Monday rain and Tuesday Try

Monday: barn chores and groomed both Try and Devon.

Tuesday: Try 2.5 hours - groom/dwell then w/t/c working on my relaxation and sitting the canter. Then bath and grazing for Try.

Pictures from Kathy from Williamston weekend:

Saturday - Devon day 4 - mostly

Although I am sure there was lots that could be improved upon and I kept the corrections in my head to use as needed--we did it. Warmup walk/trot, nostirrups, 2 point, double and triple posting and canter. Long grooming session, dwell time and shower.

Wanted to play with Try on sticking together but spent 2.5 hours with Devon. Try was lying down in her stall and I went in and gave her carrot pieces.

Friday - This n That

Try: groom, played out back with sticking together and push passenger etc then shower. Devon--groom.

Today I had intended to get a short clip together of sticking together 101, as I had learned it for Helene as we seem to be very much on the same wave length with developing draw/rappore tho with very different horses. I am impressed with Helene's dedication to Tango and her aptitude for horsemanship: Tango is more extroverted than Try and has situational fears from his rescue background. Try, as an independent LBI who was obedient but not all that bonding--we learned the sticking together game in October 2010 from PP Dan Thompson. We could already do a version of stick to me but the underpinnings were missing--it was sorta obedient but definitely not very responsive.

sticking together 101 basics:
1. Hand on Try's back in zone 3 or 4
2. LIFE UP
3. Focus and point
4. See if she will move off and, if not, use PORCUPINE game not DRIVING by pushing my hip into her hip to cause her to go and then allow and follow her. Of course an extroverted horse may move off immediately.

This was the go-to warmup for Try and I for a long time but neglected recently. After seeing the video I made today, I definitely will be playing with this one until I get a video I like--i.e. with some true syncing.

Anyway the idea is to have Try bond and accept my leadership because I am accepting and mirroring her first.

1. Follow Try and truly sync with her matching her energy, her body position, foot falls, everything I can.
2. When that becomes connected between us, THEN we can trade leaders back and forth.

3. Look for relaxation and that this is something we are doing Together not TO her. She is perfect and beautiful. Lighthearted and/or a Jim Carrey sense of fun on my part to avoid getting direct line.
4. Later still can add changes of direction, change sides, play with different energies, gaits and body parts.

I am playing with Karen Rohlf's Natural Dressage materials this summer and am currently focused on relaxation, a loving tone and doing together so this is a great exercise for us.

Ok so here is what I see happening in the above video in mostly chronological order:
1. Try knows the game and anticipates when I put my hand behind her withers and walks off without my asking. It is good that she knows the game and leads but caveat: she does like to be in control and take over games.
2. I got tense and direct line when she did let allow me to set up the beginning steps slowly and in order as I wanted to do.
3. Try does seem pretty relaxed tho she got cranky when I corrected her and I am supposed to be following and not using the driving game at all when I am following.
4. My stick isn't neutral.
5. I back up as she backs but I am not in sync with her foot falls.
6. I look down but more than she does.
7. I have more energy or a tighter energy in my body than she does. I can really see my concentration in my jaw.
8. I do have some synced steps and it looks better.
9. We both get bored and start alternating leaders and part of the time I am no longer touching her.
10. I had one very sudden halt--not good.
11. When she chooses to go sideways, I am struggling to sync.
12. I lead and we change sides a couple times.

Of course, the corollary to sticking together at liberty is--can we sync with freestyle riding passenger game--with or without a bridle I thought we could demo the position. Again this is about matching and mirroring in every possible way. (The end of the video I was reviewing turning my body with my head in line rather than leading.)

Thursday lesson with Kathy - relaxation--mine!

We talked for quite awhile in the beginning and then relaxation--primarily in MY body became the theme.

