Thursday and Friday March 27-28

Thursday with Try

1.      Sideways away and towards:

a.      Try was so happy to see me after a week. I had decided to play with cleaning up my cueing of sideways away and towards in the field before coming in. Life up and she sidepassed away, a little lean back and ask and she sidepassed to me. No need to teach, refine, reinforce etc. It was simply there!

b.      I need to note that this is not so unusual. After I have been gone Try seems to read my mind. Otherwise, she needs to take time to decide whether she wants to do it and then we will likely have it, whatever it is.

c.      Later on I tested the sideways directions once in the ring with distractions from other horses—the beautiful Devon, magnificent Webster and her fav stallion Richmond in the adjoining pasture. It took a couple attempts to get it. At the end of the session tested it once again—distractions were gone and it was almost as good as the first attempt.

2.     Also on the plan for today was forward from my seat: at first Try backed when I went life up but repeated a few times and from then on forward was back to normal with little urging from my seat.

3.      I only once remembered “where is Try thinking?” and tapping her shoulder.

4.      Passenger—we did not get to that either as I had an appointment in town.

5.      What we did do—was a basic hack in the ring with changes of direction and changes of gait and rhythm within the gait from seat cues.

Friday with Try--"Adventure"

I thought we should do our 50% yeehaw fun and selected going for a long ride off the property as something Try might like as she seemed so happy yesterday to leave her pasture.

The ditch: we may go back to this but today was about fun. I have to decide about the ditch.

Saddled up in western saddle for the first time in many months. (Actually I only use it now if we need if her canter is rough and on the forehand—out of shape—and we need repetition or if I have a lesson/session with someone who might ask for something “crazy.” Try is an incredibly big, powerful horse—I have never felt like I might fall—but with osteoporosis—if I did it could be bad.

Anyway we started up the drive and Try was happy. We got to the gate area and Try spooked (without running off) like she has never done before. It was while crossing the electric fence wiring at the gate and I feared she had gotten shocked. We walked around close to the farm for at least five minutes before she relaxed. Then we walked her favorite direction where a major flatbed truck with tractor and other farm machinery came up—with workers all over the road (big tractor stuck in the mud in the field and major effort underway to get it out). So we turned and went the other direction.

The other direction is Try’s least fav as the road crosses flooding on either side of the road and water is a #1 fear of Try’s. Anyway we were fine with it though Try was very curious looking from side to side the entire time. Then we proceeded to the end of the road where the cows are and where some new construction is taking place before heading back so at least some new scenery for Try although she really just wanted to go home. When we got back I dismounted to go back over the wire and Try was careful not to step on it. Bethanna’s Dad was in the barn and said it should not have shocked Try but he checked it and sure enough it had shorted out and he fixed it. Try and I ended the day with some dwell time in her pasture. Today was supposed to be a fun day but it really wasn't.

Pleased to be Back on Track - Thank you Dawn.

Tuesday March 25 Coaching call with Dawn Roth

I am particularly pleased with this coaching as it helps me believe in myself. Also it is so positive and motivating. I jotted down Dawn’s compliments for my dedication and ability to be open minded, processing thoughts from various sources and making them my own. I came out of this session with some specific goals/tasks/challenges that I can enjoy playing with the next two weeks as the home renovations continue. Taking a foundation of principles and beliefs and apply them to various instructors and specialization trainers.

I am in mostly REFINING and reinforcing stages and want to be particularly mindful of this the next two weeks. 

Reinforcing: teaching ever softer/lighter cueing. Reinforcing with phase 1 and 2 then quickly to a 4. Remembering that 4 is whatever it takes for Try to care. Obviously this is not just whacking her as a phase 4 LOL AND not being afraid to use a phase greater than a two. Experiment with what is a phase 4.

Some things to play with

1.      Play with how much I turn my body or make a c-shape to set the angle/sharpness of the turn. Perhaps cloverleaf at the canter.

2.      Leg aids: Repeat the cloverleaf walk and trot—remember using leg is phase 3 or 4 tho a soft leg aid could be a 2++ supporting phases. Good to create new habit of not unconsciously pushing Try around with my legs. Cause her to tune me out or perhaps even get annoyed and say—it’s  time for session to be over—lets go eat grass.

