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.

March 12 phone call Kelly Sigler

March 12 questions for Kelly

Send video including Colleen Kelly stuff/May session

·        GoC: changes sliding rein, jelly fingers but strong thumbs, hands are resting as if they are setting on  tabletop. Allow arms to be I an L shape, straight line to Try/bit and keep the bend in the elbow. Strong elbows

·        Stretch into contact, reach for bit and her neck is getting longer

·        My arms go with her and jelly/thumb prevents me from blocking her.

·        She can push into the contact

·        Cycle of E—feel it through the bit

·        Steady vs pulling vs mushy feel see simulation

1.      Colleen Kelly coach

2.      Open thighs

3.      Stomach in but butt loose, tailbone can come forward in trot

4.      Pack coming out

5.      Warmup get BA to check that my stirrups are same length that I am not weighting one more than the other and therefor longer.

6.      Exercise stand in stirrups

7.      Stirrup length is the same for western or English riding

8.      Take feet out of stirrups, should hit below my ankle, bounce ankle against the stirrup

9.      Feet in stirrup 120 angle of the knee

10.   Usually way too long

11.   Foot in stirrup—rest at the the back of the ball of the foot—posture more stable.

12.   Exer: stand in stirrups and do point and maintain even shoulder exercise. Turn and look behind you is one way easier than the other—then that side needs to be stretched more.

13.   Stirrup weighting—horse wants to drift (like human carrying another human piggyback)

14.   Weighting will cause horse to go off pattern

15.   Test this by weighting one stirrup more than the other.

16.   Can use it to our advance for turning and not have to use leg (sideways still use leg)

17.   Turn eyes belly button leg, be sure shoulders stay even straight—ballet/box/torso. Imagine carrying a tray of food.

18.   Warmup to the point one arm straight exercise

19.   Partial disengagement—looking down at back at HQ not square in my body—puts weight on the forehand so I can move the HQ.

20.   Looking up will help engage the HQ, looking down put weight on the forehand

21.   Stopping look up and don’t release my E fully for energetic stop. Eyes, nose, chin, chest.

22.   Turning weight the stirrup and turn the shoulder and look up. No leg.

March 9 phone call Dan Thompson

3/9/12 Dan phone call

Want to retain the sense of magic. When Dan comes all goes great with Try and then I start to fall into old habits and things slide—time to figure out how to keep improvement on my own.

1.      Fears, habits, old baggage, filling the bucket

a.      Gate: stop and consider, far gate—no reaction. Try still has feelings about leaving the ring but knows the good deal is to stay calm or fake it—this isn’t right or wrong just good information. Trust my instinct about when to make a big deal and fix it.

b.      Ultimate Passenger to the clover. Variation: sweet and sour spot passenger game. Can build the game from timing or place. Try might decide to offer me the leadership.

c.      Goal for Aug: canter bareback with pad without thinking about it—patterns/precision. No stirrups goes here also. No stirrups creativity clover leaf in the field/patterns/trail??—Steady Eddy Variety: music, ?box, weave, serpentines. The trick is getting my mind off of both. Turning loose of watching myself. Examples are playing tag, drill team, cow stuff. Role playing/mind game—can I bring some old dance coaching techniques in i.e. trashing the dance. How silly can we be? Music.

d.      Touching all over: Showering face/teats and vet—like girth/sedate/holding/rubbing nose if she pulls away—make it a game. Watch for ways she has trained me not to upset her.

e.      Canter downhill for me approach and retreat.

f.       Trust: goal-Dropping and Rolling—after shower go to her fav spot to roll on 22’ line to allow her some drift and sit and wait for her to roll. Allow the time and distance, good girl. Poop and pee in barn/wash stall—good girl. See if this will change—great feedback that the relationship is changing.

g.      Taking bit out of her mouth-touching teeth on metal: Take off the bit—slip it off her ears and not lower it until they are completely quiet. If nice and calm let it come out gently. If she is really worried use the other hand to hold the bit and take it out without any banging or clanging.

