Dan - December 6, 2012

Thursday - Dan Thompson - 3hours

December 6 2012

Since September

1. Low keyed, less intense connection—this was a good thing—trust myself
2. Lessons with Kathy—giving up control and HQ/FQ isolations
3. Old age fear—Dan dealt with this—examples and lt less physical cueing a good thing
4. More intuitive and less planned and goal oriented – still a good thing
5. Parelli materials fig 8—information only—need a more narrow focus rather than try to absorb the clutter of all Parelli info
6. stopping over jump—trot and maintain gait or stop over pole—see below heavy on FH
7. Need reset as to connection--get back on track as to control/distance/right side/ and giving up HQ

Stuff to do maybe Figure 8 online and liberty: right hand loop

1. Stopping over cavaletti pole
2. Opening and closing gate while mounted
3. Quality of canter gait

Impressions and ah ha’s

1. The greatest moment was the figure 8 on line. Try was motivated, happy and playing with the pattern as an LBE which freed me up to be able to enjoy the RBE that I am.
2. This was accomplished not by mechanics of what am I doing right or wrong in my body nor motivating Try as LBI by smacking the ground in the middle LOL.
3. This happened because Dan helped me make this pattern interesting for Try.
4. It had never occurred to me to vary and be particular about shape and distance.
5. First—a good circle shape as Try had the tendency to hug the obstacle to avoid the game.
6. Then two circles with my turning my body to accomplish that.
7. Then distance small and large circles, maybe one small and the other large
8. Shape can be circles or infinity sign etc.
9. From this I realized that the Parelli dvd on the subject sent me in the wrong direction with my thoughts and plans and I need to be careful as Try is her own self and we are in L4. My avoidance of the dvds may actually be a good thing—my instincts better and Dan/Kathy one on one coaching better than one size fits all dvds or magazine articles. Balance and not overdo to keep Try happy also important.
10. Another example was my taking the exercise from magazine to develop Try stopping over pole and sidepassing towards to get off the pole.
11. I thought this would be good as we already sort of had it. BUT putting on the breaks was the problem, talking with Dan I realize this exercise requires Try to fall onto her FH—something we are trying to avoid at this stage. Thus I am putting this task as a priority 4 to reconsider at a later time.
12. Another big ah ha was the fixing/development continuum. As we have made progress with the fixing we are able to happily proceed with dressage physical/intellectual/mental skill development for both Try and I.
13. Especially as Kathy watches the fixing portion with Dan and incorporates it into our development lessons IE giving Try time to figure things out rather than make her do stuff which doesn’t facilitate learning AND helping her learn that she is safe to give up control i.e. of her HQ.
14. So my guilt over not doing fixing with Parelli ground work was off track—it was being done in lesson. I was doing a good thing by using on line and liberty as a pleasant warmup to get us loosely connected for riding.
15. Also a fix is my lack of big goal focus and energy and frustration.
16. The Gate: Try does not like confrontation and positively pushing into pressure is an issue.

WHAT WE DID

ON LINE

1. Catching game
2. Stick to me to the gate to get halter and rope
3. Played with sticking together on the rail: walk and stop on my HQ and back using stick in front and asking for nice backup ENGAGING to a stop. To prevent the stop to be falling on the FH.
4. We were then able to take this onto a circle—relatively small at first to make it more like stick to me. Try would swing her HQ away on the stop so I would drive Z1 to straighten and then back straight. (Repeating this in round pen would likely help with stopping on the circle.) On circle phase 1 is lifting the rope.
5. This exercise helped me understand why I want to stay away from the stopping over the pole that either results in falling on the FH OR relaxing to a stop!!
6. Sideways towards—Drawing HQ only from intention Prevent FQ from moving, lean back to draw. Wait it out until she figures it out. Life up.
7. Next was figure 8—an incredible high moment—see above. I feel so energized and proud that we are on track to good stuff!!!

RIDING

1. Girthiness: rub friendly
2. Tip nose and continue in opposite direction for counter bend
3. Indirect rein with good energy in HQ (stick?) then change of direction and maintain counter bend until I decide to straighten. This becomes set up to ask for canter depart using HQ. Falling leaf pattern.
4. Canter: my role in vicious circle of FH/back hurting/tension.
5. Flying lead—changing bend at shoulders plus HQ engagement
6. Can we engage HQ rather than disengage to a stop?
7. Offensive sidepass: pushing into pressure?? Lift rein and keep[p opposite leg on—sidepass in the bend not straight. Had to wait a long time for Try to give up control. The first time she was relaxed and kept suggesting other things then got frustrated and figured out what we wanted. The second time she got frustrated and emotional tho giving the task—we sidepassed a long ways until she relaxed and when we quit she fast walked away—still emotional. WAIT

END: unbridling—keep contact until Try relaxes.

