Monday - A better day

Today I decided not to get down on myself for lack of energy and precision yesterday. Try and I have had a lot of time off for weather,etc and perhaps need a little time to get back to a standard we know.

So I picked yoyo only.
1. First step--Try waiting and listening to my cues rather than offering/anticipating etc. (Where is she thinking?) This was an easy fix.
2. Next will Try back from light cue of my facial expression and energy--yes--took a couple tries to clean that up.
3. Then will Try stop when I go life down? Again a couple tries and it was there.
4. Did not go any farther--next steps??--her draw is stronger than the drive in the yoyo but not snappy. Also the backup is not energetic.

Then we did simple walk/trot on the rail in the ring for a few laps in the slush. Next down the drive and up the county road for a passenger ride. Try decided on a short trip--very windy and big front coming with possible heavy rain any minute--so that seemed like a good decision on her part. I did hop off, attached 22' line and Try grazed on the way home. Today she seemed relaxed and pleasant the entire time.

Tentative Goals for week February 4

Rider confidence 5
Horse development 5
Talent 14
Skill 8
Try 20
Luck 18

1. Me- LBE big positive Energy--where is it?
2. Games on the ground to sharpen up cueing
3. Riding--??passenger only??--downward transitions??
4. Try's health: medical issue?, need for fitness, psychological health
5. My fitness - pilates dvd

??Consider discussing the issue of riding with a soft feel/contact/connection with Dawn?? I actually would prefer not to have any contact with her mouth what so ever. I think I have more of a hangup about this than Try does--it makes me feel guilty to even ask for soft feel. We were in a clinic Kelly Sigler taught last spring and rode with soft feel for two days--that was strange to me. Dressage lessons I do what I am told but on my own ride with contact for very short durations. I do see moments of her rounding up on a loose rein and on line circling. She does love to stretch also. I audited Linda Parelli's first Game of Contact course--was excited to do so after seeing Remmer at Lexington VA tour stop. Seeing the warmup bringing that power out of Remmer was incredible. As RBE I LOVE power!

Saturday and Sunday - issues/bummer - random thoughts

Try and I spent some time together Saturday and Sunday as there was no precipitation and the weather was fairly warm. However, there just wasn't any acceptable footing except off the farm on the paved county road. Ring is mega soupy, pastures soggy, slippery and even still icy in places. Try has a ditch of frozen water in her pasture. We have weeks now of losing weekday riding/horsemanship days due to weather.

Because I was rethinking cueing on line and liberty, on Saturday we did a few simple things out on the road--maneuvering bad footing even to walk out there. Also grazing and dwell time and a bit of grooming. Try seemed much more pleasant so depo shot may have kicked in.

Sunday--I decided to film some cueing--ready with a plan of a couple games and a review of our phases. It was just awful and I think I am going to delete the film altogether and attempt to erase it from my mind. We did this at the top of the hill in her pasture as that was the driest spot.

Try was relaxed, pleasant, tuned out, anticipating, offering whatever, not waiting for my cueing but moving with no energy whatsoever. I ended up with some big phase 4s to try to catch her attention. I would have preferred using some big circling/movement games but was worried about footing.

All in all Try seemed happy to be with me. She did not seem unhappy until I asked for a trot in figure 8--then I saw bursts of anger. I did not want her to get too wound up for safety issues but NEEDED a session to wake her up and get us back on track.

ok here it is: yoyo, sideways, draw HQ only, figure 8

Really I think she does not WANT to do any Parelli games or any dressage riding--perhaps boring, perhaps doesn't want any pressure, perhaps does not want physical exertion. She does WANT to do games on the ground when she has an audience or is at a clinic with other horses. Strangely, she seems to love to show off what she can do. Last summer we had a 1.5 hour liberty session in the field with Dan Thompson (and an audience of 6 people) and Try was tuned in and happy the whole time--loved being with everyone and seemed to love being the center of attention. ???

I don't think retiring (Try will be 23 in April but is in good health.) is a good alternative for either of us--I need to have a horse and she needs continued moderate physical fitness and mental challenge and stimulation.

While Try and I have been together she has always had a good level of moderate fitness. Also she is never ridden for fitness more than 20 minutes three times a week. She is never pushed for fitness like the competing hunters or dressage horses at the barn.So what is she complaining about? Is it just boredom or is there a physical issue that can't be identified? She isn't physically ambitious just obedient up to a point then angry expressed by extraversion.

This goes in cycles--i.e. new instructor, new material and ideas and some intrigue--followed by boredom and anger in a few months??? Is this the pattern--or is there a hormonal pattern of tension/anger in August and in the winter?? Does she just not like unpleasant weather??

Positives: I did not look fat or old on the video. LOL I did get the filming done. I have reorganized all my horsemanship files on my hard drive and done quite a bit of horsemanship study. I have spent dwell time with Try that she seemed to enjoy.