2.      Successes

a.      Try happy demo 7 games with 4 dressage women—comments on happy horse. Try likes to feel smart—LBI?? Try and I lifelong learners.

b.      Follow my shoulder: weave. Weave a good start to matching shoulders because she knows the pattern—now build on it. Shoulder match has the advantage that Try sees what I am connecting with her and I trust her first so she can connect/trust me.

c.      Coming in from the pasture—moods when I see her issues: Keep a record of this and ask myself what happened yesterday. Big ride, carrots only, my being gone a few days. Horses can be bored in the pasture—it is not natural—in the wild they have a role or job. Also an issue is comfort—if Try isn’t comfortable—weather, flies, pasture mate, she may be cranky when I see her. LBI into comfort.

d.      Jumps more relaxed—maintain gait—barrels still more effort than necessary. I asked about 3 day versus 7 day program. The real question is understanding Try’s horsenality and knowing WHY are we doing it and staying progressive with it. I.e. take a break and then in a couple weeks: build on it, use it or get off of it or Try will perceive it as being drilled.

3.      Riding Issues –

a.      Counter—I can do as maintain lead in a turn and I think I can pick up a counter canter if I keep Try from changing to be correct.

b.      Change of leads on line—forward foot inside front and back. YES this works so much better than finding pairs.

c.      Picking up canter or posting trot—I feel the shoulder but not the HQ. some steps to help—at the trot feel the swing of the barrel. Also helpful might be to close my eyes.

d.      Flying change online: drop back to resend—important not to resend zone 1 (sends sh off the circle)—3 or 4 to shape on the circle to prep her body for the new lead. Interesting—Dan says cross fire or cross canter most often happens when the horse is emotional so this is good feedback.

e.      Exercise: shaping on circle—HQ into straight line and ask for lead change w/my upper body—I get nice change in the front but I can’t tell what is happening in the rear.

f.       Cross canter—slow her up to fix—feels bad—she will fix as feels bad to her too

g.      Great setting up with little HQ yield then ask sooo much more polite and clear

h.      Craig Johnson clinic: I don’t ask for flying lead changes until I feel their body is ready.

i.       Practice the ingredients. Control thru HQ  tea for two

j.        

4.      Where are we with stuff from last visit?

a.      Where is Try thinking – sometimes not in pasture but lightly by time we come in—often start out reading my mind and then gone—i.e. ride bridleless/light cueing for ??15 minutes then can’t get it back. If we lose precision, I lose connection. Why—her brain is fried, mine, I tick her off. Dan suggests moving to more intensity sooner, more quickly to more advanced stuff. Also Try will give effort up to a certain level then she says I don’t want to take it further and work harder—it would help if she could see a purpose in what we are doing.

b.      Any tasks requiring intensity be sure to engage into it, power up init. Can’t get it from easy going and nice when it takes more power to do the task.

c.      Intensity don’t put up with it, zero tolerance, get over it Try,Try this is something we need to do and its your responsibility to power up here and use your big engine BUT make it a game. Phases, my attitude.

d.      Shaping on the circle—zone 1?/match my shoulders/HQ/not an issue riding  Exaggerate, use more energy or phases—is she trying? Putting in enough effort to figure it out (no).

e.      Sideways is huge mess—Try keeps bringing body parts to me—crazy 360s—not fast or far—am I the new sweet spot? So sweet and dear of her—hard for me to say no—so play with it awhile. Pay attention to her feet: are her HQ falling out?

f.       Cutting: speed? Yes. Warmup/do in pieces. More basic version is sticking together, snappy transitions. Have to warmup for snappy. Ie. Will Try to a snappy backup for me?

g.      Try and I trusting each other to be creative and figure things out.

