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.

 

July 18 - Dan - liberty in the field

2012 7 16 Dan T

3 hours: 1.5 in the field at liberty

Themes:

1.      Getting back on track with connecting with Try

a.      Precision’s purpose is making Try happy rather than to accomplish a L4 task--that works for me. There is no connection without precision. Try uses lack of precision to get me off track and to take control and drop the connection. She is happier and more relaxed being connected to me as a leader. That is natural for horse and for her as an LBI. For Try precision is more important than speed and she responds so well to precise, clear cueing. For me I love speed and freedom so much more than precision. Precision made Try check into the game rather than tune out as bored.

b.      If I go introverted, I lose the connection.

c.      Sometimes she needs me to go slow and piece by piece. Sometimes she needs the variety of my varying my energy level. That is mentally fascinating to her.

d.      Try hanging out with me, Dan, Paula and Kathy as a part of the herd.

e.      A frequent mistake Parelli students make is creating the habit or pattern of shutting the horse down.

2.      Power, intensity, galloping full out etc. Can be from anger, fear, need to cut loose. But can it be used for purpose?

a.      Using patterns to create a pattern that is not innate to horse: how to trigger exuberance? Today we used the cutting game pattern.

b.      Change horse 20%.

c.      Try is absolutely NOT opposed to playing hard—but on her terms and for a short time!!!!

d.      Revving her up to give her (and me) a mental/physical/emotional break is a GREAT thing to do.

e.      Try offered rounding up—what exercise will accomplish this on the ground?

f.       Note: at end when we revved up Try did it with the go/stop/back/turn pattern and Dan really got exuberance in the backing and swatted Try’s butt in the turn and she really cantered! She was happy and exuberant, not afraid or angry.

g.      Are dressage lessons with Kathy bringing more power out of Try?

3.      Miscellaneous

a.      I asked about Australians at RTTH: fine line between fear and respect. Respect is empowering.

b.      Unconscious competence: using purpose effectively unconsciously is a great thing.

c.      What purposes of mine are meaningful to Try? Not passing L4: task.

d.      Can create sweet spots i.e. pedestal, trailer. (For Try who has always been great about trailering—its not a scary dark cave, its food, other horses, rest and going somewhere.)

e.      Can make arena a sweet spot. Ride hard in field then go to arena to rest. Then to arena and one circle rest. Then 3 circles and pretty soon LBI will offer the 3 circles.

f.       Tempo vs. speed: if lengthen stride—Try will need to go faster to maintain tempo.

g.      HQ/FQ offensive and defensive turns on the haunches by stepping forward or back

h.      On the ground at liberty: walk, back, mirror each other turn (invite to draw)

What we did

1.      Pinch to get her attention, crouch behind carrot stick—have to play hard enough—pulling her tail did not do it. Had to piss her off to get her to engage, then after getting the positive response it took less to engage.

2.      Walk forward, back and mirror turn (step back and draw) mirror vs sync TO PROGRESS this it can become the cutting game and I can get my speed and power. Good for Try physically as well.

3.      Jump—Try and I ran off together stick to me style and I went to the jump. It had two cavaletti poles and walking over it—Try lost confidence over her back legs. We did it at a trot but then Dan had us go back with one pole and Try accomplished getting her back legs over at a walk and then nickered like crazy—“look what I did and time for a treat!” Huge moment.

4.      Riding

a.      Backing use porcupine wheelbarrow as more refined than driving with legs

b.      Walking off from a standstill: using porcupine squeeze from two legs doesn’t work as it prevents free rib cage needed for movement. (I’ve never done this anyway.)

c.      Turns

                                                    i.     Started with the walk/back/turn pattern but of course turn is sync not mirror LOL

                                                   ii.     Defensive—start with indirect rein—stepping back

                                                  iii.     Offensive want to be moving forward and asking for turn to stay straight like reining spins FORWARD step with hind end and pivot on hind leg

                                                  iv.     I need more help and review with the defensive and offensive cueing.

d.      Dismount on the opposite side.

e.      Zone whatever driving with one rein to go back to the barn—unconscious.

5.      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQgTiqhPbw 

6.       

Dan May 17

2012 5 17 Dan

Try – 3 hours

·       Started with the catching game in the field

o   Phase 1 is the INVITATION, stop when she looks up, walk slowly and use stick and string as appropriate.

·       All about where do we go from here with HQ/FQ

o   Lead to powering up for upward transitions, lead changes, canter departures

o   Extreme friendly to warmup, get energy up

o   Varying Sbend, falling leaf, driving FQ/HQ ?? when which—speeds up its HQ, goal is bend in the body—where is Try thinking? With me.

o   Another variation is to ask for bend circling around me in zone 1.

o   What is the purpose? To be able to talk to any body part.

·       Riding a continuation of the same

o   Mount from the wrong side the next 50 times as Try was only willing to pick me up with me on her left side.

o   Drifting out maintaining the bend

o   Bend and counter bend into figure 8 on smallish circle—yikes that counter bend was difficult. ??use inside of round pen??

o   Patterns: used weave—can be any

§  Normal

§  HQ, wheelbarrow turn (tea for two warmup)

§  Swing shoulder to turn

§  When to ask is important.

·       Later: zone 5 driving with Dan’s reins—yacht braid.

o   Porcupine to start

o   One rein if starts to back

o   Go some where she wants to go in the beginning—passenger

o   Fluid rein to turn

o   Build I become the leader, do Parelli patterns etc

o   Putting it to purpose

Keystone – ½ hour talk, 1 hour on line, exploration

·       At lunch discussed ideas to build connection safely.

·       Still looking for mind games

·       Misc ideas:     

o   Cavaletti poles

o   Hill

o   Weave not requiring hq step

o   Carrot stick riding

o   Point to point

o   Match my energy

o   Slow medium and fast walk/trot/canter

o   Ride in the field with casual rein if not doing finesse

o   Ride Parelli patterns (big circles if any)

·       Extreme friendly – 3 lbs so only 1 pound of pressure PRIORITY

·       Did zone 5 driving—passenger, go places he wants to go

·       Catch me game in his field same as Try.

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.