Tuesday - MH rode Try and I rode Devon

I arrived early and groomed Try. MH rode and Try looked like a dressage horse. MH said she was really responsive to seat cues and that I had done a good job with her. Also that as she got going she was responding more and more--shorten and length canter, turns, helping her on her right side, etc. Also being in raging season she and Richmond were very aware of each other. I noticed Try cutting her eyes before she got the idea of connecting/contact then her eyes softened. After I saw a lack of self-confidence.

We then went to the back paddock and played various liberty games all on her right side: i.e. weave cones, touch it with a cone on the barrel and sideways across the barrel, sticking together/dwell/friendly and apple slices.

Showered her with warm water as it was cold, cooler and in her stall to dry off. Her winter coat is really coming in and takes a long time to dry. Looking forward to that blanket clip soon!!

Next got Devon in from his field--all three of those horses are friendly and nice to be with. With Devon we warmed up w/t then no-stirrups posting trot and I needed to walk between my two laps. Canter was better--broke gait once only and was more relaxed at the end and we did more laps than Monday.

Monday - Strange Day

Went to the barn at 1 instead of 9am. I had no energy or concentration--sunny and I ate a brownie for lunch. Anyway spent the time with Devon--he did not break at the canter even tho both of us were feeling really lazy. Treats, dwell--first day Devon did not want me to leave when we got back to his pasture. Could be treats and with 50 some hours together--who knows what he thinks of the relationship. Only tricks today was mounting block--should bring kids carrot stick out next time.

Try: spent 20 minutes with her in her pasture only on her right side and in zone 3 or 4. She kept trying to change that and put me in zone 1 and off the right side. Interesting.

Friday - Dan Thompson

2013 10 18

·        Questions/help

·        Slow, fun non-physical stuff on line or liberty—filling her +s bucket priority—creative ideas??

·        Stiff on right side – lateral flexion

·        Canter and emotion—Dawn comments—does Try ever like to canter—always emotional?

·     

·       ·        Balance in Try’s life

o   Dressage learning—shortens the body, tightens the spring, benefits to health and to my learning. So far Try is positive or neutral in response. This includes stretching.

o   Loosen the spring necessary for balance. This is the yeehah factor—go out in the field and just go for it stuff. Ride ‘em cowboys. Barrels and poles: has she been taught use of body or just pushed thru it like jumping.

o   Filling the + bucket

§  feeling smart and appreciated without much physical exertion

§  sweet spot like the pedestal

§  precision and degrees of advancement

§  short duration of high physical activity or emotional stress

§  Parelli puzzles—solving a puzzle and nicker—enjoying learning process

§  Dwell, do nothing

§  Mirroring, sync

§  RIGHT SIDE

o   Fixing emotional issues:

§  right side emotional stiffness

§  intensity is our friend

§  Canter:

·        Lateral movement to release emotion

o   Offensive/defensive

o   HQ/shoulders/ribs

o   Serpentine

o   Heavy on forehand—counter bend on the circle—leg yield for lateral drift to take tension out of the ribs

o   Task her brain to get focus off the emotion

·        Vary the speed within the canter—use this in an approach and retreat manner to reduce the emotional reaction. Change her expectation and help her find a better answer.

·        Note: most emotional bending around the corner on the right lead—right side lack of trust and confidence.

THE RIGHT SIDE

·        ONLY the right side unless not possible until 2014.

·        Constant conscious awareness—post reminders at home—calendar etc. and in tack trunk, etc.

·        Ask BA/Dawn etc. to help with this when leading/dwell time

Preparing to ride

·        Lead on Try’s right side and spend extra time there as halter fastens on left

·        Groom both but spend more time on the right side

·        Tacking up can be done mostly on the right side

·        Mount and dismount on the right side

On the Ground—On Line and Liberty

·        7 games

o   Friendly!!! Including dwell/treats especially after riding

o   Porcupine and driving

o   Sideways to and fro and bring yer butt

o   Squeeze—pedestal

o   Touch it

o   Sticking together

·        Obstacles—cue from the right side

o   Weave

o   Tarp

o   Sidepass the barrel or whatever

o   Touch it cone on barrel

o   Straddle a pole

o   Small jump

Riding the Right Side!!!