Lexington tour stop notes

Lexington 2012 notes

1. Pat on Lead changes

a. Used the boxing analogy—jabbing on one side and turn to the other. Then turn that in to following the canter with circular rein motion and changing to other side—

b. Liked the leg wraps—do I have some vet wrap in diff colors—really good for me to use with circling game.

c. Post the diagonal on trot and take up energy/intention to bring it to canter on that side.

d. Pat says he works on light and polite at all times

e. Looking up: puts weight back on the HQ—also good for downward transitions/stopping

f. Can I do bowtie with only the stick/my leg/wt (eyes belly button) check it

g. Goal: flying changes down the middle of the arena not using the rail to help

2. Colleen Kelly

a. My 5 min: stirrup length good, core strength good, lift upper thigh to rotate inward not hip

b. Horse on the forehand? Check hands forward, thumbs up, not looking down, thigh muscles,

c. Turn w rib cage not dropping the ribcage—doesn’t Parelli turn w/ a dropped shoulder—ask Dan

d. Test 2 sticks on Try haunches—my weight

e. Top of thigh pull out the muscle—xx jeans too tight

f. Don’t get legs too far back

g. Be able to see toe and more of inside of toe than outside

h. Standing in the stirrups as test of balance—western saddle can I do pilates exer??

i. Focus matters—focus on center of circle either ground or sky and see what happens

j. Overweight a stirrup to turn???

k. Look at horse hind foot to turn

l. You don’t need to use leg to turn

m. Use brim of helmet and turn side to side to be sure you are not dipping

n. Or sunglasses take off the bottom ½ to form artificial horizon to test this

o. Forehand/using hq issue—way to get horse to transition from trot to walk

i. Eyes up

ii. Raise nose

iii. Chin up

iv. Adams apple

v. Chest

p. Note dressage riders judged foremost on consistency ??hunters

q. Trot to beat of music

Feb Dan T weekend

2/2/2012

Questions

1.      Time off:

a.      Bucket/respect

b.      Lack of confidence??

c.      Getting back—riding before ground—energy/ability to catch the moment/awareness

d.      Liberty vs. nylon halter. Getting loose with loss of my focus.

e.      2 good trail rides

2.      Fears and emotion

a.      Me—downhill canter

b.      The gate: lost ground—pushing buttons on purpose??

c.      Definite improvement in staying relaxed with transitions/canter/lead change simple

d.      Jumps—video—relaxation—using the proper amount of energy

3.      HQ isolations—couldn’t figure out what to do—from session Dec 23

4.      Stretching

5.      GoC progress

Talking before doing in back paddock:

Downhill canter: look for opportunities i.e. this would be a great time for patterns on the 45’ line in the hilly field to assist Try in learning to use her body on inclines instead of only riding.

GoC comment: this is a friendly game and it says to Try—you are doing great, keep doing it.

Canter simple changes: to prevent assumptions and promote asking questions. Vary the pattern. I.e. in asking for a simple change—could do so and ask Try to pick up the same lead instead of making a lead change. Good for building impulsion and relaxation. (Our habit is coming back to the rail at a canter—a drop to trot means make a lead change to Try.)

Warm-up at liberty:

Greater intensity: it is not just ok to respond with faster or snappier etc. but we MUST play through until we get more quality. By that is meant that the CONNECTION is better. This goes beyond the feet doing the task.

Jumping:

 I think of this as a last frontier for Try. Circling the jump (vs. squeeze game) Try need to figure out to maintain gait and take the responsibility for figuring out the proper approach to clearing the jump. i.e. if the pole is at a trot height then I need to give my smart talented horse the opportunity to feel good about figuring out that she needs to trot the circle and trot over the jump—rather than micromanage or quit too soon. Allow it to happen—be patient as my RBE self likes to quit too soon or try to make it easier for Try which takes away the sense of accomplishment for her.

Try did after a few circles figure out to trot over the jump rather than hop/canter over it. So the next concept is variety. Dan changed the pole height so Try could figure out to maintain a canter on the circle and canter over the jump BUT kept at it until Try figured out how much energy and clearance she needed so she would not do it bigger than necessary. Then change the game each time so Try could make choices each time.

Cause vs. allow—TRY needs to be allowed to figure it out.

