Notes: Private Hour with Annie Shank 11/14/2009 Online
1. The first thing Annie taught all of us was staying neutral. She demonstrated with her husband Michael being the horse, how if we don’t have the belly of the rope on the ground our horse feels our every movement and becomes desensitized to the rope (and probably annoyed). I played with this during the day and Try really responded!
2. Overall I need to be holding the popper of the 22’ line.
3. I shared with Annie before we started (and in advance email) comments from auditions: online that I will need more exuberance from Try for Level 4 and that I was subtly micromanaging in the circling game. Freestyle: that I need to be more particular and Try needs to be more of a partner. That I was stuck on liberty with the figure 8 and had been working on respect/drive/draw to help. Annie addressed all of these and gave me some additional things to play with moving on from where I am online.
4. The first thing we did was the cutting game to get Try’s attention and exuberance—not a Level 1 etc task as it could be dangerous but I am fully confident with this knowing Try. It starts with a little tap on the shoulder to get her to move the shoulder. Progressed to beginning with suggestion with the rope phase 1 and follow up with tap on shoulder if needed. Try and I have done a little of this before but not with such clear how tos. I love this game and as Try being LBI and moi more LBE, I think it will be really fun for us.
5. If my memory serves me the next thing we did was the circling game. 4 laps each way and send at a trot—we did not worry about her ears on the allow and interestingly her ears were really nice when she was behind me. We did play with my dancing and jumping up and down to see the effect on her attitude. I was not micromanaging. I like the way Annie steps out on the send. Note: I did not need to correct Try for offering a canter then deciding to trot (I over asked) nor to correct her for a slow canter where she is trotting behind. Bring back: disengage in the speed up not slow down direction i.e. with her movement not against for a speedier bring back. Do not allow her to come in with ears pinned and back her up until the ears relax even if extensive i.e. back the whole weave.
6. We did a little smell the tail and I needed to be softer in asking but Try did it well and has really good lateral flexion.
7. Figure 8: lead it, carrot stick under, point at the hip then back up with a super friendly look. I LOVE this. I was impressed with Annie's use of facial expression.
8. Next Annie challenged me to do the weave 22’ away holding the popper at a trot. We found I needed to establish this at a walk first and then we were able to do this at a trot. Now I am wondering why this worked so well? Because Annie set it up from the warmup? It wasn’t because she was up being away from home as she was relaxed and happy as a clam the entire time at Mary’s except when she was the only horse in the barn.
9. Another fun thing is using stick to me to help Try get her weight back on her haunches: back Try up to get her on her haunches (and with her conformation she is naturally very much on her FQ—i.e. when she canters in the pasture on her own she really pounds on her front end), then lead off at a trot and IF she doesn’t respond correct with carrot stick/string back to haunches or whatever I can reach.
10. Pedestal: Annie said it is possible for Try to do 4 feet on the pedestal and we played with using savvy string around one hind leg until we reached success with her touching the pedestal with that leg.
11. Driving from zones 3,4,5 with ONE rein/line. This was frustrating to me—Try and I had not done this much in ??3 years, especially with one rope. (and a big thank you to Annie for getting us to do this) I was having problems communicating and being able to get back to zone 5.
1. Carrot stick on TOP of the rump to start the movement,
2. Little circles with stick to turn front end and little up down movement to slow or back.
3. If Try goes sideways then go sideways with her with my ribs really in. Using one rope rather than two is better for my learning to communicate.
Playing at the stations with the cards Annie and Michael provided—lots of good ideas. Try and I played with sideways 22 feet with my feet planted from the popper that was a challenge—tried it point to point between barrels to begin with and when that wasn’t so great went to the cavaletti pole which Try understands as sidepass and we saw some really good improvement and went back to barrels and improved there as well. It gave me food for thought about being too close to Try as a habit. We also played with the weave in various ways at the station.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Nov #1 coaching Kelly
Kelly's comments on video:
Disengaging hindquarter- move your feet less
Forequarter yield looks nice, opposition reflex, gone!
I want you to really focus on keeping the belly of the rope on the ground, particularly when you yo-yo her back! She is still giving you some resistance to game #2 on the poll!
Run backwards- even turn your back to her to increase your draw.
Play with speeds of the backup- slow then fast. Remember, your backup is your respect gauge
Try this: do your forequarter and hindquarter yields with the front end or hind end in a hula hoop- this will tell you if they are moving too much!
Circle game- shorten the rope a bit at first so that you can touch her shoulder if necessary. You want her shoulder to move out and away from you and not to cut into your space- it is looking better, though.