Discussed:

1. Liking the Karen Rohlf materials and the loving non-adversarial tone carried throughout. That Try reads my intent which would be to help Try, love Try, enjoy our time together.
2. Relaxation exercises from yesterday--desire to be relaxed in the canter--Try and I had success Tuesday except coming off the rail.
1. So my thought was to do small circles in every corner--relaxing in my body etc.
2. Kathy also suggested counter bends on the rail then off the rail then true bend and leg yield back to the rail.
3. Asking Katie to video tape in the future.
4. Kathy is up for our playing thru the Karen Rohlf materials together--discussing, illuminating, applying, etc. I saw this as a bridge between freestyle and dressage but now see it instead as a method to improve my part of being a good friend to Try.
5. Told Kathy about Try's huge commitment to sticking together without the join up after cantering etc.
6. A priority for the day for me was to improve my position with open chest and quiet, nicely used elbows, arms, hands etc.

Things I learned:

1. When I lift my leg or even use my leg to cue, I have the tendency to stiffen my upper body. I want to have a better independent use of my leg from the rest of my body. Also my weight aid should come first then leg aid which should be stronger than my rein aid.
2. Goal remain relaxed and square in my position.
3. In turning I still am turning with my head and have homework to do porte de bras to change a habit.
4. Canter: inside hip firmly down--truly on my balance point and drain my energy when Try picks up speed going down hill.
5. At the trot Try is already realizing that she can maintain quality going downhill without my lifting the rein.
6. Trot: exhale on every stride.
7. Downward transitions: exhale and take my time remaining sitting and then pick up the trot for canter to trot transition.
8. MY RELAXATION: what body part is tense/awareness while I ride etc.

Wednesday - Karen Rohlf study continued

I have decided to go thru the book and dvd step by step this summer working through the exercises. I love the very light, spiritual, loving tone of the material and think it is just right to keep my focus on what I truly desire: to help Try be fit and happy and to learn about helping a horse to develop biomechanically in a manner that is pleasing to the horse.

I am starting with the exercises 1-4 this week: relaxation. Have taken a pretty good stab at them, re read and reconsidered and can take them further.

1. Observe with out judgement--this was the hardest lesson for me. And true to PNH it is easier for me to describe Try's emotional state than her physical biomechanical use of her body.

2. On line circle: Can I walk closer and farther away from Try as she maintains the circle--yes.

3. Can we melt to a stop on line? yes at a walk and easy trot. ??what about canter what about liberty? what about other games i.e. figure 8?

4. Riding can we melt to a stop? Same yes if a walk and relaxed not very energetic trot. What about while cantering?

Tuesday - Try - sticking together breakthru and shoulders

When I arrived I took a few minutes to watch BA warmup Devon: His trot quickly went from slow to more energy, tracking up beautifully, suspension and lift and loose shoulders. I thought that about Try's trot in comparison--that she has to work hard for less result.

Saw Try and she really didn't want to do anything in the beginning. We walked a little but hung out and watched Jen's bareback jumping session with Brandon--really impressive strength. The walked with follow my focus/straight line/where is Try thinking. Then built to jog alternating with trot and Try was really in the mood to use less energy. Then trot serpentines with bending in the turns to work on my position and cueing and loosen Try's shoulders. 

Next canter on the rail 2 laps concentrating on my sitting deep as top priority. Interestingly Try had a nice relaxed canter--perhaps a bit draggy but only got hard and on her forehand when  I asked for a turn off the rail. Hmm--next time it would be great to repeat with circles in the corner and check to see if she is falling in and how quickly we can relax. Perhaps bareback also.

Also I would like us to ride in Ollie's pasture playing with lifting the forehand going downhill.

After cantering Try's energy was up and we played with the figure 8--bending the opposite way to go to the next circle. (Karen Rohlf exercise for suppling shoulders.) It took Try awhile to relax after the canter and concentrate again but we did it.

Then in the center of the ring: backup, sideways and spins using her shoulders--she lifted her shoulders like never before almost like a reining spin. Leaving that area she picked up an energetic trot and I said great you want to trot lets go--she did so then decided that was enough. So we went to the rail for shoulder in (rail shoulder forward) once each direction.

Then to the round pen to finish: Lovely big immediate trotting stick to me and she was really stuck. Sideways away and toward also. Then shower and finish.

So true