Variety and responsibility will cause Try to tune in to the game instead of just following her habit of rushing and over jumping. Dan agreed that I do not need to ride her jumps.

Also of interest is how do you define a jump? If Try is trotting over it’s not jumping, if she canters as a slightly elevated stride—is that a jump or just another canter stride? I think Devon looks like he is just cantering and floating over jumps—as he doesn’t change stride and seems so effortless.

Circling game over the jump:

·        Maintain gait—keep going until gets it,

·        Make the right choice for that jump.

 Variety i.e. maybe alternate circles of trot and canter. Also could ask that the circle/jump be a consistent walk. Jump as X gives her choice of jumping it high or lower. Dan said not to stay away from asking for some height—she can do it—just don’t ask for much of it. (?Age/conformation—Dan did say that Try looks younger.)

Go over jump, 2 strides, stop and back to the jump. IF I am in zone 3/4/5 10’ away etc., my cueing Try to stop, we have a habit of Try moving her HQ away and turning to face me. This makes it hard to back to the jump as she is not in position.

So worked on driving Z1 to draw Z4 and drawing Z4 from a distance to help me with this issue for the above task and who knows how many other things.

Driving Z1 to draw Z4: Dan tapped Try’s nose with stick with phases for quite some time before she took a step with her HQ toward Dan. But once she knew what he wanted, she had it and when I tried it I was able to do it with lighter phases not even touching her with the stick. HOW cool is that!

Drawing Z4 from a distance: My using the string over her back to cue I learned is phase 4. Phase 1 is my intention only. Dan demoed with me using intention only (very intense actually) to show clear draw and drive with no other cues from tools/body. Phase 2 is stick string overhand circle--lightly towards Z4 and then up phases. Also if I was good phase 4 could be popper getting her on the other side of her body. This could then also work with Z5 and that would be mega cool!

Want to be able to draw all 5 zones (at phase 1?). Also test myself—drawing from ever greater distances.

Using the stick: it means—Try, you haven’t found the answer yet—it doesn’t mean go away.

Riding in the ring

Warm-up: discussed could I just saddle up if emergency and gallop away? I think so but I want to allow my LBI time to start slow, blow and say she is ready. Dan suggested that walking on the rail mindlessly is not so good—two humans together—it doesn’t take long to start a conversation so break up the walking a bit so we are connected. Actually if I don’t do this she will start to play games with me. I will often break it up with my Pilates, little jog to walk, GoC, and Dan suggested leg yield on and off the pattern.

We began work on figuring out the offensive sidepass position (could be fully sideways—hardest or walk on the rail and ask for it coming diagonally off the rail—easiest.) Remember the sword fighting image. Try’s HQ and FQ are bending toward the direction we are going. To do this I use direct rein to bend FQ, leg at the girth to drive on the opposite side and gently carrot stick on that side on HQ to suggest that they bend as well. Variations could be asking only for FQ or only HQ to bend. Want to speak to both bending/no bend/one or the other bending in the sidepass. Offensive: specific purpose driven.

I felt this just once really work—I was walking down the rail at the time.

The GATE

Figure 8 with the x in the middle of the gate.

The attitude is the game. Use wheelbarrow turn (turning from HQ/inside leg) when Try is emotional and shaping the turn for refinement. Control vs. refinement. Check by stopping in the x or wherever—no reins, no movement from Try and I can move my body, arms, legs and she will stand still. Variations can we ride it calmly with no reins for stick. Can she do it at a trot or canter? Vary by going in and out of ring and nearby paddock alternately. The difficult gate—can do online for variety—figure 8. We want to use the fig 8 as a tool not just as a mindless pattern. Make the ring, x, etc. the sweet spot. The open/close gate—start by making stopping at the gate the sweet spot.

Miscellaneous:

Note: the angle of my shoulders should be matched by Try! Cutting game is an example.

