January

January Summary

·        Me—Setting myself up for success psychologically

o   Goal setting to stay focused and get er done as RBE

§  I want to take homework from instructors and achieve it

o   Using a big positive energy in relationships

§  Works better with both Try and Devon

§  Creates some friction with LBE people

§  My self-confidence is important as negative self-talk prevents me from achieving

§  A sense of “failure” leads to quitting to soon RBE

§  Celebrate the finish line

§  Self-awareness of people (and horse) pleasing

§  Jim Carrey big energy and sense of fun—permission to be RBE

o   My energy varies from day to day and I cannot always pull out that big + E

§  Ie. When I learned news of Dan leaving/worry over Try’s health

§  My brain is sharper some days than others

·        Try

o   HQ flexibility

§  Especially right side—this is improved

§  Difference in HQ yield when FQ are planted and when Try is moving

§  This is priority to Dan and MH

§  Played with cueing and yes if Try wants she moves HQ from a look on the ground and seat cue in the saddle.

§  In Dan’s terminology—she can move HQ with some reservations on the right side. She will move them for me when she wants to do so. We are not putting them to a positive purpose as yet.

§  Methods: level 1, Dan circling online, zone 5 driving wheelbarrow turns, riding—from standstill and leg yields from the ¼ line.

o   Health concerns, psychology

§  Try has been miserable, cranky and angry. She is not lame and it does not appear to be her hocks/join pain. Vet thinks maybe hormones and gave depo shot.

§  When we are together she releases the anger, relaxes and looks lighter by the end.

§  Try knows, knows, knows the games—it is all how much she wants/is willing to do it.

§  Even though I am being aware and releasing the horse-pleasing wimpiness, at the same time I am being aware of Try as LBI to be respectful with cueing and to avoid boredom through drilling. To some extent she just has to do what I want and get over herself.

§  We had some cool fun Jim Carrey moments

§  I put 15-20 minutes each session into doing what she wanted to do. Passenger/dwell/graze.

·        Me as a Rider

o   I can ride Try completely bareback with no bridle, string around the neck or carrot stick—for a short time walk and jog/trot until she gets bored.

o   Cueing

§  I always want to improve this—likely always will

§  Consistency is important!

§  I made a list of how I cue riding as I tend to take this for granted.

·        Even though I thought it was pretty good it seemed to me good to totally rethink how I use my body in cueing if the goal is ever lighter, more refined, more respectful cueing.

·        This led to testing myself for Parelli—“Can Yous?” of can I do upward transitions, downward transitions, halt, back from seat alone. I added testing it from a partial dressage test. Try and I worked on improving this and yes we can do it but lost precision.

·        It is good to stop and fix instead of tolerating a good enuf response.

o   MY FITNESS and use of my body

§  The cueing exploration led to rethinking

§  Dawn Roth and I have been talking about what she is learning in Linda-Land

·        Goal setting

·        Using seat, ab muscles etc.

·        Rhythm or forward before relaxation in the scale of training

·        Downward transitions to think forward

·        Using pommel in rising trot to build stability.

·        Grounding (not grinding or over weighting) feet in stirrups

·        Draping thigh and inner spiral of the leg

·        Thumbs press on reins

§  This led me to getting Mary Wanless’s most basic book on kindle

·        I love this and Linda’s use of seat muscles and lower abs—from dance I know know know how important this is to stability

·        I have not yet figured out all of this book but so far this is my idea of how to ride

o   Shoulder/hip/heel alignment, leg angle, release cheeks to be parallel in legs

o   Seat bones, and pad of muscles around them engaged and connected to lower ab engagement

§  Seat bones point down and connect with the saddle and only move slightly forward and back to cue.

§  Canter—with Try in bareback pad with my legs way front I can connect seat bones with her. In dressage saddle I struggle with this and pop out of the saddle when her rhythm changes. With Devon I can stay in saddle with big wipe of saddle until I get tired when rest in two-point when find the big wiping motion again.

o   Shoulders up, down and back to open chest while ribs knit inward and connect to those ab muscles

o   Thumbs, elbows connect to ab muscles

o   Collected overall energy in the body

·        Whew and getting that done HOW?? Can’t think about that constantly when riding. Pilates dvd really sets me up for good position/strength.

·        BA calls this being tight.

·        When I rode Devon I realized to sync with him requires more strength and stability in my body than riding Try.

·        I lose position in cueing, transitions and horse changing his/her rhythm.

·        I will not fix this entirely in the saddle—this will require homework away from the barn.

·        Distract myself, my having fun, getting more energy or varied energies from Try

o   Early in January I played with music riding and stick-to-me

o   Dawn suggested making a dream list of fun with Try.

§  Bareback and bridleless cantering on the beach

§  Galloping through the field

§  Big high energy play

§  Visiting with Try while she lies down

§  Connected energy for both of us—coming up through her topline while riding completely bridleless.

§  Mostly I think I don’t know how to have fun

o   Try’s monotone

§  Stick to me with music

§  Online circling and riding for rhythm—drive her til we get the rhythm I picture and then allow

§  Loosen the spring—lengthen gaits—especially in the field

§  Kathy’s serpentines

§  Doing the unexpected every session

§  Something new every session