UNCOMFORTABLE the 55* temps and crisp, cool air that is WI in October. Ah well...middle of July it is.
*My horse was a biomechanical problem child...but thanks to some really insistant yo-yo game, a Figure-8 pattern, and the quote "Fran, you look like you're trying to push the Titanic around!", we've changed that, and someone has a whole new topline!
*I have my life together way more than I give myself credit for...
*I am far more LB about handling what I previously would have considered a "crisis"
Anyway, here's to gorgeous weather and lovely horses. Little Lady Bug comes home in an hour (YAY!) and I'm super pumped to get to play with her! Pics will come for sure! Savvy on, and oodles of poodles to the lot of you!
F
Things I've learned in this crazy month:
*I love to travel, but I'd better be with my horses!
*The feeling of complete and total panic when your car dies and refuses to restart in a parking lot in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere is NOT one I care to relive.
*Fall is the WRONG TIME to have a working student from the south come to study with you. Who KNEW someone could be UNCOMFORTABLE the 55* temps and crisp, cool air that is WI in October. Ah well...middle of July it is.
*My horse was a biomechanical problem child...but thanks to some really insistant yo-yo game, a Figure-8 pattern, and the quote "Fran, you look like you're trying to push the Titanic around!", we've changed that, and someone has a whole new topline!
*I have my life together way more than I give myself credit for...
*I am far more LB about handling what I previously would have considered a "crisis"
Anyway, here's to gorgeous weather and lovely horses. Little Lady Bug comes home in an hour (YAY!) and I'm super pumped to get to play with her! Pics will come for sure! Savvy on, and oodles of poodles to the lot of you!
F
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, July 17, 2008
You want to______? LET ME HELP YOU!
Oh yeah...and breath while you do it!
I had an adventuresome session with a VERY RBE Scoot this morning, and I thought my readers might like to hear about my handling my least "savvy" horsenality.
The RBE has always been kind of a rough area for me. I come from owning one EXTREMELY LB mare, and then a gelding who was RBE for about 6 months and then turned mostly LBE (He still has his RBE moments, but they're mild). Handling extreme fear in a horse is not something I'm particularly good at. I know what to do only from hearing Pat and Linda and other people's experiences, and I probably handle it fairly well in retrospect, being a L3 student, but compared to my imagination and creativity for the LB side, RB isn't fantastic.
Today, my plan with Scoot was to build his confidence a bit. I've played with him about 4 times previous to this session, teaching him the principle games and getting some purpose, and have basically found that he's that he's a very smart, sensitive horse, who is easily offended and bothered by too much of anything. My phases have to be perfect, etc. I anticipated him to be a bit like Crest to start out with, but little did I realize, he's almost IDENTICAL.
One of my greatest...erm...(I don't want to say "regrets", Linda's been training that word out of my vocabulary) Okay, one of the things I feel the worst about (and have since learned from) is the arrogance I went into starting Crest with. I was a cocky, arrogant 14 year old who thought she could handle way more than she could, and I've learned through the amount of times that horse has hurt me in one way or another, that I need to rely on the knowledge and information that others willingly have shared, and not think I know everything in the process. So anyway, to my story.
I started out today, feeling like Scoot was just being a bit TOO offended. I mean, there's a good reason when my phases aren't right, but after 4 sessions of earning his trust (Which I do have, he trots to me when he sees me coming)acting like a baby when I THINK about throwing the savvy string over his back in a friendly way, is a bit much.
Those of you who follow the program religiously know that Pat and Linda say to interrupt the pattern when a horse goes RB. Well, let me put it this way. Scoot was LEAPING around on the end of the line...not just prancing a little, he was LEAPING, and I wasn't even trying to get the savvy string on him. I wanted to see him stand still before I even tried that. Well the little Australian voice in the back of my head (yes, I do have Linda in there!) was shouting "INTERRUPT THE PATTERN!!" and I tried...as hard as I could...multiple times...and then, all of a sudden, That little voice started to talk again "Fran...if you can't shut it down, then what? Make it your idea!" and I FLEW into action...My energy came up, my intention came up, and my attitude shifted to exactly what my blog title is..."You want to go CRAZY?! LET ME HELP YOU!!!"