Dad talked about AJ: in 3 seconds going from impulsion level of 5 to 9 (run away) and then in two circles of bull’s-eye back to a five. Fast is good, emotional/impulsive is not. A horse could possibly gallop with level 5 of impulsiveness. (??Ask Dan about impulsion vs. impulsiveness vs. speed.) For Try--don’t get stuck in a pattern i.e. point to point--change it up, especially if Try gets emotional.

Hilly field: SPEED AND EMOTION ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

Saturday: Audited

1.      Find my focus then back keeping the focus. Take it further—keep focus/connection and weave the backup. Doesn’t have to be pretty—it’s the connection that counts.

2.      This also is a form of match my shoulder to keep the focus/contact—I want to review the cutting game with Try.

3.      Turns on the forehand and hindquarters: big step out with first leg and big step across with the second—check these on the ground. Film riding??

4.      Concept of engaging or disengaging to a stop. Disengage is life down, disengage HQ etc, slow relax to stop, etc. Engage to a stop is active, use HQ coming under, an energetic stop.

5.      I learned on line circling can be creative and fun!! Dan played with Suduko using his body language and intention/intensity for upward and downward transitions of gaits and it can be used for speeds within a gait. I an excited to try this out! I have paid no attention to this. So Try may think my energy doesn’t matter that it is noise or she may be responding to it and I don’t even know. If I have desensitized her to it then I may need some phases to let her know that my energy matters. FUN. Inner intensity to drive and draw. Neutral on the circle doesn’t mean life down but it is whatever I want to communicate to Try. Match my shoulders comes into this as well. Check this with sticking together as to energy, shoulders, maintaining focus.

6.      My doing nothing in neutral or not knowing what I am doing as RBE could well be boring Try or be obnoxiously confusing her. No wonder she hates the circling game.

7.      Shoulders game—same thing—need to let Try know that it does truly mean something now.

8.      More refinement and connection as a new habit to create.

Riding

1.      Backing with one rein coordinated with the foot. Start with the logical front foot, take a few coordinated steps, then use direct rein to step out with front foot and then my opposite leg at the girth to push Try’s second front leg to cross over. This should help with the stretch for the shoulder we have been trying to do.

2.      Use my ribs and leg coordinated with Try’s swing of the barrel for HQ yields on the circle.

3.      Indirect rein to disengage HQ in turn and if she moves front feet, maintain the rein contact and move my hand forward and up to stop the front end.

I learned today that I communicate to Try’s individual body parts better riding than on the ground. This is just from riding lessons in the past and shows a lack of refinement in my on line sessions.

WHERE is your horse thinking?

This concept plus gaining the horses’ focus through control of the HQ have been huge for Dan.

Horses can play two ways: with you or without you, with you or away from you.

To refine that further—

Both with you and without you can be confident or unconfident horse. A confident dominant horse can play with you and connect but it could be that you are the toy so that is not a positive connection for the human. An unconfident horse can escape from something else and come to you as the sweet spot—this is still an escape and thus not positive.

Why would your horse want to be away from you? Fear/escape where we need to bluild confident that we are the good eeal and the sweet spot, also the horse could want to leave physically OR mentally if bored or angry.

With a LB confident horse. We don’t want a slave with 100% of their attention on you and not aware of their surroundings i.e. tripping, aware of dangers—we don’t want them to be surprised.

If Try is alert and aware and I am boring then she is apt to go away from me to something more interesting and I gather she doesn’t have to move her feet to do so—going away in her brain.

IF YOUR HORSE ISN’T THINKING WITH YOU, THEN YOU DON’T HAVE A HORSE TO PLAY WITH.

Allow is passive, Cause is active.

Passenger is an allow. But can be active i.e. sweet spot game.If horse has druthers and a primary sweet spot then game becomes ride as passenger until horse learns not to go to the gate/wait at the gate etc by doing something (perhaps something annoying and small as Dan did—slapping his own thigh rhythmically). If the horse looks for a second sweet spot you have made progress. Once you go through all their sweet spots, then the horse can learn that you are the sweet spot and tune in to you.

Our job as passenger is to be a passenger—NO ulterior motives or desires. Not even thinking I wish you wouldn’t go to the gate or I wish we could hurry up and get this over with.