Remember- wait for the lick and chew between each task.
Work on porcupine from the poll- get this really soft, with no opposition.
Second circle send looked good- very snappy. She also maintained gait- yippee!
Like the traveling circles- now she just needs to maintain gait and do them, add some obstacles- make it interesting!
Her contact/shape on the circle does look better- if she gives you the evil look, tell her to wipe that look off of her face- she is not allowed to come at you like that- she was a bit on the s bends towards you.
Liberty: Careful not to beg her!
My question
Great will work on those things and plan to film again next week.
One question: porcupine at the poll?? Didn’t realize I was working on that?? You mean I should be using game #2 to ask her to put her head down???
thanks
Kelly's reply
use your fingertips at first and can support by putting some feel on the snap to cause her her to move off pressure from the halter at the poll- in your videos, she gives you some resistance there- it is also a draw issue; however, working on that will help her alot when you put some feel on the rope and ask her to come to you :)
Disengaging hindquarter- move your feet less
Forequarter yield looks nice, opposition reflex, gone!
I want you to really focus on keeping the belly of the rope on the ground, particularly when you yo-yo her back! She is still giving you some resistance to game #2 on the poll!
Run backwards- even turn your back to her to increase your draw.
Play with speeds of the backup- slow then fast. Remember, your backup is your respect gauge
Try this: do your forequarter and hindquarter yields with the front end or hind end in a hula hoop- this will tell you if they are moving too much!
Circle game- shorten the rope a bit at first so that you can touch her shoulder if necessary. You want her shoulder to move out and away from you and not to cut into your space- it is looking better, though.
Remember- wait for the lick and chew between each task.
Work on porcupine from the poll- get this really soft, with no opposition.
Second circle send looked good- very snappy. She also maintained gait- yippee!
Like the traveling circles- now she just needs to maintain gait and do them, add some obstacles- make it interesting!
Her contact/shape on the circle does look better- if she gives you the evil look, tell her to wipe that look off of her face- she is not allowed to come at you like that- she was a bit on the s bends towards you.
Liberty: Careful not to beg her!
My question
Great will work on those things and plan to film again next week.
One question: porcupine at the poll?? Didn’t realize I was working on that?? You mean I should be using game #2 to ask her to put her head down???
thanks
Kelly's reply
use your fingertips at first and can support by putting some feel on the snap to cause her her to move off pressure from the halter at the poll- in your videos, she gives you some resistance there- it is also a draw issue; however, working on that will help her alot when you put some feel on the rope and ask her to come to you :)
Notes from private session with Kelly
Private session:
1. some great ideas for a warmup i.e. starting easy is fine, no need to copy anyone else and that touch it makes a great warmup--Try gets to move her feet as much as she wants and feel really successful.
2. Circling game: Try has been hugging my side to avoid this game. Kelly had me go back online where I found that I have not been getting the bend thru the ribs I need for Try to be on the circle and therefor in mental contact with me.
3. Respect: I have been gradually losing respect as I've tried to keep Try happy so she will do liberty tasks and have been having trouble with any of the tasks that require much movement (LBI)--she takes off and has a temper tantrum when I ask for more than she want to give. SOOOOO time for me to take back the leadership--and if she wants to leave then she can do so on the circle until she asks to come in (and that this is ok to do especially if this is a left brain thing). Susan or Sara are loading me their copy of the Catch Me game to help.
4. Also Yoyo, drive and draw need to be reestabllished
5. Figure 8: isolate and separate--just do one circle at a time.
1. some great ideas for a warmup i.e. starting easy is fine, no need to copy anyone else and that touch it makes a great warmup--Try gets to move her feet as much as she wants and feel really successful.
2. Circling game: Try has been hugging my side to avoid this game. Kelly had me go back online where I found that I have not been getting the bend thru the ribs I need for Try to be on the circle and therefor in mental contact with me.
3. Respect: I have been gradually losing respect as I've tried to keep Try happy so she will do liberty tasks and have been having trouble with any of the tasks that require much movement (LBI)--she takes off and has a temper tantrum when I ask for more than she want to give. SOOOOO time for me to take back the leadership--and if she wants to leave then she can do so on the circle until she asks to come in (and that this is ok to do especially if this is a left brain thing). Susan or Sara are loading me their copy of the Catch Me game to help.
4. Also Yoyo, drive and draw need to be reestabllished
5. Figure 8: isolate and separate--just do one circle at a time.
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