February - Tango and Try

2013 February 18 Dan Thompson – Try

What we did on line:

Sideways on the circle: we kinda mushed around with this—no problem with 360 just not straight so Dan stepped in. What I saw: LIFE UP at phase 1, holding Try really close (I never, ever do that), phases—same as Sunday. Phase 1 lift stick, 2 small circle, 3 broad strokes toward flank, 4 tap flank and phase 4 is whatever it takes for Try to care. We then got 4-5 really nice straight steps. I had been creating a not good pattern by accepting the lack of straightness. It made a big difference that, although Try wasn’t making a big escape with the shoulder (versus HQ lagging) when Dan backed her just a bit when he felt a bit of escape happening. IMPORTANT

S bends—WOW I learned that I had been adding in a cross step that blocked the flow of the movement: I can work on this with and without Try and also film myself to change this pattern in myself. Note: S bend at a canter will result in flying change/ canter in falling leaf will be simple lead change

Falling leaf: More WOW. I was cueing the change of direction from zone 1 (which later could be good/more advanced/can lead to roll backs). Dan taught Try very simply breaking down the steps of moving toward her HQ to get her to face up enough to redirect—move into her shoulder. I want to film this also to check that I am always stepping forward.

What we did riding:

I asked about cueing from intention while riding. Dan said in effect that cueing from intention is body language so my weight aids are phase 1. So plan is to take session where I do very simple things and ask for clear phase 1 then go up in my phases appropriately to start teaching the refinement. We played with this is S bend and falling leaf—can Try turn from my upper body? Yes BUT it took big movement in my torso—start with baby steps and not worry about rider biomechanics that she should turn from eyes/focus or shoulder until we are ready for that further refinement. Eyes, belly button etc. Do in my body what I want her to do in hers—means also be clear about what I am doing in my body so as to not miscue and confuse.

Then offensive sidepass. Lift inside rein and shape with outside leg and stick. We did this from a diagonal and also from sideways and then Dan helped us until Try got it—we got a couple good steps and sideways most successful way to start. This is engaging the HQ not escaping like in regular sidepass.

Sunday Level 2 Workshop

Feb 17 2012 Dan Thompson L2 clinic with Kathy Cheever, Lisa Graf and Paula Salter:

The workshop had already started when I arrived. I took a few notes—primarily for myself to apply to Try and I. It was a great session and I wish Try and I could have participated.

YOYO:

find my focus. This is an active game but not chasing body parts. For me find the focus I forget to look beyond Try into a point in the distance—she is good about fixing it for me tho.

Backing in the yoyo—I settle for less than a snappy backup—I generally do this during quiet warmup time and I need a snappy warmup if I want a snappy backup.

Sideways on a circle:

Check are her front feet escaping, if so backup. Try should learn her front feet won’t move as much as her back feet. When the front escapes, the horse is not playing with you and not turning loose of her HQ.

Phases: 1. Lift stick, 2. Small circling, 3. Sideways motion toward flank 4. One side slap i.e. phase 4 is whatever it takes to cause her to care.

Impulsion game: the horse’s brain is running away and physical self is trying to catch up. Need to go long enough that horse will ask to do less.

Note: holding the snap

To advance the game: start with one good step, then several, then farther away on the circle and then trot

Match my shoulders here is just a little to cue direction but not so much as to disconnect with the horse.

Sideways game without the fence: i.e. follow my focus

Strong focus on where we are going and don’t chase body parts

Escape forward backup, backward—lead forward

Impulsion game—play until horse quits running away—escaping not just when she does the sideways task sorta ok

Not critical being particular about precision

Do both sides Ha HA

3 words for level 1: Just keep playing—sooner or later one or the other of you will figure it out—versus giving up too soon and horse learns the pattern of not doing it.

In beginning, human may have to work a little hard, can refine later.

Always ok to chunk down into simpler pieces where horse and human can be successful.

Horse who wants to face up? Here is good use of backup—how good is your backup

S bends i.e. draw

This is still about hunt for my focus, matching and mirroring like riding—do in your body what you want them to do it yours.

Change sides when you get two eyes—one a circle not figure 8—push shoulder and watch for impulsiveness

We are playing with communicating with our body language and developing physical flexibility in the horse.

