Tuesday - considering music and rhythm

Very curious and new thoughts.

In thinking towards creating a training level musical freestyle for Try and I, MH had advised matching music to video of Try for rhythm. Kathy had advised a cohesive approach to avoid a piece meal group of music with jarring transitions--more of an overall piece of music--likely a classical piece with variety that means something to me.

So I took video of MH and Try as they seem to have such a good rhythm together and played various possible music selections to their walk/trot and canter and found NO Match with any of the music. Just no connection.

Next I tried video of Try and I in a lesson with MH and the music fit.

How very curious is that? So a horse is that different with different riders. Also, what does that say about the way I ride? My ballet background survives within me when I ride?

Very interesting to consider.

Monday, December 30

Saw Try today after taking a break though I did visit with her last week some, taking her for a walk to her favorite off the farm grazing spot.

Today she was happy to see me and left her hay to come. Groomed, played around riding in the ring, some passenger, some review of leg yield and downward transitions walk and trot in the muddy ring. Then walked down the drive and up the road to the grazing spot. Dismount and remove bridle to Parelli halter and 15 minutes of grazing and visiting with the geldings.

Session with MH, her two warmblood yearlings and Dan Thompson

Session with Try and Dan Thompson on Attitude

2013 December 20 – All About Attitude - Session with Try and Dan Thompson

This session was about changing Try’s hohum, bored, monotone attitude of doing things that makes dressage study and being together less fun for both Try and I. So we played with ideas to create sparks of enthusiasm, energy, connection and interest through mirroring. All of this can lead to improved dressage riding.

1.            Use music and go from moment to new moment playing many Parelli games with BOTH of us staying in rhythm with the music and Try mirroring my energy and intensity, rhythm and quality of the music. Try and I have lost connection in stick-to-me with focus on dressage this fall.

2.            One game is for me to store up energy and explode similar to preparation for ballet lifts or big leaps (grand allegro). At first the explosion need not be pretty as I explode into Try BUT can be channeled into positive, purposeful movement. With this stored energy, the purpose is precision and intricacy of movement. BUT Try has to have the attitude part of this before it will happen.

3.            Right side: there is no reason to expect any less of Try—we had some great sideways away with energy on her right side.

4.            Circling game: when I get a good trot or canter, can we quit and hang out BEFORE she has the thought that she is bored—most important can I identify this moment?

5.            Circling game varied with change of direction and HQ disengagement—play with varying my energy, tempo and level of intensity through the process (light, slow, big energy and slow, faster tempo with less intensity, etc.) and have Try mirror me.

6.            Stopping is important. Will Try stop on a dime in stick to me?

7.            Plan: fit in between lessons and homework and fill her + bucket of dwell/grazing/hanging out, at least 15 minutes of this kind of intensity play to make progress in attitude.

8.            I set a goal that I will have a video of play to Dan by January 7-10 so I don’t get side tracked.

Note: I had sooo much fun and joy. It really turned loose the full positive expression of my RBE self!!

Thursday

MH rode Try. (I groomed and rode bareback first and Try was feeling lazy in the warm weather.) I saw improvement in the canter--for a longer time, using HQ--also a nice, relaxed, pleasant frame at the trot and walk. MH says Try does not like much leg pressure in the canter.

Homework for me: downward transitions--keep the frame and play with leg yield--MH added rail leg to rail rein cues to prevent front end from escaping.

After the ride Try and I went for a nice long grazing walk up and down the drive.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday
My goal was to review a bit for Dan's visit Friday and have a ++s bucket filling day. Try was GREAT at the review--right side sideways away and towards for instance and circling at liberty. BUT she was most annoying with the bucket part--she only wanted to leave the farm and eat grass in the ditch. Ask BA if she is getting enough to eat? Anyway, we played circling game variations to get on the same page and reviewed a bit from Monday lesson with MH and then some dwell time.

Wednesday
I just did not want to go to barn but did it anyway and had a pretty nice ride with Devon. Warmup wtc--some nice canter. Cool down with stretching at the trot and walk. Peaceful. He has ??cold?? with runny nose really bad--cleaned him up 1/2 dozen times.

Monday - Lesson with MH

My Notes: 

1. good to alternate straight lines and circles and fix on the circle. 

2. leg yield think neck rein on the rail side rein--and move opposite hip with leg cue with goal to remain parallel to the rail, 

3. canter trot transition to keep the body position/connection together in the transition. 

Also I did download the training level musical freestyle: lots of circles.

Discussion

• Elizabeth Pope

  Was thinking yesterday how I really like the Parelli system for how positive it is and that it makes me feel good. Also I love the way both my horse and I are learning/improving in the emotional fitness realm. (Especially as I am RBE LOL).
  
