Thursday - Changes Coming

Got to the barn--rained--groomed Try and Devon.
Dawn came out and rode Try while I rode Devon and got Dawn used to Try. Try licked and chewed and seemed perfectly happy. Then BA came out at set Dawn the task of walking at 2 pt then trotting at 2 pt then posting trot and it went really well and Try was happy and seemed to really like Dawn. Also Dawn was able to feel successful and comfy with Try's comfortable, smooth trot. Dawn just wants to enjoy riding and that is perfect for Try. I was very happy. I also went ahead and rode Devon in the interim.

News: 6 horses are coming to Rollover soon including MH and her dressage teaching and training business and three boarders.

Wednesday

Try
Today Try was in a bad mood again. Discussed getting Karen Bullock to check Try out for pain in hip/spine/left hind leg. Grooming and rain rot treatment.

Devon
First ride in 2.5 weeks. He seemed confused. Warmup, walk/trot/canter. Still working on downward transitions--cueing working well from trot to walk but not my sitting. Canter was beautiful wonderful--glorious gait, self-carriage--I felt like a light passenger. BA had encouraged just riding for fun and I did enjoy the warmup and canter so much. I felt guilty when I lost position in downward transitions.

Later--call to Dan re transitioning Try to semi-retired from parelli levels pursuit for sure and TBA any other activities she doesn't like.

Try Transition: Who does Try want to be?

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Occasionally—slow, successful already learned Parelli tasks

·        Play with obstacles—hunt my purpose game—low keyed/no pressure

·        Set up obstacles games riding in different places

·        Pressure or other fix for tension/emotion/bad attitude.

·        BB/BL at a walk/jog variations of place/pattern

·        How much suppling?

·        How much fitness?

·        Dwell time and grazing

·        Field trips and trail rides

·        Dawn

·       Continue with Kathy if possible continuing to study how to make Try happy

·        Get help from Dan in transitioning

·        Maintaining good ground manners/connection/partnership

·        Purpose oriented: will to some extent put in effort but maybe not exuberance but not hate it. With Kathy my intent is clearer giving purpose.

·        Dressage—detail oriented/competition driven no. Health and fitness yes if possible. How to be creative—put it into practice/obstacles and dressage on the trail/creativity

·        2-3 hour session with Dan last summer—

o   Perfectly pleasant/bonding/tuned in for 1.5 hr liberty in the field--Try stays tuned in because of variety and rest and establishing connection.

o    Try won’t like repetition of something she’s got right nor maintaining without clear purpose/variety.

o   Get it done and be done.

·        Crabbiness as a habit

o   Good to address it to prevent it as a habit or break a habit

o   Western pleasure could surely create a lifelong habit of crabbiness

o   Fix it in a relaxed manner with as little drama as possible

·        Go out and ride, fix it riding

·        Try’s semi-retirement

o   Physically I want her to be as fit as is healthy for her while giving her a break from drilling and boredom. Strength muscular/aerobic and suppleness.

o   Mentally I want to add variety, problem-solving and success to keep her active and not turn into a vegetable.

o   Grooming: 3-4 days a week so she looks like a lovely, special horse.

Thoughts other than Try's Transition

·        Devon is a high level horse with natural talent for movement and enjoys moving more/has a different attitude toward moving than Try does. Try is talented physically—powerful horse and intellectually—excellent learner---She just doesn’t want to do it.

·        Is there anything I can offer Devon? Any benefit for Devon to have me as a rider? Whats in it for him?

·        Parelli system isn't a good fit for me at this stage tho I always want the philosophy to be foremost—I will never pursue level 4 with Try and might never pursue "levels" again with any horse. Good horsemanship is good horsemanship. Any further purchases of educational materials will be related to my goals of improving my riding and learning about horse development.

·         

Monday and Tuesday

Monday

Try was in an extremely bad mood, angry, emotional. I had thought a pleasant no-work ride in the field and around the farm might be nice but she didn't so we played the circling game in the ring on line and she dropped that attitude pretty quickly then rode in the ring a little followed by nice shower. When I got home I was worried as I took some photos of her lying down in her stall and she looked unhappy, worried and sad:

Tuesday

Try was in a good mood, connected immediately. Good grooming--massage, scratching itchy places. Then rode in the ring because I thought she would enjoy being out with a couple other horses. Walk/trot/canter--she picked me up at the mounting block without hesitation or any need to fix her position. Then nice shower/treats, etc.

