Thursday - Try and I had a "trying" lesson

Try did not want to have a lesson with Kathy and I in the big field. It took 1/2 of the lesson for me with Kathy's help to get Try to settle in and concentrate on the lesson rather than the gate.

1. Homework: play with studying how Try feels with my balance and imbalance.
2. Make a new habit: If Try's canter is too rough to sit go to 1/2 seat. It will protect my lower back and still allow a weight aid to help Try find a rebalance.
3. Homework: repeat the exercise of slow crossing walk (forward and sideways) two strides, then two strides forward, then two in the other direction. Remember--my leg moves back to get a good HQ crossing step and opposite rein.
4. Ride with relaxation. Start with relaxation and visualize.
5. Next lesson: bring bareback pad.
6. Riding in that field was not such a great idea.

Wednesday - Energy - Try

Today was supposed to be a day off but I dug into Karen Rohlf's book on the topic of energy after seeing some lackluster energy in videos lately. Then played with Try in pasture on line with energy. See below. Also lovely long grooming, clip, spa bath, graze/dwell.

Energy Thoughts

1. High energies--looking for powerful but not impulsive (negative emotion). At any time I can think "you are sooooooo perfect" and have Try melt to a stop without residual tension or fear.
2. In front of the leg--Try is carrying me forward. Behind the leg: just jostling up and down. 
3. Clear precise steps in cueing
1. relax and visualize
2. ready?
3. my intention and energy to cue
4. other phases/tools
4. NOT about maintaining an energy in the beginning. If Try knows she is going to have to keep going, she will go into efficiency mode and do as little as possible. Amazing what a difference this made in Try--real change in the effort behind the energy.
5. Try was not always matching my energy intention in the moment of the send. Also I was sometimes overdoing the HQ disengage to stop, creating tension tho I did wait til she relaxed and she did so quickly. Better take the pressure off and allow her to melt to a stop???
6. Reward/thank Try for the effort. (Kathy does this and Try loves it.)
7. Repeat until Try's first thought is to match my energy/intention 100%.
8. "Thank you for that, but lets try again."
9. Maybe just ask for energy on scale of 1-10 and not a specific gait??
10. Reward any big energy from Try!!! She is not wrong--it is wonderful!!
11. I had some "yes, yes, yes" moments.
12. I can choose to NOT be very particular. Lets travel to the other end of the pasture at a trot. and let Try choose the rest.

Here is the exercise:

What I learned:
1. We did a send on the circle game about 4 times each for walk/trot/canter and I came up with a number in advance of the send.
2. In the beginning I did start from relaxation, picture the energy and warn Try before sending--then it got cloudier and in face I found it hard to know what a walk at a 4 is or trot at a 7. I asked for trot at 7 I thought and got a canter.
3. We stopped in between to graze, think, treat or two. But I was not careful to melt to a stop.
4. Try did relax in between and did surprise me with a snappier go than usual.
5. I did remember to get game over and reward when I got what I thought I pictured tho it wasn't always there from the send.
6. Try was definitely moving toward offering a 100% effort to give me the energy she thought I was asking for.

Idea: do this a few more times and film it. Ask Dan for help.
Thought: I have been settling for i.e. a trot at any energy/tempo as long as she wasn't just shuffling along or emotional impulsive. Now I can learn to be more specific. Trot at a 4.5?? wow. This will require my memorizing the feeling of the various trots. i.e. slow, medium, fast.

Friday July 12 - Tuesday July 16

Friday: Ring wet and soggy footing and full day(s) of rain coming so early and quick ride with Devon for strength and fitness then shower/dwell. Hung out for a while with Try in her stall.

Monday: 2 horse day
Try: bareback ride with on line circling to get a good canter before mounting. working on my confidence. better energy in the canter than last week but more needed.

Devon: Basic ride but I was tired and spacey and it wasn't one of our better times together.

Tuesday:
Great session with Devon and got some good video. Worked especially on downward transitions from intention. Trot to walk: think/visualize, keep posting but take legs off, check Devon's ears to see if he is ready. Canter to walk--sit back and do not cave in my torso. Watching video energy was good at times but spotty. Found that spurs will only be needed for warmup.

Thursday - bareback canter video

Today I thought it would be good to video bareback canter as I have been working on myself from the stand point of fears as well as relaxing my thighs and not holding them on her for balance. When I got to the barn Katie was agreeable but the girls were leaving to swim at 10:30 so Try and I hurried up the grooming, 5-10 minutes in the back paddock and Try was really with me on connection--sticking together varying energy and circling at liberty so tacked up and off to the ring. Five minutes or so of walk and jog warmup--not enough--then canter--I was urging Try on as she wasn't really ready.

To progress
1. more energy--true canter
2. keep relaxing thighs--letting go
3. check upper body position
4. how close can I come to not using reins?
5. add patterns and other things to think about
6. music?

Then we went for 15-20 minute true passenger walk around the farm and out onto the road, checking out the tall corn and checking out Karen's house etc.--all places Try could see from her pasture but not approach close up like today. Finished with shower, graze out back, Try in bonding frame of mind.

Wednesday - Try - connection

Today Try was not happy about leaving her stall and I felt guilty for neglecting her.

We went to back paddock for fairly relaxed join up to help with getting a good attitude. Then she was super at a couple liberty games: circling me and offered to straddle the cavaletti pole.

Then groom and tack up, semi-passenger walk up the drive--she wanted to detour into the big boys pasture, then down the road a ways. Back to the pasture with the hill for some trot/canter. Then to her pasture to review for Kathy and she was having none of it. Back to paddock and she quickly said yes ma'am so to speak. Changed to bareback pad and went to arena for dwell time, lots of walking and canter laps. Finished with shower.

Tuesday - first contact/finesse day with Devon

Nice long grooming...tack up first time with dressage saddle. I started the warmup with waaaay too much energy for Devon.

Which means I need to rethink what I am doing with Try!!

Downward transition from trot to walk: Devon will recognize my life down/releasing legs better if I am massaging him gently while we are trotting then completely releasing legs rather than legs being away from his body while trotting. Something to consider??

Then warmup on the buckle walk and trot. Played for the first time with contact on small circle at a trot...need to remember soft touch but keep my legs on to keep the impulse on and keep the top line coming up. We did really well for the first go.

Then canter in dressage saddle felt really good...especially sitting back on my balance point and relaxing my legs.

Finished with shower, grazing and a couple carrot slices.

Sunday - Day 6 Devon

Good ride. Warmup on the buckle, No stirrups, 2 point and double/triple posting for my strength then 4 laps of canter: sitting and standing.