Now I was in an area where I have several obstacles...a log, several fence lines, a round corral, a jump, a pedestal, and water tubs and buckets. Well, we went FLYING. I sent Scoot over the jumps, into the fence, through the water trough, between things, over the pedestal, into the round pen. We circled, squeezed, sidewaysed (is that a WORD?!) crazy fast. We changed directions more times than I think Scoot could comprehend. We were basically insane. About 3/4 way through this entire episode, I started to realize how TIRED I was getting, I was really winded. And then another voice came into my head, and she'll be flattered to know it. Farrah Green started saying to me "Breath, Fran...Breath while you do it!" and I couldn't help but laugh. Go figure. I'm running around like a lunatic with my breath held. As soon as I started to breath, so did Scoot, and then all of a sudden, he just stopped and LOOKED at me. He started licking his lips like mad, and I realized something.
I handled a pretty extreme RBE fit CORRECTLY! I scored BIGTIME points with myself, and I'm REALLY proud! All that, and following the little voices of my mentors in my head, which are slowly but surely becoming my own voice.
The rest of my session was uninteresting in comparision. We did some things, yes, but that was what i wanted to share. Hope someone found that interesting, and please tell me what you thought!
I had an adventuresome session with a VERY RBE Scoot this morning, and I thought my readers might like to hear about my handling my least "savvy" horsenality.
The RBE has always been kind of a rough area for me. I come from owning one EXTREMELY LB mare, and then a gelding who was RBE for about 6 months and then turned mostly LBE (He still has his RBE moments, but they're mild). Handling extreme fear in a horse is not something I'm particularly good at. I know what to do only from hearing Pat and Linda and other people's experiences, and I probably handle it fairly well in retrospect, being a L3 student, but compared to my imagination and creativity for the LB side, RB isn't fantastic.
Today, my plan with Scoot was to build his confidence a bit. I've played with him about 4 times previous to this session, teaching him the principle games and getting some purpose, and have basically found that he's that he's a very smart, sensitive horse, who is easily offended and bothered by too much of anything. My phases have to be perfect, etc. I anticipated him to be a bit like Crest to start out with, but little did I realize, he's almost IDENTICAL.
One of my greatest...erm...(I don't want to say "regrets", Linda's been training that word out of my vocabulary) Okay, one of the things I feel the worst about (and have since learned from) is the arrogance I went into starting Crest with. I was a cocky, arrogant 14 year old who thought she could handle way more than she could, and I've learned through the amount of times that horse has hurt me in one way or another, that I need to rely on the knowledge and information that others willingly have shared, and not think I know everything in the process. So anyway, to my story.
I started out today, feeling like Scoot was just being a bit TOO offended. I mean, there's a good reason when my phases aren't right, but after 4 sessions of earning his trust (Which I do have, he trots to me when he sees me coming)acting like a baby when I THINK about throwing the savvy string over his back in a friendly way, is a bit much.
Those of you who follow the program religiously know that Pat and Linda say to interrupt the pattern when a horse goes RB. Well, let me put it this way. Scoot was LEAPING around on the end of the line...not just prancing a little, he was LEAPING, and I wasn't even trying to get the savvy string on him. I wanted to see him stand still before I even tried that. Well the little Australian voice in the back of my head (yes, I do have Linda in there!) was shouting "INTERRUPT THE PATTERN!!" and I tried...as hard as I could...multiple times...and then, all of a sudden, That little voice started to talk again "Fran...if you can't shut it down, then what? Make it your idea!" and I FLEW into action...My energy came up, my intention came up, and my attitude shifted to exactly what my blog title is..."You want to go CRAZY?! LET ME HELP YOU!!!"
Now I was in an area where I have several obstacles...a log, several fence lines, a round corral, a jump, a pedestal, and water tubs and buckets. Well, we went FLYING. I sent Scoot over the jumps, into the fence, through the water trough, between things, over the pedestal, into the round pen. We circled, squeezed, sidewaysed (is that a WORD?!) crazy fast. We changed directions more times than I think Scoot could comprehend. We were basically insane. About 3/4 way through this entire episode, I started to realize how TIRED I was getting, I was really winded. And then another voice came into my head, and she'll be flattered to know it. Farrah Green started saying to me "Breath, Fran...Breath while you do it!" and I couldn't help but laugh. Go figure. I'm running around like a lunatic with my breath held. As soon as I started to breath, so did Scoot, and then all of a sudden, he just stopped and LOOKED at me. He started licking his lips like mad, and I realized something.
