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.