1% better for 100 days = 100%

Old age—doing less is goal anyway

IMPROVEMENTS since September

1. Try offering to put one hind leg on an object
2. Picking me up at mounting block which will improve when we get drawing HQ from intention.
3. Backing (while not exactly desired—has so much better impulsion)
4. Figure 8—I saw and loved LBE fun. Joy for us both—my being able to recognize it as joy.
5. We are improving in fitness, skill, fixing control, giving up HQ, Try figuring it out, balancing fun with development sessions, relaxation within pressured learning.
6. Catching game
7. Moving from fixing to development while not neglecting fixing
8. Sideways towards from intention instead of phase 4
9. Old age: doing less is good anyway
10. More partnership

CATCHUP/CLEANUPS

Yoyo draw
Right side, zone3/4/5,

9/24/2012

Priorities: Giving up control of HQ, Distance, Right side.

What we did on line and liberty:

1.      Liberty: for right side—developing confidence and experience—stick to her game. What is Try thinking? Match her energy, foot falls, stride, body position. This is something great to do when we don’t have much time!

2.      Although the next topic was distance on the circle—we were not able to play with it until we worked through the issue of giving up control of Try’s HQ which we stayed with on the circle until Try was able to do that.

3.      On line: distance on the circle—moving farther away less of an issue. Want the drive and draw to set distance to come from intention. I have never taught Try that I want a certain distance—I have left it to her to choose the distance from me. Therefore, she cannot possibly understand how to circle me at liberty in an open space except perhaps at a close distance. To draw and shorten the distance, I can use spiraling technique and vary my body position—we played with squaring my body to directly ask for draw.

What we did riding:

1.      Passenger riding like Stick to Her on the ground: Where is Try thinking, matching her energy, body, etc. Be careful that I am not thinking something different i.e. My thinking please don’t go to the gate when Try is thinking I want to go to the gate.

2.      Releasing the HQ: On the circle again, using overhead opposite arm with stick to better match what I would like Try to do in her body.

a.      Get a good attempt at moving HQ

b.      Get a really good step with HQ

c.      Plant front foot and good step with HQ

d.      All of the above plus keep going.

3.      Move on HQ: trot 20 strides or so and disengage HQ to a stop (as opposed to 2 legs asking her to engage to stop—remember looking up.)

4.      Prep for offensive sidepass. Try and I look to the left while I ask right haunch to move to the left.

9/10/2012 phone control and purpose

Try’s Fear of Losing Control: I have known Try was strongly motivated to be in control pretty much always and remember back in days of Liberty and Behavior pack Linda talking about LB horses being afraid of losing control. So what do I do to help Try? Intense catch me game.

It is a balance. Sometimes I will need to push her until she decides the good deal is to give up control. It is ok for this to be ugly. She will put up with a lot of discomfort to stay in control so need to push hard enough that she sees the contrast and gives up the control. She needs to hunt for the good deal. Right now I know it’s good for her but SHE doesn’t. To an onlooker this can look bad but I am taking care of the relationship. IT will make Try’s life better. IT is exhausting to have to stay in control all the time. Nice sometimes to not be important and kick back and let others be in control. BALANCE. I am thinking Try needs some of this in varying intensities at least every 2.5 weeks.

Try is clever she can follow my intention (read my mind), be relaxed and still NOT be giving up control i.e. with that little testing of me in subtle ways. She may be physically doing a task and somewhat mentally engaged but emotionally not there.

Dan says this is a journey or evolution and will take time. Sessions with Dan I could see a fast progression BUT there is a great need to be careful as it could harm the relationship Try and I have.

Control is just one piece of the puzzle and has become a priority right now as its holding back out liberty progression as Try and I have difficulties with playing at farther distances from each other.

Changes could come in fairly short order BUT even so I can expect this to be a maintenance thing. This such a strong habit for her as a 21 year old horse that this will likely continue to come up.

But it can become a new pattern. As it shows up and we play, the amount of intensity can become less of a big deal for Try. Repetition creates a pattern so it becomes a process whereby Try says ok it’s that control thing I don’t need any more. This is similar to RB horse and extreme friendly—that horse when really scared the extreme friendly game will cause them to focus and relax. Try can learn that this is not a bad deal—oh I can relax and not be in control.