OK So how to be positive about this dilemma?
1. I have an obligation to Try's physical health
2. February could be passenger and dwell only
3. We could take one basic level 1 on line game to clean up each time I see her.
4. I could take February off completely.
5. I can ride Devon once a week--soon the footing should permit at least walk and careful trot in the ring.
6. I can listen to music on passenger rides

7 games on the ground - cueing

Friendly
1. energy down
2. attitude of "I love you"
3. whatever

Porcupine
1. life up
2. steady pressure of intention
3. steady physical pressure of increasing phases

Driving
1. life up
2. the look--raise eyebrows
3. twirl stick
4. tag

Yoyo
1. Find my focus
2. life up
3. intention from energy in my body
4. lean slightly forward with facial expression or slightly back with friendly expression
5. lift finger to back, gesture with fingers or slight feel on rope to draw

Circling
1. life up
2. point index finger and focus for walk
3.lift rope and stick slightly for trot

Sideways away
1. life up and focus
2. pendulum motion to indicate away

Sideways towards
1. from zone 3 lean back and use draw intention
2. lift stick up

Bring yer butt
1. lean back slightly and focus on her derriere and say briiiing yer butt

Squeeze
1. life up, drive as above

Stick to me
life up, indicate forward or back in my body and wait for her--walk
trot or canter--I change gait to cue
halt--vocal cue "and" immediate halt in my body

Touch it
1. point and wait

Straddle the pole
Like touch it, but low-key wait for her to figure it out--if she asks focus on body part she needs to fix and little motion of stick.

Friday - Misc Thoughts

Snow days--how to pull out of "funk"

• I have decided that I would like to rethink Soft Feel and Contact/Connection.
• Try seems to feel better and that there is no place to ride with ok footing. On Saturday we actually played with some on line cueing out on the county paved road as there is no where on the farm that is ok for riding or ground play and looks like that will continue for the next week with rain predicted most of the week.
• Enjoyed Friday morning spent digging through fall Dave Lichman video project. (I wanted to take his clinic in Asheville but had conflict.) I especially liked his boomerang idea for draw in figure 8. This relates well to my goal of energy variety for Try and I as his draw is a big trot/canter run-to-ya draw.
• Looking forward to doing a January wrap-up of accomplishments, learning and items to remain on todo/goals/priorities lists.
• Glad to be back thinking after the snow "coma."
• I am reminded that a BIG goal for myself right now is being effective in my horsemanship without an instructor being there telling me what to do step by step.
• For February I want to do a lesson with Kathy every other week with the in between weeks being application of 1-2 key points from that lesson. Hopefully lesson with Devon 1st week in February.
• MH--in Florida third week in Feb. 1st week in February--weather will prevent much of anything--perhaps MH lesson and or ride Try 2nd week and 4th week
• Advantages: I am a morning person with time to study. I have camera and can film myself
• I have a great new system for weekly goal setting and implementation. Note: what about my monthly goals??
• I don't want to go back to exercise dvd but I do want to?? Perhaps a combination of my stretching and strength building overall plus 20 minutes of the 60 minute dvd would be smarter. When I am out of shape I don't want to do it. When I am in shape, I love it.
• I plan today or tomorrow to go back through all my January notes but may decide not to set goals for the week until I talk to Dawn Tuesday--especially if I get some new perspective on riding with soft feel/contact/connection and feedback on cueing on the ground--if I can video before Tuesday. Yoyo, sideways, draw HQ, figure 8.

Below: perspective on goal setting: Two goals make it all the way across: my physical fitness, position and cueing from seat/core plus my desire for LBE big positive energy and awareness of negative self-talk and people/horse pleasing that prevents my being effective. I have noticed I keep getting ideas and transitioning with them rather than remaining with the original idea--is this a plus or a negative?

Also factors were January weather--rain/snow/cold plus Try's physical/mental health issues. 

Snow and Ice Vacation

 Tuesday through Friday

Snowed in--temperatures too low to melt snow and ice--roads icey. Some planning and packing for renovations. Some horsemanship reading. Menu planning. Reading for fun. Catching up on admin and little household chores. Unable to go to the barn Monday-Friday!

Back Yard 

Front Yard

Feeding the birds

Monday - Looking toward goals for next week

How we did this week:

I. Rider biomechanics study and application and II. My fitness

These seemed to merge. I was glad for the perspective of Mary Wanless and what Dawn said about Linda's extreme conditioning--I know I need to ID and release tension BUT also I need increased fitness in various areas.

The Janice Dulak Pilates dvd is feeling good--she isolates 3 clusters of 3 muscle groups and through the 57 minute video helps to have them come together as one working unit. I found after doing the video and riding the same day that the unit carried over. This is great--plan/picture/feel--I obviously can't be concentrating on body parts but so much while riding--I need an intuitive overall feel so I can have energy for other stuff such as being aware of Try.

III. Big positive LBE energy
I lost sight of this and several times caught myself with some very negative self-talk. This needs to stay on the list for next week big time.

IV. Nutrition--see blog--for next week--find and try 2 recipes.
V. House--not on goal list--it will just be happening--packing, moving stuff

For next week:

I. Big positive LBE energy as #1 with the weather--losing three days again and waiting to see what is going on with Try. Self awareness and blog it. Making positive use of indoor time with horsemanship reading materials Kathy sent and Sally Swift/Eric Franklin--images for alignment in motion.

II. Try--downward transitions--tailored to how she is feeling
1. on line starting with backing from a standstill cued from intention and adding trot to halt and energy in the back up
2. thinking forward in downward transition riding--cueing with seat muscles--1/2 halt
3. being particular about responsiveness and then smoothness of the transition
4. Rethink cueing on the ground

III. My fitness, alignment etc as a rider: dvd plus my own exercises
IV. Nutrition--think about what I would actually enjoy eating and 2 new recipes or foods.