  Anyway have been thinking of this in terms of being positive about the weather/time of year and that it isn't necessary to always be super goal oriented with a plan etc--this time of year better to let some of that go. The past couple rides with both Try and Devon we have just played, listened to music etc and had a lovely time. I figure I can get back to stronger focus on learning/goals in January.

  • Seen by 13

    Mary E Wilson, Chris Shallcross, Kit Stark Jordan and 6 others like this.
  • • 

      

      Lisa Roeder Graf Good thinking! The point is to have fun, so play and have fun!

      December 11 at 5:46pm · Like
    • 

      

      Kit Stark Jordan great words of wisdom!

      December 11 at 8:31pm · Like
    • 

      

      Lisa Roeder Graf I love riding to music, I took my iPod and player over to Wind Drift Sunday and had a good time riding T and playing with Q to music.

      December 11 at 8:40pm via mobile · Like
    • 

      

      Elizabeth Pope I love riding to music with my dance background and have done this now and then for fun and Try is great about staying with the beat of the music. After Kelly Sigler's clinic last year I have worked some on finding music to help Try and I have a good rhythm and played with putting together walk, trot and canter playlists with music that has bpm (beats per minute) that will assist us in having a good rhythm.
    • 
      
  • Elizabeth Pope 

    • More: I have to say that--given that I am investing my social security income in horsemanship learning and have the privilege and opportunity to study with Kathy and MH, that it is important to be as diligent a student as I know how (in keeping with Parelli principles). However a full out effort towards that goal I find is too much pressure with weather, holiday stuff. I want to be JOYFULLY pursuing horsemanship knowledge!!
  • That said I am looking forward to Dan Thompson coming next weekend--both for time for Try and I and to audit other sessions that look like they will be interesting and fun.
• 1. 
     

     Kathleen Glielmiposted toElizabeth Pope

     11 hours ago

     You are allowed to ride "just for the love of it and your plan can be to commune with nature from the perspective on the back of your horse. Watch what your horse takes interest in. Is your horse enjoying the passenger game? Is your horse willing to be leader and take you to places you don't normally go? You can always ask a question to your horse of moving shoulders or haunches, move sideways and then back to passenger game. You do not have to "train" every time you ride. ENjoy your horse as the free spirit you both are.

     
     

     Like ·

     • Lisa Roeder Graf, Brandy Rivers and 2 others like this.

     Coincidentally yesterday was a passenger (filling her bucket) day. We rode all over the farm, up the road, grazed, visited with other horses and listened music for an hour or so. Try is more than willing to lead and enjoys getting out of her pasture and exploring. Also finding better grass to eat!

Monday Tuesday and Thursday

Monday

Try: groomed and warmed Try up for lesson with MH. Try was feeling energetic. MH suggested paying attention to being parallel to the rail on leg yields. Also she worked on suppling with circular movements, rhythm and in the canter--forwardness and a bit longer rein to prevent the little HQ hiphop step.

Devon: basic walk and trot and a little canter--muddy ring. Reviewed from the last lesson with Kathy. Offered him a passenger ride up the road but he wasn't enthused.

Tuesday

Try: Fun day, played with syncing to the beat of music.

Thursday

Devon: basic hack wtc--did not connect with music for rhythm. Nice enjoyable canter.

Try: Passenger day: listened to walk music as we walked all over the farm and up the road--Try making the choices of where to go (mostly). Grazing at times, visiting with other horses who seemed curious about ??the music or whatever we were doing. Fill er bucket day.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday

Footing was a mess in ring and pastures not rideable so Try and I played with right side and HQ/FQ stuff in the ring and then rode up and down the road. Dwell/Passenger.

Friday

Windy, lesson with Kathy. Warmup with Devon did not go well. He spooked in the wind 3x coming in from the pasture so for warmup I walked and trotted and was fearful of the canter as large as he is and being unaccustomed to a horse affected by wind. (Try being so unaffected. However, Dawn rode Try and said she had more energy than usual but thought that was because she was distracted by Sarge as new horse in field by ring.)

The lesson was almost totally frustrating. Took forever to convince Devon that I wanted a good rhythm at the walk and a nice energetic trot. Worked on leg yields--rail side rein to prevent FQ escape to keep Devon straight and parallel to the rail. Turning my body in turns was the most effective to get a nice trot.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday

groom, walk and jog in preparation for MH to ride Try. Try had a funny hip hop canter where he landed simultaneously on both hind legs. We tried to figure if it was physical or druthers or what.

Tuesday

I was pretty sure it was druthers so we had a fun liberty session and renewed our connection--lots of stream of consciousness games and right side. Then freestyle warmup followed by lesson with MH

walk: we found a good connection with the reins, framing up and rhythm
trot: we did serpentines bending and remaining balanced and straight between my legs--even 5 or 6 loops in the dressage ring
canter: worked it out--I may have been holding Try back?? anyway good moving forward without the hiphop at all on both leads