IF YOU WANT THE HORSE TO CONNECT WITH YOU, FIRST YOU MUST CONNECT WITH THEM. If I don’t trust Try, why should she trust me?

If I approach LBI Try with my RBE energy—that is a turn off and will send her mentally away from me. Matching energy requires a knowledge of horsenality.

Catching game with an LB confident horse: I do not retreat to bring her to me. Dan demos a mismatch with Walt—being real RBI assuring with LB human and it is obviously annoying. Are you ok? Are you ok? Walt knew he was ok and we as humans need to respect that in our LB horses. WE NEED TO THINK WITH THEM IF WE WANT THEM TO THINK WITH US.

Passenger game can be more active or completely passive. More active i.e. sweet spot game. Lots of ways to be creative.

Linda talks about tit for tat and then some. I did not realize until today that tit for tat is for RB horses and then some for RB. No wonder I found tit for tat frustrating. (Tit for tat repetition is good for RB horse.)

Where is your horse thinking? If your horse has druthers, then that horse is mentally leaving you.

Dan is finding new things that have been making a difference to him:

1.      Control and direct through the HQ. If horse is out of control (for Try and I the gate on Fri) then HQ yield is a way to get the control. (Note: out of control can be LB even at a standstill.) If the horse takes over the game i.e. use us as a toy, go where they want, try to get ride of us. Then can use HW to get them thinking with me and asking questions. Even if what they are asking is what the heck do you want? And are ticked off at you. That is till progress and part of the progression of searching for the good deal.

2.      If I play until I win her brain, then the feet become pretty easy.

3.      Example: using focus in the backup. Getting her mind is the $100 prize, the feet the $10 prize but of course we want it all, the $110.

Dan did demo with Chris who initially just wanted to go eat hay. She was escaping until she connected with Dan and got the idea of moving her HQ. We could see her make the mental switch from no connection to connected and Dan had to do what it took to get her to care enough.

Question about wheelbarrow riding and when do you know if you’ve got the HQ yield. Keith really felt the big 2^nd step across and swing of the hip. If you are uncertain, you don’t have it. Try has always done these leg yields from my leg but they can be sloppy and if so need carrot stick or spur to reinforce my leg. If the 2^nd step is across in front that is a yield and BEHIND it’s just an ESCAPE.

Horses really motivated by comfort/discomfort and not by punishment.

Dan says don’t try to control the horse’s power, until she is mentally with me. Dan caused Chris to care and I will need to explore what this means with Try. Note: Dan did this without doing anything in zone 1! Test it don’t use it if you don’t need to. This may of course mean stick or spur or NOT. Look for the mental shift.

Once you break the ice, then you can start to refine. BUT YOU HAVE TO COMMIT FULLY TO IT!!!! If you don’t commit then you get a ½ ass result and the learning doesn’t take place. Don’t commit to dangerous but do commit to win/win of the game. All horses are looking for the best leader.

Dan’s success with Craig: He did fully commit and did match her different energies. It was clear when Chris started to think with Dan.

Dan says this where is the horse thinking and HQ for control have made the biggest change in his horsemanship of anything in 18 years.

Did simulation with Keith: I wanted to drop the commitment after awhile as I couldn’t figure out how to get the connection—the thing that made Keith care I stumbled onto—he is ticklish. For Keith, with my being the horse, when he took the pressure off and retreated with a nice smile I just gave in and couldn’t see any reason to resist the connection.

Once you get connection, pay attention to keeping it—don’t inadvertently throw it away. Dan brings halter to Sherry and drops it on the ground. RUDE We drop horses with the reins and our legs. In the beginning we were taught to close hands slowly and release quickly. Now I am trying to break the habit of immediate complete releases. Don’t throw the horse away. Now that we have this knowledge it is time for refinement. So I can use phases etc to release. Dan says as little as it takes and then as much as it takes. Use environment to support it.

Using my ribs to help Try.