Facility—if I need to play the intense catch me game in the ring: Yes it can be done on line but must be done with no one else around! Circling game at a lesser intensity could be done with others around.

Catching game walking to Try in pasture—driving w/stick/string at HQ or FQ? This depends on what kind of connection we have: if we are fairly connected, driving FQ is good to gain more respect from a dominant horse. If Try is RB, driving HQ will create draw or safety. If Try is leaving me, HQ will stop that. When Try takes a step with front foot forward she is coming to me, backing that is fear/escape and sideways she is likely going to leave me. Up to me to read the moment.

Purpose:

Dictionary definition: reason—reason, point, idea, principle, rationale, function or use; intention—intention, intent, aim, object, objective goal, target, end.

I gather putting something learned to a purpose is to prevent turning off, boring or frustrating Try. If she sees a purpose she will be more motivated. BUT some purposes seem to be for the human and some for the horse. Does it need to be for both? Obviously if both buy into a purpose strongly that is the best.

According to Dan purpose has many levels and layers. It can be to break something down, fix it and recombine. Purpose: To be successful at a task. Being particular, progressing a task. Doing a job such as open and close a gate. To achieve relaxation. To achieve a quality of gait. It can be a concept or idea.

For me green ball as a warmup for Try: add a layer such as roll the ball between 2 barrels and then disconnect with backup steps to signal game over. Or move to a specific place and game over. Try needs me to be clear for both of us—when is it OVER and accomplished—grey area. This purpose then is a destination.

Spanish walk has purpose of achieving a maneuver by talking to an individual body part.

Note: Try does mind reading. Ie she can be so in tune that she picks up emotion or shape etc. and then does a task before I even think I want it.

Learning: I am setting up a Todos spreadsheet so the todo items such as concept, habits, fears, and lastly tasks can be sorted by factors such as priority, savvy, purpose, concept, etc. Dan says the difficulty is that he as teacher has a systematic organization but passing it on in a sequence for students is difficult. I want to get the information organized so it becomes mine and becomes intuitive knowledge.

Teach something new every day? No we all agree that this is impossible and destructive to relationship. I could frequently ask for some refinement. But a great point Dan makes that it is great to have days when I don’t ask Try for any task whatsoever—no learning goals. Just being together is enough.  Athlete/dancers enjoy just doing things they do well for fun and so does Try.

Focus: find my focus—ie back foo ton hat—look at hat or back foot or both? Where we are going or which body part I’d like her to move or simply intention?

When do I shut Try down?

1.     When Try has an extraverted play energy, Do not shut it down—play with it.

2.     The idea that you can create extraversion by stopping:

a.     Only if you play with it and stop before Try wants to stop.

b.     BUT Dan says we have created too much stopping and quitting

c.      Horse needs to know he has done good and now keep going rather than stopping especially for finesse or collection—carry on in motion—maintain gait is the release.

d.     Stopping creates a bad habit

 

When the horse sees we care, know and observe them, when it is more about them than us, when they know we care about what is important to them, they reciprocate that.

 

Journey of awareness.

August 24 Dan

2012 8 24 visit

It was raining so we were able to talk about some stuff I had on my list. The first being changes I have seen over the past two years and even since filming L3 freestyle 3.5? years ago. More of the changes are in what I am doing than in Try: as I am more relaxed, less driven to achieve task, not driving Try as crazy, more aware of her and not as fearful. Try also is more relaxed, and responsive and gaining energy, power, and speed. Todo: go back and watch all L3 videos.

The next topic was why am I doing this and what do I see as end goal for Try which quickly became a discussion of fact that I do not want to be an instructor or enter competitions as I have had a lifetime of teaching and performance with dance. I spoke of satisfaction of helping horses like Keystone to be happier and healthier. I enjoy seeing changes in performance horses and don’t seem to have the desire to bring up babies. This is the horse psychology and sense of rescue with horses that already know their discipline.

Obedience, being particular and motivation: Dan suggests to substitute the word obedience, that has task-driven and drilling connotations, with the word responsive.

In the back paddock:

Also as I obviously have the best sessions with Try when I am in my “magic” zone of calm, at peace, love, alls-right-with-the universe state of mind. But I can’t always be that so I questioned whether I should avoid Try when I am tired, frazzled, tense etc. Dan suggests and demonstrated to me that if I can get Try into a good mood to do something that I can do the same for myself. I went from mentally fuzzy to very sharp in a few minutes.