We are starting with the HQ and not the head. Begin at that end to turn loose, then ribs, then neck progressing from back to front.

Pressure on the HQ can mean many things: go faster, powerup, power down, shape

Check human’s feet go backwards in S bend—its draw.

Advance: take it to a trot.

Falling leaf at a canter becomes a simple lead change—S bend a flying change

Zone 5 on the rail

Monday, February 18, 2013

Tango!!

Tango – February 17, 2013 – Session 1 with Dan Thompson at Wind Drift

From Jenna: Tango was found—no owner claimed him with cuts and scars and terrified of anything around his rear end—lots of scars there perhaps he got caught in barb wire. Generally he likes humans but is currently not adoptable because until his HQ fears subside he is not rideable. Also he has to be sedated to have his feet trimmed. Tango is beloved by Jenna, her volunteers and especially Helene, who is fostering him and will be paying his feed/farrier expenses at Equidae farm near where she lives (Brices Creek area of New Bern). Helene has been playing with Tango using some natural horsemanship knowledge she obtained from a friend in Florida before moving last summer to NC.

What I thought going into this: I had watched video of Tango and the green ball. I saw a horse who while not fully relaxed was also not really fearful. He was also not all that interested in the green ball, much like my horse Try. LOL I thought from what I heard that he could become fearful around his HQ but he did seem like a basically left brain horse.

My thoughts going into the session: The fact that Tango had changed homes last weekend and was being trailered to another facility, working indoors and separate from other horses I expected some nervousness but hoped it would be more like the level I saw on the video. Helene walked Tango outside and then inside at Wind Drift before the session started.

My plan: I hoped to gain connection with Tango through the catching game. Then lots of friendly for relaxation and testing how he felt about his HQ. Then porcupine/driving for HQ. Also a goal for me was playing with a different horse to build my self-confidence.

Well at first I was totally clueless as to how to start with Tango. His level of lack of confidence/fear was scary to me and I basically wimped out with being too gentle etc which did not help. (Horses view that as predatory—feel my lack of confidence and trust in them.) At that point Tango was 80% focused away from me and perhaps 20% with me, if that. Dan took over and did some of the back to the wall extreme friendly and Tango was totally able to handle that. I watched and realized that I could surely do that as well.
In fact, given the level of apprehension over his HQ and innate LBness, what really worked for the session was for me to do things really big. High phases and Tango did care really quickly. This was a bit of a shock after phases with Try getting lighter and lighter—working from body language, intention, mind reading etc. The higher phases (match/mirror plus 4 ounces) made Tango less nervous.

After the back to the wall extreme friendly I was able to use looking at his HQ to get change of directions and he began following me, stop, backup as Dan had done. Thus the beginning of Tango having caught me and some connection.

I can’t really remember all we did but everything was leading up to the following:

Tango being able to stand still and tolerate though not truly relaxed.
Tango being able to trust having Dan lift his hind leg as if for the farrier.
Steps leading to saddling and mounting.

Some tasks used for this included the following:

• Lots of extreme friendly including Jack Daniels, skip etc
• Testing: yoyo—is draw or drive easier, left side/right side, move FQ/HQ
• Impulsion games: goal to tolerate, stand still
• Falling leaf--drive
• Swinging the rope over his back
• Rope over his hind quarters (loop in middle over back) and when he circles I move on the circle with him. Note: he was too concerned about the rope to care if I looked at his HQ.
• Zone 5 walk with him on the rail—me closest to rail to begin with.
• Dan stroking his legs and lifting hind leg—rubbing start with left hand on rope and test then switch
• Teaming up: I stroked FQ with 2 hands and Dan played with HQ.
• Remember to sing, whistle—I got predatory/focused on swinging the 22’ rope (stretch in out behind me to throw it—practice at home on fence)
• Mounting and saddling: 6 swings of rope before 3 swings of saddle pad before saddle – each step must be relaxed before going to the next step. (And we never saw relaxation today.) Then arm over his back with some weight, jump up putting weight on him, rub him with my leg etc.

Stay with it til it gets done. 

