March 2013

2013 3 18 Dan

Rhythm

Another aspect to the topic is who is following who. That is, can I sync with Try’s rhythm before asking her to sync with mine? Doing the exercise will allow me to feel what Try is thinking on a deeper and deeper level and Try will like it.

1.      Riding with my eyes closed at the walk first. Getting in sync with what Try is doing in her body so my legs are getting longer and I am sitting even deeper.

2.      At the trot without stirrups sitting the trot—feel that my legs are lifting just as much as Try’s are in her trot.

3.      Canter—sit on my thumb and find her rhythm

4.      No stirrups posting trot—take it from the amount Try’s trot naturally lifts me and keep my thighs long and relaxed.

5.      Feeling, allowing vs mechanical and forcing

6.      To be quiet you have to be in motion, if trying to be still you are out of sync.

7.      I loved the loose towel feeling of my thighs in the trot

Sideways on the circle: my focus and body pointing is just a bit in the direction we want to go and the goal is she is following  and matching my body shape rather than reacting to the carrot stick.

S bend at liberty: draw

1.      Drawing straight before the change of direction

2.      Progress this with extreme or subtle turn, tempo, gait

3.      Canter is flying change

4.      One shoulder is drawing and the other is driving/shaping

5.      We want the amount of effort to match where we are in the learning process. Slow is ok until we get comfortable and can dance it at a faster tempo.

Drive

DRIVE as important subject for me to rethink. View it as just as much a dance as draw: Energy, fun, Jim Carrey and Tango. I have been looking at drive as a necessary evil and hating beating up on my horse and Try not liking drive and therefor avoiding it if possible. Level 1 and 2: TIME TO CHANGE MY MIND SET!!!!! It’s a fun game, not getter done.

Falling Leaf

Once I viewed it as a Tango, it was big, fun and full of big energy and joy for us both—trot and canter. Good to find some Tango music and add it to a playlist. Try it at liberty.

Riding the Falling Leaf

1.      Trot on circle

2.      Fully disengage HQ to stop

3.      Swing shoulders!! Fully

4.      Then ask for canter

5.      Clean simple change with HQ engaged

Riding the S Bend

1.      On the circle

2.      SWING the shoulders to the counter bend and stay on circle for amount of time I choose.

3.      Then change to the circle in the new direction

4.      Progress to a zigzag and then to a straight line

5.      Variations: Weave

a.      Shaping: inside leg

b.      Swing the shoulders

c.      Wheel barrow turn

d.      Outside leg to push remaining fairly straight

6.      (Review Colleen Kelly 1^st series on turning)

7.      Watch pole bending competition on youtube

8.      This would lead to flying change

9.      Watch success series lead change ladder again.

Offensive Sidepass and Impulsiveness

1.      Begin with relaxation in lifting the rein

2.      Then how lightly to ask with leg at the girth

3.      Accept a little bend

Taking off the bridle—take the time it takes.

For the future: April and May

1.      Relearn drive as fun, music, dance

2.      Use S bend and falling leaf as tools and put to purpose

3.      Purpose vs principal is a balancing act. If use it before its in place that is forcing and if go on too long after learning that is boring, drilling.

4.      Need plan and flexibility enough to throw out the plan

5.      Obstacles and patterns for variety and purpose

1. 6.      Ie. Cloverleaf: stop different places, change the lines, change gaits and direction with in the pattern.

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.

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.