I asked about cutting game—that our turn is slow but then speeds on the straightaway and Dan said that is good tho I know turn can be more fluid and unconscious for us both. So we started playing and Dan suggested in the shoulder game that I need to be in zone 3 or even 4 which wasn’t going well with Try and I. Then as I tried to fix it Try kept pushing into me. We stopped to talk about the breakover distance issue. A fearful horse or one wanting to maintain control LB can push closer to the human and the human is rendered relatively ineffective. Effective is generally just beyond the length of the stick to 6-8 feet for stick plus string. I have suspected than I would be much less effective at a greater distance of 6-8 feet. What is grey distance? So Dan gave me a tactic for too close—turn toward her, my hand stroking her back and walk beyond her zone 5 and restart the game without stopping the game. So then the game became can I play games with Try from greater than 8’? Sideways and yoyo yes. Sticking together in zone 4 from more than 8’ away—no. So then game on—send Try—she circles and I stop her in the corner using zone 1 until she turned loose of her mind—she would just stand there but not turn loose of her power/HQ so as she was confident but not willing to give up control I drove only her HQ until she figured it out and yielded HQ. Then the right side!! Try was no longer confident and unwilling but afraid and unable to give up control—could not give up control. So the circling game became my sticking to her with life down (really life down), NOT driving her HQ until she figured it out and gave up her HQ. (HQ—can, willing, put it to use??). She was still upset and unconfident and we used the remaining hour to talk and give her time to relax rather than ride. Grey zone: area—will she leave or not?

One HQ leg on the Frisbie?

L4 liberty idea: I said this might be our strongest savvy—if so, Dan says because of my reduced fears of her bigger energy thought to be more LBE than LBI freestyle savvy. But after the game above I still have a long way to go with L4 liberty with breakover distance factors. I did think that I can avoid the drilling of L3 liberty by taking just one task and be particular, make some improvement and leave it. Another day a second task the same. Perhaps third day do them together being particular. Then a third and 4 th task and recombine all in different ways, places, vary etc each time as an experiment not for doing the task well but for my being aware of Try’s confidence, responsiveness, relaxation, etc.

Canter: Doing this some for aerobic fitness (hard and fast not lope). Some days we canter in collected manner. Sometimes just freely in the pasture to blow out the cobwebs so to speak. Dan says thinking of Try’s fitness and development, we are now above zero on the scale and in the positive rather than negative chart.

 

July 18 - Dan - liberty in the field

2012 7 16 Dan T

3 hours: 1.5 in the field at liberty

Themes:

1.      Getting back on track with connecting with Try

a.      Precision’s purpose is making Try happy rather than to accomplish a L4 task--that works for me. There is no connection without precision. Try uses lack of precision to get me off track and to take control and drop the connection. She is happier and more relaxed being connected to me as a leader. That is natural for horse and for her as an LBI. For Try precision is more important than speed and she responds so well to precise, clear cueing. For me I love speed and freedom so much more than precision. Precision made Try check into the game rather than tune out as bored.

b.      If I go introverted, I lose the connection.

c.      Sometimes she needs me to go slow and piece by piece. Sometimes she needs the variety of my varying my energy level. That is mentally fascinating to her.

d.      Try hanging out with me, Dan, Paula and Kathy as a part of the herd.

e.      A frequent mistake Parelli students make is creating the habit or pattern of shutting the horse down.

2.      Power, intensity, galloping full out etc. Can be from anger, fear, need to cut loose. But can it be used for purpose?

a.      Using patterns to create a pattern that is not innate to horse: how to trigger exuberance? Today we used the cutting game pattern.

b.      Change horse 20%.

c.      Try is absolutely NOT opposed to playing hard—but on her terms and for a short time!!!!

d.      Revving her up to give her (and me) a mental/physical/emotional break is a GREAT thing to do.

e.      Try offered rounding up—what exercise will accomplish this on the ground?

f.       Note: at end when we revved up Try did it with the go/stop/back/turn pattern and Dan really got exuberance in the backing and swatted Try’s butt in the turn and she really cantered! She was happy and exuberant, not afraid or angry.

g.      Are dressage lessons with Kathy bringing more power out of Try?