Some photos posted at the USERL NCCC site by coordinator Jenna Suares--more on 2013 blog:

January - Magic

Session with Dan was at Wendy Batten's farm with her horse Magic that she took to the Berin MacFarlane clinic at Mary Manning's a couple years ago. It is hard to describe how exciting it was to begin at the beginning with a different horse and one with a cool brain and lots of power and go and Dan to coach. We did catching game, friendly (including some extreme friendly), porcupine i.e. intention as phase one to move HQ/FQ, yoyo--choosing which is best to ask draw or backup, circling game--shaping on the circle doesn't mean go faster, etc. Sooooooo different than the way I learned Level 1 back in ??2004?? THANK you Wendy, Magic and Dan!!!!!! I am so happy with this change in direction. Guess I should thank Try also for making it possible LOL.

First as I walk toward the round pen where Magic is--I want to acknowledge Magic if he looks up and sees me--not ignore him. 

Beginning: NOT going right in to being close to him and playing friendly game/rubbing him and loving his cuteness. NOPE he isn't going to learn if he is not connected with me mentally (and vice versa). So we played the catching ME game. No eyes, one eye, two eyes. From unconnected, not caring, disinterested, not respectful (but not fearful) he grew to connect and even follow me around. I learned not to beg--offer the invitation but don't beg. In following me--change direction and if he doesn't follow--game on. Not for me to be afraid he will leave and beg or do the work for him.

Once he was connected then we could play friendly. He was a little hesitant about stick/string and it took a little catch me game again until he figured out that its not about the stick/string but about me. We were even able to do some soft slapping the ground walking around him and helicopter while he grazed. I made the mistake of leaving my hand on him a lot which just shows that I don't trust him not to leave me (game back on if so). Also remember if he leaves he must leave with commitment.

Then the logical step would have been porcupine followed by driving and we talked about what these two games are to the horse and to me as L4 student. Both games start with intention which is porcupine because it is steady pressure and ultimately driving game begins with porcupine of intention supported by driving game (or as Try and I are doing--intention followed by little circle of stick to say--nope you haven't figured out the puzzle yet).

Anyway at first Magic was clueless about moving just his HQ and we needed to go on line at that point. He would not move it from intention/just looking at his HQ which amazed me as all the horses I know do that--that they learned that from their mothers. But Magic is confident and my looking at his derriere didn't mean anything to him or he just wasn't clued in. Dan said yes he knew to move his HQ. So I went to physical pressure on him butt and was fumbling--Dan said I was losing the game by giving up trying different things instead of winning one approach. At one point I asked to rub Magic and he sighed--Dan said trust my gut. Eventually Magic not only got it but got it from very light cueing and later in the session from a look at little slap of stick/string to ask him to line up on my focus. Did both sides. Got at least one great HQ step from sneaky Jim Carrey steps and looking at his HQ.

FQ--mistaken position at first for me fixed it and quickly got FQ on both sides. Could creatively expand on these games with ??falling leaf??

Sooo that means yo/yo next. I asked which first and Dan said yes that is the question. I felt Magic was a bit unconfident at that moment and opted for draw first. It took my leaning back, asking, slight pressure on the rope, little movement of stick/string, and a step back til he got it. Then he really wanted to come to me.

The backup--confusing at first as it came right after learning draw. It took intention/look then my walking forward and stick to have him back. Soon from intention/look. When he was unconfident continuing to shake the rope a little was good--not Arnold or Jim but Richard Simmons--repetition little soft nagging when unconfident. Then as he shifted his HQ each time yo/yo toward his left. I backed him in a spiral back and to his right to correct what could be a habit as we want straight in the yoyo

Last game: circling game. Dan said if he offers a level 4 circling game, play it at level 4. He left at a nonchalant walk but when I turned my hip to get him tuned into the circle instead of mentally focusing out of the circle--he took my hip/pressure as a cue to go faster. So Dan had me hold the stick all the way up in the air and make the circle progressively smaller until he was able to figure out to relax and that pressure did not mean increase the speed.

I also learned: for Try and I the dressage learning with Kathy is the thing. By bringing some other horses along, it gets me out of a rut and excited and I am learning so much more. I have a really different perspective.