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!!