I handled a pretty extreme RBE fit CORRECTLY! I scored BIGTIME points with myself, and I'm REALLY proud! All that, and following the little voices of my mentors in my head, which are slowly but surely becoming my own voice.
The rest of my session was uninteresting in comparision. We did some things, yes, but that was what i wanted to share. Hope someone found that interesting, and please tell me what you thought!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Lameness, Lessons, and Learning
HA! Do you know HOW LONG it took me to come up with that third "L" word to finish the alliterative (I think I just made that word up!) title? HUZZAH!! Anyway, back on topic, while I can still hold my eyes open.
Lameness: POOR CRICKET! She is still unbelievably sore. I have NEVER seen a limp this bad in a horse before other than a founder case in all 4 feet, but this is only one leg. We poked and prodded and wrenched her poor leg around today, TRYING to find the source of the pain, and we're having little luck. Her foot isn't hot, it's not cracked, she's not swollen anywhere, and there's no evidence of abraision. We did find a little hot pocket in what would be considered her "armpit", but it's not tender to the touch, so we have no clue what happened. I'm hoping it's not a fracture or something more serious, although I would guess that would be more than a little tender to the touch if it were the case. Anyway, she's gimping around, we let her into the north paddock to fill her belly in peace (she's low on the totem pole and they push her around on that leg) and also, we tried to get some bute into her as well, to at least make the pain more tolerable. She's pretty sore, but man did she fight the syringe going into her mouth. For having a bad leg, she did surprisingly well.
Lessons: Gave 2 lessons today, both of which were very successful. First came Phoebe. Such a talented rider in such a little package. She rode Princess in my Wintec Wide ("It's actually pretty comfortable" she says!) and had her first (That I know of) cross country gallop, completed in two point, with her whooping and hollering, and Princess looking sheepishly proud (she loves to teach kids, whether she'll admit it or not). I was impressed with the pair of them!
Next came Cynde and Shashi. They had a HUGE breakthrough, and it made me feel wonderful as a teacher. The breakthrough was fairly simple, and that was that Cynde interrupted a RBE blasting circle VERY assertively (but neutrally), then brought Shash in and stroked him with a friendly look. For Cynde, this is HUGE because she's got a fear of being firm with Shash. For me, it was a wonderful breakthrough, because I was the one shouting "INTERRUPT THE PATTERN!" and she listened and acted on it. Makes me feel effective and VERY proud of my students.
Also had some good effects with "Breathing while you act"...Something Farrah REALLY emphasized in the clinic was how important breathing was as you played with a horse, especially with a tense person/pair. From the second she mentioned it last weekend, I realized that breathing, as well as possibly singing (LOL... Farrah, if you ever read this, Cynde was ready to stab me after singing the ABC's 3 times!) while she played would greatly benefit Cynde, because of how tense and nervous she is. So whenver I saw her get tense, I'd just lightly say "Breath while you do that..." and she'd exhale and say "Thank you, HOW can you see that?!" and then she'd get WAY more confident. Interesting, eh?
As far as learning goes, I'm referring to Princess, here. We did some learning of new actions in 3 separate short sessions today. First we played with lifting and placing a single leg (Prep for Spanish Walk and bowing/lying down) and then we worked on getting more energy underneath us in the back up, and then we played with "How SMALL can we canter?" when we went on a trail ride. Prin's doing really well with the bowing, backing, and tiny cantering (Richard was teasing Amigo, saying "Why can't you just copy her?" as he jogged along beside us as we loped like seasoned pleasure riders) but we're still sort of struggling with the concept of picking up a foot and holding with the driving game, though I'm sure it'll come, since she's sort of getting it.
Her bows were probably the high point for me, she REALLY got down low today, on her knees twice (and NOT because I pushed her, either) and completely LB andconfidently. So proud!
Anyway, off to bed. Pray for Cricket please!
