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.