3.      Miscellaneous

a.      I asked about Australians at RTTH: fine line between fear and respect. Respect is empowering.

b.      Unconscious competence: using purpose effectively unconsciously is a great thing.

c.      What purposes of mine are meaningful to Try? Not passing L4: task.

d.      Can create sweet spots i.e. pedestal, trailer. (For Try who has always been great about trailering—its not a scary dark cave, its food, other horses, rest and going somewhere.)

e.      Can make arena a sweet spot. Ride hard in field then go to arena to rest. Then to arena and one circle rest. Then 3 circles and pretty soon LBI will offer the 3 circles.

f.       Tempo vs. speed: if lengthen stride—Try will need to go faster to maintain tempo.

g.      HQ/FQ offensive and defensive turns on the haunches by stepping forward or back

h.      On the ground at liberty: walk, back, mirror each other turn (invite to draw)

What we did

1.      Pinch to get her attention, crouch behind carrot stick—have to play hard enough—pulling her tail did not do it. Had to piss her off to get her to engage, then after getting the positive response it took less to engage.

2.      Walk forward, back and mirror turn (step back and draw) mirror vs sync TO PROGRESS this it can become the cutting game and I can get my speed and power. Good for Try physically as well.

3.      Jump—Try and I ran off together stick to me style and I went to the jump. It had two cavaletti poles and walking over it—Try lost confidence over her back legs. We did it at a trot but then Dan had us go back with one pole and Try accomplished getting her back legs over at a walk and then nickered like crazy—“look what I did and time for a treat!” Huge moment.

4.      Riding

a.      Backing use porcupine wheelbarrow as more refined than driving with legs

b.      Walking off from a standstill: using porcupine squeeze from two legs doesn’t work as it prevents free rib cage needed for movement. (I’ve never done this anyway.)

c.      Turns

                                                    i.     Started with the walk/back/turn pattern but of course turn is sync not mirror LOL

                                                   ii.     Defensive—start with indirect rein—stepping back

                                                  iii.     Offensive want to be moving forward and asking for turn to stay straight like reining spins FORWARD step with hind end and pivot on hind leg

                                                  iv.     I need more help and review with the defensive and offensive cueing.

d.      Dismount on the opposite side.

e.      Zone whatever driving with one rein to go back to the barn—unconscious.

5.      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQgTiqhPbw 

6.       

Dan May 17

2012 5 17 Dan

Try – 3 hours

·       Started with the catching game in the field

o   Phase 1 is the INVITATION, stop when she looks up, walk slowly and use stick and string as appropriate.

·       All about where do we go from here with HQ/FQ

o   Lead to powering up for upward transitions, lead changes, canter departures

o   Extreme friendly to warmup, get energy up

o   Varying Sbend, falling leaf, driving FQ/HQ ?? when which—speeds up its HQ, goal is bend in the body—where is Try thinking? With me.

o   Another variation is to ask for bend circling around me in zone 1.

o   What is the purpose? To be able to talk to any body part.

·       Riding a continuation of the same

o   Mount from the wrong side the next 50 times as Try was only willing to pick me up with me on her left side.

o   Drifting out maintaining the bend

o   Bend and counter bend into figure 8 on smallish circle—yikes that counter bend was difficult. ??use inside of round pen??

o   Patterns: used weave—can be any

§  Normal

§  HQ, wheelbarrow turn (tea for two warmup)

§  Swing shoulder to turn

§  When to ask is important.

·       Later: zone 5 driving with Dan’s reins—yacht braid.

o   Porcupine to start

o   One rein if starts to back

o   Go some where she wants to go in the beginning—passenger

o   Fluid rein to turn

o   Build I become the leader, do Parelli patterns etc

o   Putting it to purpose

Keystone – ½ hour talk, 1 hour on line, exploration

·       At lunch discussed ideas to build connection safely.

·       Still looking for mind games

·       Misc ideas:     

o   Cavaletti poles

o   Hill

o   Weave not requiring hq step

o   Carrot stick riding

o   Point to point

o   Match my energy

o   Slow medium and fast walk/trot/canter

o   Ride in the field with casual rein if not doing finesse

o   Ride Parelli patterns (big circles if any)

·       Extreme friendly – 3 lbs so only 1 pound of pressure PRIORITY

·       Did zone 5 driving—passenger, go places he wants to go

·       Catch me game in his field same as Try.

Dan T April 11 Try and Keystone

Yesterday I was surprised and touched that Dan arrived 30 minutes early so I could have extra time for Keystone. Dan asked what was my purpose in L1 with Keystone and I said mental stimulation.

Keystone: I explained that while we had made our way thru the level 1 tasks that Key wasn't getting it the way Try does and I knew he needed intensity to learn about finding the good deal BUT with the stiffle injury and just getting back in shape I was not comfortable with how physically reactive he gets. Innately LBI, RBI with the new Parelli on line stuff and quickly RBE. Dan was fantastic at showing me how to use mental intensity rather than physical to accomplish this.