Lameness: POOR CRICKET! She is still unbelievably sore. I have NEVER seen a limp this bad in a horse before other than a founder case in all 4 feet, but this is only one leg. We poked and prodded and wrenched her poor leg around today, TRYING to find the source of the pain, and we're having little luck. Her foot isn't hot, it's not cracked, she's not swollen anywhere, and there's no evidence of abraision. We did find a little hot pocket in what would be considered her "armpit", but it's not tender to the touch, so we have no clue what happened. I'm hoping it's not a fracture or something more serious, although I would guess that would be more than a little tender to the touch if it were the case. Anyway, she's gimping around, we let her into the north paddock to fill her belly in peace (she's low on the totem pole and they push her around on that leg) and also, we tried to get some bute into her as well, to at least make the pain more tolerable. She's pretty sore, but man did she fight the syringe going into her mouth. For having a bad leg, she did surprisingly well.
Lessons: Gave 2 lessons today, both of which were very successful. First came Phoebe. Such a talented rider in such a little package. She rode Princess in my Wintec Wide ("It's actually pretty comfortable" she says!) and had her first (That I know of) cross country gallop, completed in two point, with her whooping and hollering, and Princess looking sheepishly proud (she loves to teach kids, whether she'll admit it or not). I was impressed with the pair of them!
Next came Cynde and Shashi. They had a HUGE breakthrough, and it made me feel wonderful as a teacher. The breakthrough was fairly simple, and that was that Cynde interrupted a RBE blasting circle VERY assertively (but neutrally), then brought Shash in and stroked him with a friendly look. For Cynde, this is HUGE because she's got a fear of being firm with Shash. For me, it was a wonderful breakthrough, because I was the one shouting "INTERRUPT THE PATTERN!" and she listened and acted on it. Makes me feel effective and VERY proud of my students.
Also had some good effects with "Breathing while you act"...Something Farrah REALLY emphasized in the clinic was how important breathing was as you played with a horse, especially with a tense person/pair. From the second she mentioned it last weekend, I realized that breathing, as well as possibly singing (LOL... Farrah, if you ever read this, Cynde was ready to stab me after singing the ABC's 3 times!) while she played would greatly benefit Cynde, because of how tense and nervous she is. So whenver I saw her get tense, I'd just lightly say "Breath while you do that..." and she'd exhale and say "Thank you, HOW can you see that?!" and then she'd get WAY more confident. Interesting, eh?
As far as learning goes, I'm referring to Princess, here. We did some learning of new actions in 3 separate short sessions today. First we played with lifting and placing a single leg (Prep for Spanish Walk and bowing/lying down) and then we worked on getting more energy underneath us in the back up, and then we played with "How SMALL can we canter?" when we went on a trail ride. Prin's doing really well with the bowing, backing, and tiny cantering (Richard was teasing Amigo, saying "Why can't you just copy her?" as he jogged along beside us as we loped like seasoned pleasure riders) but we're still sort of struggling with the concept of picking up a foot and holding with the driving game, though I'm sure it'll come, since she's sort of getting it.
Her bows were probably the high point for me, she REALLY got down low today, on her knees twice (and NOT because I pushed her, either) and completely LB andconfidently. So proud!
Anyway, off to bed. Pray for Cricket please!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Ahhhh...So cute
I had very limited time with my ponies today, unfortunately. Anyway, I got out there with the full intent to play with Cricket, only to find her limping obviously on her left front leg! EEK! Not entirely sure what happened to her, but I'm keeping an eye on it. If it's not much better by Monday, I'll call the vet, but for now, I'll keep her on bute and hope it gets better. Keep her in your thoughts please!
I couldn't decide who I wanted to play with at this point. I know that whoever I choose to spend time with, I always end up going longer than I should, so I wanted to play with someone who NEEDED the time. And thats when the answer nuzzled me on the shoulder. There stood little Knighters. So we haltered up.
Okay, let me just take the time to say that Knight is adorable. Really. He is. I managed to keep myself to a time frame, and honestly we didn't do anything too notable, but knight is just SO DANG CUTE that everything he did was wonderful. We did some circling, some yoyo, and some sideways without a fence (he's GETTING IT...such a smart little guy, it's only the second time we've tried it :)) Also did some stick to me, he got the canter today, and he does it all with this adorable "I'm cute and wonderful, and I know you just want to snuggle me" on his face. So after he did that, we quit. Pix to come soon of his cuteness.