3.      Discussed my idea of opposites of backing and forward in the saddle and sideways away and toward on the ground. A plan for back and forth is to remember the yoyo—whoa and go need to be equalized. Whichever is sticky gets the focus until it is good (reinforce). Taking the time it takes for each in turn until I can go from one to the other directly and it is good as the goal.

4.      Sideways: from intention—visualize, life up and then send message in my body to drive or draw.

a.      Clean it up and use reinforcement phases to follow refinement phases.

b.      Give Try time for the thought process

c.      Stay with it until we win and eventually can equalize and alternate.

5.      Where is Try thinking? When she begins to detach the Velcro—quickly use the cue of tapping the shoulder.

a.      Kinesiology base

b.      Which shoulder—from Dan—opposite shoulder to where Try is thinking.

c.      Timing is important—the quicker I catch it the better

d.      Be consistent.

6.      Liberty

a.      I brought this up as I was emailing Lisa on the subject this am.

b.      The difference between on line and liberty for me is distance, amount of time for Try to think and precision.

c.      Taking distance as a concept to play with

                                                    i.     Go back on line using 45’ rope and CanYous at 30’ away from Try and see what happens—that would likely translate to increasing our distance playing at liberty.  For example, working on the 22’ would translate to 10 feet at liberty.

                                                   ii.     Take my two driving lines and tie the soft ends together to avoid the issue of the 45’ line for now.

PLAN, PICTURE, FEEL

Monday March 24

Goal plan--no change
1. Riding 50% precision with emphasis on back-to-basics cueing
2. Riding 50% yeehaw freedom and filling our respective +s bucket--fun
3. On the ground--clean up my cueing
4. Fears--the gate and the ditch

A few issues:
1. I am really interested in trying out a specific different cue for druthers thoughts--to be used with consistency, not over used and with phases.
2. A method to teach opposites: i.e. sideways towards and away, from a halt (riding) go forward or back.

Using the feel of the first sit in the saddle to determine the right horse for me. Try: feels like going home to me. MH--she feels so good.

House renovations/weather. Jennifer riding Try. German guy?

Golden feeling: that overall, alls right with the world, oneness, interconnectedness, warmth etc. I realized that Try has taught me to seek that from day one. To not do what she doesn't want to do, so we can be in the golden feeling together.

Sooo--can Try seek that feeling from me, does she care about that feeling, can I create it on command so to speak, etc. So its not only release of pressure and being neutral that teaches but the golden feeling??? I don't know. But fun to explore.

Thursday - Lesson with Kathy

First lesson since ??November??

Kathy's notes posted at facebook:

"Had a rewarding discussion and ride with Elizabeth Pope and Try today too. Elizabeth wants to refine the aides she uses with Try and have Try respond to Elizabeth's "life up", intent and purpose. These two know each other so well, yet Try wants a "heads up" before Elizabeth asks her for a change in rhythm, she responds beautifully to" life up and down" in changes of tempo. We also worked on her position and how to relax the lower back so we laterally broaden and softly flatten/fill the lower back. So she will be well anchored in the saddle but not tensing. Try was funny as she told us that she was ready for something else as she had understood and improved her response to the exercise. Try is so smart and told us it was time to move on to something else. lol"

Kathy audited the last session with Dan Thompson when we worked with backup, forward and turns cueing with body weight/position alone. We also attended the MMJ demo day body/mind/energy cueing. I had told Kathy I was unwilling to ride with contact or soft feel or whatever at least until I work out cleaning up cueing--making new habits etc.

My notes on the session--we talked about cueing and I explained how Try and I are doing with it. The backup/forward issue--I have decided it is ok to go up in phases for Try to figure the good deal--she is absolutely capable of telling from my body/intention/focus etc whether to go forward or back. My plan is to take one direction and get it clean. Then the other and get it really well. Then start to alternate them so we know the difference. This is similar to sideways away and toward (Try prefers toward).

I talked about my desire to set a cue we can share for when Try gets a druthers feeling. Kathy suggested a little tap on her shoulder different from any other cueing I do. I know we can do this as we have worked out between us about quickly releasing emotion from my cueing--an understanding between us.