·        First Can Try think out of the right side when touch right side from a stand still?
·        Then think and move stepping first with right front foot
·        Add HQ good step release and watch for right eye to relax (white not showing)
·        The walk and slow trot turns from right and left side and later without using the reins
·        Then release ribs and shoulder releases·         

Kathy comments:   Dan said he has been working on a book as he has been exploring,  what he refers to as having the horse think out of their stiff side.  By watching the horses eye you can see where they are thinking/leaving.  A horse may be doing what you are asking, but, where are they really thinking.  The hook is that when a horse is giving you stiffness, resistence, spookiness it may not be naughtiness, leaving etc., it may be that the horse just can't think out of that side of the brain.  It is not a right brain controlling the left side motor responses as in a brain injury, it is something no one has ever taught them or given them the chance to solve/find the right answer.  WHen I reran my mental images of Try in my head, I could see the biggest problems have been on the right side.  It was a totally new way of thinking about and looking at a horses' problems.  It reminded me of my first horse Nauti, who had rt lead problems and they were corrected by my touching her on the right shoulder to signal which lead she should throw.  In essense, I helped her think out the right side.  It is a very new way of looking at how horses think and connect to & with us.  Dan is so interesting.

Wednesday - Devon

Pleasant ride with Devon today and progress with breaking gait at the canter.

Tuesday - MH rode Try!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am beside myself with excitement. Today MH rode Try walk/trot/canter and it looked just like I hoped it would. And I got to ride after and feel the difference.

Try started out flat and stiff behind and avoiding the contact. Before long she was licking and chewing and blowing. I did not see the shifty angry eyes or the help me/get me outa here eyes or the tail swishing. The walk got better then the trot was better as far as connection goes. MH pointed out how much stiffer Try is on the right side and tends to over bend inward to make circles smaller because of this. She needs my attention to softening and keeping her straight on the circle. Then the canter started a bit rough and got better and better. After both the trot and walk looked even more improved.

If I could get this much quality at this level on my own in a few months, I would consider it a huge, wonderful success.

Plan one lesson and one session MH rides Try to teach her. Happily Kathy is interested in working on my canter with Devon and rider tests so this should all work together well. I will need to think about filling Try's positives bucket and riding her full out/lengthened in the field for balance.

Monday - first day back with Devon

Lovely, sweet Devon--first day back after hocks injected last week--apparently he was as sore as Try was.

Nice relaxed grooming.
Lovely easy walk, no stirrups posting trot and trotting.
Canter--pretty good but breaking gait--there needs to be a consequence.
(Homework for the next ride on Wednesday.)
Also Kathy is interested in switching to lessons with Devon to work on my sitting the canter.

Life Among the Titans

Rollover is very different now and I am considering how I fit in to a barn full of professionals. I wish to maintain self-respect and confidence in the midst of all of this. In so doing here are some of my thoughts:

Strengths/assets	Challenges	What I want
hugely care about horses happiness	lack of self confidence	establish some level of competence
hugely dedicated to learning	desire to lead and follow	be proud of accomplishment
history of learning	easier to follow a strong leader	need to put it to purpose
ballet learning to draw on that applies	get distracted easily	an area of expertise that has value
social work learning	can be lazy and moody	need to give back
RBE attuned unconciously	RBE attuned unconciously	to get better at reading horses
good at mentoring and supporting	feeling like a failure	to be a stronger more fit rider
really smart	taking the time to read the moment	improved cueing
social security income		training to level 1 dressage knowledge
I have passed L3 Parelli and well thru L4+
I have the physical strength for decent hack		get back on track with Devon
I have learned a good bit about dressage		find fun slow stuff for Try
able to help horses be more confident		filling Try's bucket
able to help horses make small changes		watch BA and MH more
able to help horses relax		Try: canter
able to give a horse a L1-2 foundation		Try: physical connection/vertical flex
self confidence
hard worker		rider tests
ba keeps me tough
ba sees to my physical fitness and safety
ba finds opportunities for me
kathy dedicated to my learning
kathy supports me on many levels
kathy coaches on many levels - depth
dan helps me read horses
dan helps me see the big picture
mh is very clear and gives me visuals
competing isn't interesting to me
I don't need to be an instructor
trail riding isn't a goal
enjoy accomplishment & progress
enjoy others successes