This concludes another Knightly News update. And I'll keep posted on Cricket.
I couldn't decide who I wanted to play with at this point. I know that whoever I choose to spend time with, I always end up going longer than I should, so I wanted to play with someone who NEEDED the time. And thats when the answer nuzzled me on the shoulder. There stood little Knighters. So we haltered up.
Okay, let me just take the time to say that Knight is adorable. Really. He is. I managed to keep myself to a time frame, and honestly we didn't do anything too notable, but knight is just SO DANG CUTE that everything he did was wonderful. We did some circling, some yoyo, and some sideways without a fence (he's GETTING IT...such a smart little guy, it's only the second time we've tried it :)) Also did some stick to me, he got the canter today, and he does it all with this adorable "I'm cute and wonderful, and I know you just want to snuggle me" on his face. So after he did that, we quit. Pix to come soon of his cuteness.
This concludes another Knightly News update. And I'll keep posted on Cricket.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Home again, home again, Jiggity-jig
Ooooohhhh boy it's been a long week!
I've been in Mosinee, Wisconsin, visiting my friend Jessica, my friend Heidi, and giving lessons to another friend, Anne. It's been a wonderful week, we goofed around, played with horses and cameras, took one horrifyingly LONG road-trip to Green Bay to visit Heidi and her horse Charmer, and we all had a good time, and most of all, we all learned something.
It was a big week for Anne more than anyone I think. Anne has a bit of history with all her horses, and while I won't delve into why, she's got some very respectable (and justifiable!) confidence issues around them. Starting out on day one, I could tell even since last time I'd been out, that things had changed in her confidence level. The way she moved about and handled her horses was considerably more relaxed.
The first couple of days, we went about learning the seven games, and breaking them down into reasonable bits of information for Anne (and the horse for that matter) to digest. They did really well, and I was very impressed with their quick progress. I did spend a day and a half puzzling over Blixen's horsenality, before answering my own question by telling Anne that he needed to be calmer and more trusting. RBE with RBI...and then a little later, realized that innately he was totally different. I filled out about 7 horsenality charts for different situations...man he's an interesting horse, someone remind me and I'll post his charts in a couple days.
Day 3 was really interesting, because then the saddle came out. Blixen has always been reactive, but man, it was impressive, he bucked...and bucked, and bucked, and bucked...WOW. It was impressive. Again, remind me, I have pictures! Holy CRAP, I don't want to ride that horse in that state. We also played with Bailey that day, little miss sassypants. LBI classic, and oh so eager to charge through the gait to her yummy green grass. 2 hours of reverse psychology in the rain later, and she was doing all 7 games, going through the gate, and being ridden willingly enough. I LOVE my LBI horses-haha.
Day 4 we played with Blixen again, and he and Anne were looking really sharp. They got their sideways going pretty snazzily, and we took some videos. Fun! Also went to visit Heidi in Green Bay. The barn where she boards is possibly the most perfect place ever, and I loved Charmer, although I really have realized now just how EXTROVERTED Prin is. Charm rings true to the "real" LBI stuff, and Heidi's done a wonderful job in developing it. Got to try her out in the cradle bridle, and now that's on my "must have" list as well...man am I spoiled!
Today was el finale for lessons in Mosinee. We first played with Bailey, then Anne casually asked me to ride her. I did. I got on, played around a little with walk, trot, halt transitions, and got miss LBI going pretty well. Then, the most remarkable, impressive, amazing testimant to my teaching came out of the woodwork. Anne, who has not ridden since last July, asked if I thought she could ride Bailey. I didn't show her then (Anne, if you read this, be GLAD you didn't see it!) but I teared up. I really did. I am SOOOOOO proud of Anne for coming as far as she has this week. I know how much emotional fitness and downright courage it must have taken to ask me that. She rode around the paddock for 10 minutes, and she LOOKED FANTASTIC! Not at all tense, sitting very naturally balanced and relaxed, I was just...ahhh! So PROUD!