The moment of change—what worked? ID it. For me I think saying out load what is happening will help me to be aware. i.e. Try is now with me, Try is leaving me, etc.

What % of humans have the horse connected with them? (watching horse show)

Another issue what about horse that is escaping—how to change where horse is thinking? i.e. horse that is escaping from something scarey that is not you. If I am riding I need to make myself more important than the scarey thing i.e. perhaps big extreme friendly to get their attention.

We need to say to horse: “Let’s do this together.”

Example: how horsenality plays into this. Suduko age 4 spent 3 years as LBE playing at things or someone rather than with and is now learning the difference. Amazing to see him tuned in and responding to different cues from Dan’s intensity.

Most horses do 90some %of what we want with 1% of their attention.

Intense situations where horse and human are really working together: cutting or the bull fighting video. The bull fighting was life or death. For me—drill team—my focus so intense on making the pattern work and Try camealong with me and I had no memory of cuein her after it was over.

Balance: they need to be free to think about their responsibilities also. We do not want them to turn into robots but to think on their own safety as well. Examples: gopher holes, unfamiliar terrain etc. Arena horses going outside thering. (So why is Try so confident on the trail as a stall/ring raised horse?)

Consider Try getting “loose” and going up the road to the clover when I dropped my focus on her at the gate. (Like Dan dropping the halter on the ground.)

In times of intense purpose we are unconsciously competent and we get it done. Strong purpose more apt for Try and I to be thinking together.

When Try gets it, add to it, change it up versus drilling or do something different. Advance it, use it or do something else.

Hunting for focus in different zones. Am I offering Try something to hunt for? Notein the conga horse simulation Sherry pointed out strong focus intensity was not supported in a timely fashion so it was not effective! I had expected when I brought my life up that theconga horse would back just like Try did. It required lotsa levels of awareness that I didn’t have! When Walt was zone 1 and I was zone 2 I didn’t knowhe was afraid. When he was the human and I was zone 1 I was the obedient turned out horse and he didn’t catch it.

Zone 4 can have a mindof its own. Try especially has an escaping zone 4. Drawing zone 4—stick onlysays keep trying you haven’t figured it out yet.

Other:

1.      Consider I was late insupporting my focus.

2.      What is Parelli way of shapingon the circle vs 2 reins/zone1

3.      Try getting loose—I dropped focus at the gate

4.      Try super confident on the trail—leader—but stall and arena raised?

What is my horse thinking? Are we mentally connected?

1.    Why is it important

2.    Can I identify what is going on with Try and can I identify whether she is with me or not. Degrees of connection?

3.    How do I get a connection?

4.    What do I consider about releasing a connection?

5.    Balance for Try of enough mental energy left to take care of safety and other responsibilities.

6.    Putting it to purpose—changing up the game, going on to something different so as not to be drilling and bore her or apply too much pressure to cause her to mentally leave me.

The first step for me is awareness.

Degree of connection: Try offered stick to me and was softly connected, lovely. But when I asked more and she said no it was game on and we were able to play with huge intensity—my turnin her from side to side in the corners and matching her energy/Try matching mine. Result there was that she trotted to me with collected trot and intense connection—she had to touch me and hang out over me. If I had her just walk in I would have been building intensity in Try and rudely dropping it. Trot in was putting it to purpose and Try could not sustain much of it. Goal to increase it.

Circling game: I wanted to check with out with Dan watching after seeing him do this with Suduko on Saturday. I can go life up and Try will back (maintain gait) until I go life down—it was really nice. Then a tiny finger point and she began circling. I was able to convey with my intention only for Try to go from walk to trot without using the stick or a cluck.

Dan asked for shaping on the circle. This I have attempted before with Dan and Kelly and it has never gone well. Dan said Try is stiff here as Try knows that giving her HQ is truly giving up control to me. Dan worked with her for a long time on this before she would either soften or yield HQ. Then I got to do it—I need to remember to use my hip in to assist and my stick points at rib cage or shoulder not HQ. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT I MAKE PROGRESS HERE.