Later I became worried about whether there is anything wrong with her physically. I think that could explain the past couple weeks--she is 21 and I suspect there is a problem with her left hind leg and she does a funny dip with her hip/HQ riding, etc.

Also the change in moods has been so drastic from the time in July when she was off the negative chart and well up on the positive chart to an unconnected, angry, unwillingness about as bad as I have ever seen.

Also Devon is back from his two week horse show and BA and I gave him a nice grooming, clean-up and rain rot treatment.

Saturday - Carmin, Jenna and Dan

Carmin--USERL-NCCC's remaining "unadoptable" horse had a session with Dan.

Carmin in the trailer.

Carmin and Dan learning about releasing the power house--HQ

Carmin and Jenna working on first steps of confidence in riding.

Friday session with Dan cancelled

Dan sick with ?stomach virus so no session today. Had groomed Try--we played some circling/energy games and had dwell time.

Prep for Dan

List for Aug/Dan

Devon/Eye Opener

o   Big isn’t dangerous: lovely trot and canter—feels safe

o   Well trained/accomplished/talented—cueing with finesse

o   Follow my focus—where is Devon thinking?

o   Downward transitions--conversation

o   Soft touch and flexion—

o   My riding improved on video/learning/things coming together

o   Riding with lower energy

Try/Crossroads

Happiness

·        Recently Try is miserable and angry much of the time. Heat, rash, insects, diet.

o   I want this to be a positive?

o   Page 3, a possible plan for a couple weeks

o   Wanting Try and I to have fun: Dave Lichman/Dan’s camp—family wedding

o   Parelli Levels

§   for fun/variety?

§  Freestyle? Redo level 3

o   ACTHA obstacles for fun—successful/treats

o   Refinement is a new task not boring old task?

o   My attention span and Try’s/Devon: Try—2 days

o   Connection

§  How much, How often

§  Join up to defuse negative energy

§  Methods including ride thru it

§  Balance—and staying positive with myself

Progressing

·        Physical development and fitness for Try: Getting Try’s shoulders loose

·        Any point to pursing level 4 with Try?

·        New levels packs—hoping for new levels/new something

·        Intellectual knowledge vs physical application: frustration

·        Karen Rohlf basic exercises of relaxation, energy and balance

o   ID relaxation/stress in Try’s body in on line circle

o   Energy as a conversation

o   Amount of energy not equal to speed

o   Matching energies: reading each other

o   Qualities of energy—acting exercises

o   Maintaining energy—fears?

o   Loose FQ/HQ/lateral and vertical flexion and gorgeous gaits—on line??!!

·        Canter and the effect of my body position on quality and relaxation of Try’s canter—on my pockets vs more forward.

Review list

o   Ride falling leaf and S bend

o   Offensive sideways

o   Mounting—cue front end

o   Sideways on the circle

o   Cue with weight aid simplest riding freestyle 101

o   Jim Carrey and driving game

o   Removing bridle, tightening girth, teats

o   Circling game: distance and draw from intention

o   Gretchen/falling leaf—disengage HQ for RBE horse

o   Canter patterns—figure 8 canter the straight line and walk/trot the circle

o   Try front/back imbalance

o   Asking for canter freestyle vs finesse—ASK?? I missed this.

o   Focus on straight line and Try has to get out of the way

o   Boss mare and stallion

o   Where is Try thinking—follow the rail.

o   Passenger warmups/dwell time

Plan for August??

1.      Twice a week for two hours including grooming and showering and grazing/dwell.

2.      Lesson with Kathy once a week or every other depending on Try’s state of mind

3.      Catching game and sufficient connection to begin

4.      One fun thing on line or liberty that can be successful and give a treat—either before or after riding.

5.      Sufficient grazing and dwell time.

6.      Ride for my strength—3 laps no stirrups posting trot.

7.      Ride for Try’s strength—3 laps canter for aerobic capacity

8.      Ride for Try’s flexibility—FQ and HQ ??vertical flexion?? Vary these.

9.      Field trips? Invite guests—ride with other horses.

Catching Up

Friday: Try was in a bad mood which really got me thinking. Did not come to me in her stall until I asked and I waited. Good grooming, scratching itchy spots, rode in the ring and nice shower/graze.

Wednesday: after some days off for lower back issues of mine and rain--today--super grooming, and full spa bath.

Friday August 2 9-12 Dan Thompson