Anyway, time for Fran to hit the hay. I've got a long weekend coming up, starting in about 5.5 hours, so yeah. Adios. Someone remind me about pix please!
I've been in Mosinee, Wisconsin, visiting my friend Jessica, my friend Heidi, and giving lessons to another friend, Anne. It's been a wonderful week, we goofed around, played with horses and cameras, took one horrifyingly LONG road-trip to Green Bay to visit Heidi and her horse Charmer, and we all had a good time, and most of all, we all learned something.
It was a big week for Anne more than anyone I think. Anne has a bit of history with all her horses, and while I won't delve into why, she's got some very respectable (and justifiable!) confidence issues around them. Starting out on day one, I could tell even since last time I'd been out, that things had changed in her confidence level. The way she moved about and handled her horses was considerably more relaxed.
The first couple of days, we went about learning the seven games, and breaking them down into reasonable bits of information for Anne (and the horse for that matter) to digest. They did really well, and I was very impressed with their quick progress. I did spend a day and a half puzzling over Blixen's horsenality, before answering my own question by telling Anne that he needed to be calmer and more trusting. RBE with RBI...and then a little later, realized that innately he was totally different. I filled out about 7 horsenality charts for different situations...man he's an interesting horse, someone remind me and I'll post his charts in a couple days.
Day 3 was really interesting, because then the saddle came out. Blixen has always been reactive, but man, it was impressive, he bucked...and bucked, and bucked, and bucked...WOW. It was impressive. Again, remind me, I have pictures! Holy CRAP, I don't want to ride that horse in that state. We also played with Bailey that day, little miss sassypants. LBI classic, and oh so eager to charge through the gait to her yummy green grass. 2 hours of reverse psychology in the rain later, and she was doing all 7 games, going through the gate, and being ridden willingly enough. I LOVE my LBI horses-haha.
Day 4 we played with Blixen again, and he and Anne were looking really sharp. They got their sideways going pretty snazzily, and we took some videos. Fun! Also went to visit Heidi in Green Bay. The barn where she boards is possibly the most perfect place ever, and I loved Charmer, although I really have realized now just how EXTROVERTED Prin is. Charm rings true to the "real" LBI stuff, and Heidi's done a wonderful job in developing it. Got to try her out in the cradle bridle, and now that's on my "must have" list as well...man am I spoiled!
Today was el finale for lessons in Mosinee. We first played with Bailey, then Anne casually asked me to ride her. I did. I got on, played around a little with walk, trot, halt transitions, and got miss LBI going pretty well. Then, the most remarkable, impressive, amazing testimant to my teaching came out of the woodwork. Anne, who has not ridden since last July, asked if I thought she could ride Bailey. I didn't show her then (Anne, if you read this, be GLAD you didn't see it!) but I teared up. I really did. I am SOOOOOO proud of Anne for coming as far as she has this week. I know how much emotional fitness and downright courage it must have taken to ask me that. She rode around the paddock for 10 minutes, and she LOOKED FANTASTIC! Not at all tense, sitting very naturally balanced and relaxed, I was just...ahhh! So PROUD!
Anyway, time for Fran to hit the hay. I've got a long weekend coming up, starting in about 5.5 hours, so yeah. Adios. Someone remind me about pix please!
Monday, May 26, 2008
My Dream Come True
ITS ORDERED!!!!
After 10 months of lessons, hard work, hardcore saving, and dreaming of how my horse would feel when I had it, I FINALLY ordered my fluidity saddle. Here's all you need to know about it:
Color: Dark Brown
Seat Size: 17.5
Tree/Gullet: Superwide
The picture above shows pretty much what it'll look like.
This whole crazy scheme started on June 30th, 2007, and it's all Linda Parelli's fault. We went riding after Saturday's presentation at the tour stop in Madison, and I was having some canter issues with Princess, with her not being pleased about cantering even after I adjusted my seat. Linda very discretely pulled me off to the side and asked if I would like to borrow her fluidity saddle for the evening. Without any hesitation and several expletives (I was SURPRISED..so sue me!) I accepted the offer.