1. My energy level is not the same or tied to phases. Sooo I can have a low energy that Keystone needs and still use all 4 phases. I want to remember soft eyes and not cue phase 1 with predatory eyes. Previously I was skipping the phase 1 I would use with Try, basically nagging at phase 2 and afraid to go to phase 3/4.

2. Also I learned that I need to relearn components of level 1 on line--that I am skipping over steps. i.e. yoyo is same for Key as Try (soft eyes) and circling--go back to (soft energy) slow lead it, lift it, swing it and even 3 phases to touch it--all the while keeping the low energy. Phase 4 doesn't mean get predatory!! (In the afternoon, Dan kept saying Am I working hard, am I rushing?)

3. The game is about me not the rope or stick and string: game--swing stick under rope facing zone 1 so it means nothing--I must be completely friendly--then ask for the back up so he learns the difference. Also asking Key to walk as asked rather than trot to escape in the circle game its not about the rope.

4. Mental intensity: Dan cues more with his rib cage than his facial expression/eyes.

TRY: I asked that we concentrate on HQ yields so I could understand it well enough for Try and I to make it happen without Dan's presence.

Interesting: I compared the difficulty in finding an extreme friendly with Try and when I was able to get a reaction Dan said it wasn't extreme friendly--as I got energy up and predatory and it was no longer a friendly game!!

1. On Line: This time we approached it from the S bend approach where I back and draw.
a. Will Try draw on 22' line at the new phase 1 of intention alone?
b. Back and then draw a circle only using modern dance slice and reed flutes finger to shoulder
c. then back both circles
d. then cue shoulder to yield
e. then cue HQ until get good step across

2. Riding HQ yield--get good circle, then good figure eight--again same use of my body--check for the tighter circle. Then cue for HQ yield until get that good swinging motion of big step across.
GOAL: can maintain circle or diagonal sideways with that big HQ step.

Dan T April 9 2012

2012 4 10 April 10 Dan T

Two top priorities

1. Where is my horse thinking?

2. Can I control through the hind quarters?

Relationship requires commitment from both human and horse.

Liberty: the human is most scared that the horse will leave. But it is better to help the horse to truly commit by helping him to leave so he can understand the good deal.

Keystone: Walt and Dan simulation re lateral flexion or horse heavy/leaning on the reins. Important to use phases. Phase 1 is feeling the horse heavy on the rope, phase 2 is wiggle rope with slack, phase 3 wiggle without slack, phase 4 is whatever it takes to cause the horse to care.

HQ: 3 stages

1. Can the horse move the HQ?
2. Will the horse move the HQ?
3. Can the human engage the horse’s HQ in a positive, useful manner.

Note: this is stepping across. Simulation—if human takes tiny step across, it is difficult to move. Big ol lunge across with good knee bend on both—human is poised ready for movement.

Chris: Dan asked why she starts with friendly instead of extreme friendly when with her LBI she has dominance/respect issues. Her horse doesn’t need friendly.

Sherri asked if it is ok to tip the horse’s nose (on line to get the bend on the circle)? Dan says the horse will give you the answer. Try it out—if she can’t get the bend w/o tipping his nose, then that’s the answer.

Use bend in my body to ask for the bend.

When the horse goes forward, is it with me or did she leave me. Can develop into a habit—do not release on it—active stay in control of the game—especially with a confident horse. Or passive method is to play on the horse’s terms—leave, and leave and leave until the horse asks the question may be better for an unconfident horse.

What is the finished product of bend on circle supposed to look like: big stepping across and maintaining forward motion??

Can vary the distance in the circle. Also human can walk forward on a circle or back on a circle—forward is driving like falling leaf, back is draw like S bends. Drive confident horse/draw unconfident or whatever works.

UGLY: I need to learn to love ugly. Important—it’s there—bring it out to help the horse over it.

Zone 5 driving: misnomer as beginning from porcupine game rather than driving game may be preferable at times, especially with an unconfident horse—porcupine is hand holding and reassuring providing solid leadership that horse desires. Disrespectful horse: use driving—“you just missed the good deal buddy.”

Riding:

1. Leading rein start is also hand holding. Porcupine as teaching game and Driving as power of suggestion game.

2. Lateral flexion: See notes on simulation with Dan/Walt.

3. Simple start: life up, focus, squeeze w/all 4 cheeks then use savvy string to get a snappy start—ask Dan about when/how to use snappy start.

4. Snappy stop?

5. Ride the figure 8 and win the turn.