Also we discussed the search for best friend mode i.e. searching for the good deal or release of pressure etc. I realized yesterday that Try has been training me with this the entire time I have known her. LOL

Anyway--riding in the lesson:
We played with cueing a little in warming up and then played with rhythms in the walk and trot transitioning from life up and life down--this is really not an issue for Try and I--we sync quickly--likely we have developed this not only in the saddle but on the ground. Dan taught us to sync to energy levels in stick-to-me. When the quality of the transition was not as good I told Kathy that Try was bored (LBI and she knew she had it) and that was the issue. I was pleased that I recognized that in a lesson situation--harder for me than when Try and I are alone because I focus in on what the instructor is saying!!!

We also did 1/4 turns on the haunches while still moving. I was surprised that they were not difficult but unhappy that I used reins. I like turns on the haunches from a stand still--sit deep and use carrot stick to push. (Try has had "professional" reining training of six weeks or so. Actually some reining "moves" have been things we have worked on together to get rid of fears and tension. That training must have been awfully unpleasant for her.)

I was very pleased with the quality of trot at the end--it was great to have Kathy guide us there.

Laterally widening the lower back felt really relaxed and good. I so often think vertically only. I have a yoga instructor who used to widen the lower back laterally for me as I recall.

I have also noted lately that Try has no issue with stopping on the rail at the judges stand. When she doesn't stop and relax there I think it is not claustrophobia but that she is thinking away from me i.e. time to leave the ring and go eat grass.

Saturday March 15

Pretty weather. Taking a break from renovation pressures.
Issue today Richmond is back from Wellington and Try in season. His paddock is next to the ring. Both were very aware of each other. Bless her heart Try was attempting to focus on what we were doing but kept losing concentration. We rode in the farther 1/2 of the ring walk trot then played on the ground. Circling for my cueing and some fitness and quality of gait for Try. Then we played some of her best games--pedestal, straddle the cavaletti etc with treats. Full spa bath--walk off the farm to find good grass--return to her pasture for a little liberty stick-to-me--and stayed with her as she enjoyed a couple good rolls.

Tuesday March 11

Got a break in weather and renovation duties to go see Try
When I arrived she was in her stall as power company was trimming trees along her pasture. Good grooming as she is shedding. WTC--she is now really offering the backup if we are at a halt and she feels any motion in my body--anticipating. Her usually very in tuned ability to pick up my wanting us to go forward (instead of backing) is now gone. Hmm--a puzzle.

Clover leaf pattern at walk and trot cueing only with focus and body weight and being careful not to use leg cues (my habit) was quite good but not as precisely on pattern as it would have been with leg cueing.

Canter--played with circling game on the ground and briefly riding as footing not so good with all the rain. Cantered in the dressage ring with canter walk transitions--also Try will turn from my body weight alone at the canter.

Monday Magic Day

Gorgeous sunny day. Try elected to come to me in pasture without my asking. Good grooming and Try shedding.

Played with a little on line circling as a warmup so I can work on open door to send. Wtc interesting that if I cantered or trotted she matched me!

Played in the ring with cueing from seat only
1. Backup the best yet offered with slightest hint that I would touch her with a leg. She gets a treat for every good one.
2. Upward and downward transitions are close if a cluck and kiss are ok lol.
3. Turning from my torso turning or rib cage c shape are there. Next can we be more careful about how I cue for angle of the turn...sometimes I over cue and get a sharp turn. This is good at the trot. For next time pick a pattern ie clover leaf and see if we can be particular about shape/geometry.

Also of note only touched reins twice in the entire session. And no reaction to stopping at the judges stand for me to fiddle with various stuff. This leads me to believe it wasn't a claustrophobia issue before likely more a druthers ready for session to be over sort of thing.

Finished with walk off the farm. Try decided she didn't want to do it after all...possibly remembering that the handsome stallion Richmond was in the barn! (Try in season. )

Thursday and Saturday

Dwell time/treats.

Sunday with Try

Break for me from home renovations. No thinking--Try happy to see me. Grooming--she has started shedding--then out to arena for warmup in the sunshine--great with some basic cueing--then down the drive to her pasture and finish with grazing beside the road. A fun thing for the future now that she is back in her old pasture--play with ski slope turning coming toward the gate.