That 30 minutes of riding was a life changer. Princess's gaits changed/got bigger, she became willing to collect, she maintained gait for as long as I asked, she stretched, her back rounded up and her back legs came under her, and her trot got so elevated and bouncy I had to hold my visor on. I knew I HAD to get that saddle. So...the rest is history.
I cannot wait to get it. YAY!
After 10 months of lessons, hard work, hardcore saving, and dreaming of how my horse would feel when I had it, I FINALLY ordered my fluidity saddle. Here's all you need to know about it:
Color: Dark Brown
Seat Size: 17.5
Tree/Gullet: Superwide
The picture above shows pretty much what it'll look like.
This whole crazy scheme started on June 30th, 2007, and it's all Linda Parelli's fault. We went riding after Saturday's presentation at the tour stop in Madison, and I was having some canter issues with Princess, with her not being pleased about cantering even after I adjusted my seat. Linda very discretely pulled me off to the side and asked if I would like to borrow her fluidity saddle for the evening. Without any hesitation and several expletives (I was SURPRISED..so sue me!) I accepted the offer.
That 30 minutes of riding was a life changer. Princess's gaits changed/got bigger, she became willing to collect, she maintained gait for as long as I asked, she stretched, her back rounded up and her back legs came under her, and her trot got so elevated and bouncy I had to hold my visor on. I knew I HAD to get that saddle. So...the rest is history.
I cannot wait to get it. YAY!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Let It All Hang Out
Had a really carefree session with my ponies today, which is nice to have when my head is as full as it is today. Too much emotion in my life, and it's been driving me absolutely insane. It was just nice to let rip and "let it all hang out".
Firstly, I got out there and Prin marched up to me, stuck her butt in my face, picked up her back leg, and turned her head as if to say "Scratch me...now...do it..." What a brat. Anyway, I rubbed on her a little, then offered her the halter, and she went "Oh that...I think not." and walked away. Ah well. So...I plopped down on the bathtub, and what thoroughly surprised by what happened next.
We've got a new mare at the barn now (I'll post more about her as she warms up), but anyway, she's a 15 yr old APHA mare, sorrel and white, looks like a mini-Prin. Anyway, she's been quiet and seemingly RBI, very shy, and unwilling to come anywhere near humans, as she was mishandled before her current owner got her. Anyway, tonight, Cricket, who's hardly even pointed her nose toward me in the past, whinnied, and came trotting over, and settled right in, stuck her nose in my lap, and went "Hi...whats up?". We loved up for a while, I think she'll be a really lovely mare when she realizes I'm not all about catch and work.
Proceeded to rip around the pasture on Prin for about 30 min or so. Started with one rein and did some fancy stuff even with that...LOVE my light horse! Tied two reins then, and did some dressagy type finesse stuff, which she did pretty well for having to dodge the trot poles I had out from my session with Knight on Sunday. Then we did what my title suggests...we just RIPPED AROUND the pasture and let it all hang out for about 15 min. Other than being a little bit out of shape (YEESH PRIN!!) she did really well, and we enjoyed ourselves!
All in all a very nice evening, can't WAIT for summer to set in!
Firstly, I got out there and Prin marched up to me, stuck her butt in my face, picked up her back leg, and turned her head as if to say "Scratch me...now...do it..." What a brat. Anyway, I rubbed on her a little, then offered her the halter, and she went "Oh that...I think not." and walked away. Ah well. So...I plopped down on the bathtub, and what thoroughly surprised by what happened next.
We've got a new mare at the barn now (I'll post more about her as she warms up), but anyway, she's a 15 yr old APHA mare, sorrel and white, looks like a mini-Prin. Anyway, she's been quiet and seemingly RBI, very shy, and unwilling to come anywhere near humans, as she was mishandled before her current owner got her. Anyway, tonight, Cricket, who's hardly even pointed her nose toward me in the past, whinnied, and came trotting over, and settled right in, stuck her nose in my lap, and went "Hi...whats up?". We loved up for a while, I think she'll be a really lovely mare when she realizes I'm not all about catch and work.
