Tuesday thru Friday

1. I am going to lease Devon from now through December from Joey Barley and am more than a little thrilled!! Devon is pictured in this clipping from the Sun Journal being ridden by Bethanna Perry who owns Rollover where I board. (I will not, however, be jumping LOL.) Devon is such a sweet guy and I feel like I am floating on air in his big trot and canter.
   
   I will be learning from Devon as he has different talents and accomplishments than Try. I think I will be an improved rider by December and that is one of my main horsemanship goals at this time. BA has ridden him for ?two years and they have worked out a language between them that is so much like advanced Parelli "how light is light" cueing "from intention" and I am delighted to be playing with the same with Devon now. I am so very fortunate and grateful to Bethanna Perry and Joey for the opportunity.

Tuesday
Try: better, gave treats, visited with her in her stall.
Devon: boring frustrating ride in the mud.

Thursday
Devon: filmed--played with concept of identifying the quality of the gaits--he kept feeling like he would break gait at the canter and I nagged him and then we both got emotional.

August 22 Issues

General:

1.     Bridle: flat of hand at bit, jiggle, treat2.     Mounting block do not pick up reins, if he backs slap HQ to move forward3.     After riding—walk up and down the drive as release
4.     No stirrups is now 2 walk 2!!
5.     Balance: kindness, soft energy, soft hands with the respect I need in return. If I don’t fix things respect will decrease.
6.     Halt to walk and walk to trot cue by jiggling my ankles as phase 1
7.     Me: quiet hands, closer together, open torso, forward in saddle especially in posting trot to come down gently
8.     Warmup: this is an important part of the process—we do not want the energy necessary for quality of the gaits of walk and trot immediately. Nor do we ever want a snappy departure etc for a hunter horse. Devon needs time to warmup. We do not want impulsiveness.

9.     Discuss the canter/lope—quality of canter. Remember the video of BA and Devon jumping.
10.  Be aware of my energy and emotion!!

Video comments

1.     Walk: check foot  falls—shuffling along hind foot steps into print of front foot. A good walk hind foot print will be ?12” forward. It feels lighter when the walk improves.
2.     Trot: I look awkward when it is very slow—my posting isn’t in sync.
3.     If Devon is testing me with slow downs at trot (and canter) I need more leg/spur/kick rather than let this progress into a mess, loss of quality, loss of respect and negative emotion.
4.     We looked more in sync in the no stirrups posting trot—because I was concentrating on myself and Devon could go on autopilot.
5.     We also look more in sync in a good trot.
6.     Usually Devon’s canter feels good and he maintains a nice pace—this was an off day.

Last week I felt two moments—both trot and canter with Devon that I have never felt before riding. I felt completely free, no sense of riding or trying to make anything happen, following him without thought as if I was floating on a cloud or on a raft in the ocean. I believe this is what passenger riding is all about.

Try: bareback pad and bridle--walked around the farm.

Saturday
Try: back paddock--

• 
  

  Elizabeth Pope

  Today I decided to test the "pick me up at the mounting block" game for DISTANCE:
  
  I sat on the fence about from 25' from Try, called Try's name to get her attention because she was eating grass, leaned back a little, gestured "come" with my fingers and she walked over but was facing me, rather than in position to mount.
  
  So I gestured zone 1 away and leaned back to ask HQ to come forward so she would be parallel to fence.
  
  Then Try sidepassed up to me the remaining 4 feet or so. We finished with a pleasant bareback and bridleless walk around just for the heck of it. Gotta love Try--and aren't Parelli games the funnest?

  Also good was backup from seat alone.