Proceeded to rip around the pasture on Prin for about 30 min or so. Started with one rein and did some fancy stuff even with that...LOVE my light horse! Tied two reins then, and did some dressagy type finesse stuff, which she did pretty well for having to dodge the trot poles I had out from my session with Knight on Sunday. Then we did what my title suggests...we just RIPPED AROUND the pasture and let it all hang out for about 15 min. Other than being a little bit out of shape (YEESH PRIN!!) she did really well, and we enjoyed ourselves!
All in all a very nice evening, can't WAIT for summer to set in!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
About Me
My name is Fran, and I am horse crazy. This blog will address anything in that world which I deem important enough for sharing. I must clarify though. I keep a lot of things to myself, and am terrible at keeping up with a regular blog, so bear with me if this is sporatic, I'll try to keep up with as best as possible.
In coming up with a paragraph to describe myself, I run into a problem. I am much older than I look, and I am much younger than I act. I'm an extremely deep thinker and an observer of behavior. I have a deep desire to learn anything and everything I can. If I had to list my interests, there would be four. Writing, psychology, playing with, riding, and developing horses, but above all that, teaching. My passion is in helping teach people how to savvy their horses, and my goal in life it to be a Parelli Professional.
I have two lovely horses, the first being a mare by the name of Princess. Princess is a 16.2hh sorrel and white tobiano Paint mare, born in 2001. She is my pride, joy, best friend, and greatest love in my life. Period. Princess and I are in the final tasks of level 3 of the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program, and enjoy doing low level dressage, as well as jumping. I would love to do some eventing with her later on after high school.
My second horse is a gelding by the name of Crest. Crest is a 15.3hh dark, dapple bay Thoroughbred/Paint cross. He's also a 2001 baby. I got Crest in 2005 as a challenge for myself when I began level 3, and a challenge he is proving to be. Crest is a big, strong, very opininated horse with lots going on in his head. He's a bit like the "Sybil" of the horse world, he's got multiple "horsenalities" and he uses them very well on me. He challenges me every day as a budding horseman, and I thank him for it. He's turning me into more of a well rounded horse handler, whether I like it or not, and I REFUSE to give up on him. We are somewhere in level 2 at the moment, ask me on three different days and I'll give you three different answers.
I am a Parelli Natural Horsemanship student, advocate, and believer to the death. What the savvy system has done for horses and people all around the world is mind boggling to me, and I will recommend, defend, and use it for the rest of my life.
I think that pretty much sums up Fran in a nutshell. I'm really quite one track minded, and in all, the things I do in my life are all linked into my horsemanship somehow. Thanks for reading!
In coming up with a paragraph to describe myself, I run into a problem. I am much older than I look, and I am much younger than I act. I'm an extremely deep thinker and an observer of behavior. I have a deep desire to learn anything and everything I can. If I had to list my interests, there would be four. Writing, psychology, playing with, riding, and developing horses, but above all that, teaching. My passion is in helping teach people how to savvy their horses, and my goal in life it to be a Parelli Professional.
I have two lovely horses, the first being a mare by the name of Princess. Princess is a 16.2hh sorrel and white tobiano Paint mare, born in 2001. She is my pride, joy, best friend, and greatest love in my life. Period. Princess and I are in the final tasks of level 3 of the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program, and enjoy doing low level dressage, as well as jumping. I would love to do some eventing with her later on after high school.
My second horse is a gelding by the name of Crest. Crest is a 15.3hh dark, dapple bay Thoroughbred/Paint cross. He's also a 2001 baby. I got Crest in 2005 as a challenge for myself when I began level 3, and a challenge he is proving to be. Crest is a big, strong, very opininated horse with lots going on in his head. He's a bit like the "Sybil" of the horse world, he's got multiple "horsenalities" and he uses them very well on me. He challenges me every day as a budding horseman, and I thank him for it. He's turning me into more of a well rounded horse handler, whether I like it or not, and I REFUSE to give up on him. We are somewhere in level 2 at the moment, ask me on three different days and I'll give you three different answers.
I am a Parelli Natural Horsemanship student, advocate, and believer to the death. What the savvy system has done for horses and people all around the world is mind boggling to me, and I will recommend, defend, and use it for the rest of my life.
I think that pretty much sums up Fran in a nutshell. I'm really quite one track minded, and in all, the things I do in my life are all linked into my horsemanship somehow. Thanks for reading!
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