Monday

Did not get to ride Try today. Played on the ground and rode Nicky--see her blog and brief ride of Safira. Tomorrow house stuff is likely going to prevent me from even going to the barn. Oh well. Looks like good weather for Wednesday through Friday.

Thoughts about the Trot

Lately my goals have been about my being able to ask Try for a good trot without an instructor helping us. That means I need to not only have "arrows in my quiver" but also I need to know by FEEL what is going on with the trot.

To me a "good" trot:

• Steady rhythm with relaxation
• Using HQ
• HQ and FQ balanced but more from HQ
• Power rather than speed/"runny"/emotional
• Tracking up
• Lovely loose but powerful feeling
• (pushing from the HQ rather than pulling from the FQ)
• Lengthening and shortening the trot
• Turn on the haunches
• HQ yields
• FQ/lateral flexability
• Start from a good walk
• Transitions: think forward to avoid losing momentum
• Even if using HQ--Try is not engaged without pickin up her shoulders
• Trot is generally better AFTER we Canter

• From Dawn: using speed as a puzzle for Try to figure out a better balance and comfort. Release comes from stretching, lengthening. Reward the release. Then back to tap/tap/tap. Freestyle with a long rein, really push forward motion. Try will figure out how to get more economical, legthen and stretch. Christoph Hess/Linda Parelli using it to teach young horses--take them too forward so they figure out for themselves a better feel and then they will start to offer it. Don't give up too soon. It may be ugly in the beginning. Play with this and film before Tuesday.

• From MH: Use lots of transitions i.e. trot walk, trot walk--that will help me to feel the trot better. Want to feel pushing (vs pulling). Also transitions within the gait. Then compress/shorter alternated with lengthening i.e. 70/30. Push out of the compression into lengthening. It is not about her head but about being forward.

Methods/Stuff that helps

Plan to video myself and speak into camera as to how the trot is feeling then go back and watch to see if what I felt matches what I see.

"Trotting" (technically a trot) in 2008:

Trotting in 2014 4 17 Lesson with Kathy:

This is a big improvement in development of Try's topline and how she carries herself and uses her HQ.

Next this is MH riding Try--2 different trots--warmup and a more shortened trot.

So Thursday--I had decided that it needed to be a fill Try's +s bucket day. Groomed then decided to ride although that was not the original intent. We took the big trot approach--see Dawn above--I am unsure but I treated it as freestyle--also freestyle in my body for the most part--don't know if that is what I should do. But Try had fun--she was happy to go and to relax. Dan always said "Try doesn't mind playing hard--just not for very long. So rather than just keep pushing her to keep that big trot we would do 1/6 of a mile and then walk 50 yards or so then go again. We did this about 3 times on each side. This just felt right. We did get one time the biggest freestyle trot I have felt AND interestingly I bet a year ago she would have broke to a canter. I can't say that it felt ugly or out of control--just really moving.

BUT if I had MADE her keep going in that big trot--would that have led to her wanting to "balance" herself--she felt pretty balanced to me--but by balanced does that mean she would have eventually offered coming up through her topline to be balanced.

Saturday: walk (tap, tap, tap, my energy, pushing with my seat), trot, walk and stretch, going forward in the trot etc. (20 minutes condensed to 3 minutes--off camera much of the time anyway.) I guess I would call this a forward freestyle trot. ??Shoulders??

1. in the walk I ended up working harder than she did--pushing with my seat and still did not get a good walk. What if I hade gone to HQ yields etc.

2. Is Try forward? yes in the trot

3. Is she happy? yes

4. Is she relaxed? I would say fired up with positive emotion but not relaxed.

5. Is she maintaining a good rhythm? no--she is not maintaining--each time she turns the corner she picks up energy. She is in front of me and then I catch up. When she rounds the opposite corner (not on video) she loses energy.

Monday April 28. Warmup only but I really liked our walk and trot.

Considering level 4

OK I went back and looked at just the compulsories for level 4 in all 4 savvies and found fewer problems:
1. On Line--45 foot line and long reins and flying changes
2. Freestyle--2' jump and flying changes
3. Liberty--flying changes and for circling at a canter I would need to move to a paddock not work in a field. Then editing between the two locations would be an issue.
4. Finesse--flying changes

Actually I feel the self-assessment check list is so different from the way Try and I are thinking. Rarely do we pick a task based on task itself--the exception is for variety--there is always a non-task purpose. Our real focus is connection and more and more subtle communication between us. I think that is level 4 not task.

Also the self-assessment two pages--I believe I would need to check off that we have mastered these tasks. Another comment--I have a number of friends whose horsemanship I admire who did not pass level 4 on line because the long lines driving seemed not to be of the quality that would have been there asking for the same tasks on a 22' line. I have to ask myself what is really important for Try and I??

BUT--passing level 4 was a dream for a long time. Try age 23 and moi age 68 have been together for ten years--we have grown together so much and have a special connection. Would passing level 4 commemorate that accomplishment or would it be harmful to our relationship?

I looked at a few level 4 youtube videos for finesse looking for quality of the gaits. Very interesting variety. One was peanut-rolling jog/lope as a 4+++ relaxed, obedient, careful. Another a dressage trained horse and I liked this one the most for carriage, using HQ etc. Then a couple western and I was unsure what was happening?? Really liked Don Halladay's as it was so solid.

What should be in MY level 4 audition?

1. Freestyle bridleless--I could redo my L3--still no jumps or flying change or I could ask for the change and let Try fix it. From leg, mind/body/energy--with string and stick but not using them.

2. Straddle the cavaletti pole vertically from 15' feet at liberty
3. ?Other touch it variations
4. Finesse trot with contact and leg yield
5. Sideways away and toward from intention at liberty
6. Short range circling at liberty
7. Circling in the back paddock at liberty w/t/c/ halt back etc
8. Trailer loading at liberty
9. yoyo at liberty cue from intention/find my focus game
10. Bring yer butt ie draw HQ only at liberty
11. Sideways over barrels at liberty from ??how far away.

Thursday - Lesson with Kathy

We had a lovely 15 minute lesson on getting a good walk and trot. Kathy questioned me on what I was feeling: pushing/pulling HQ/FQ or in balance at the walk. 1/4 turns on the haunches to power up. Trot--few strides of a really better trot and we quit on that note.

Video of few great trot strides:

See Nickers--we spent a few minutes introducing Nicky to Kathy.

Katie filmed and took a few photo--I look funny in my new visor my the helmet but if it keeps the sun off my face it is worth looking silly. We were done here and just hanging out for a few minutes.

Walk: eleven minutes

On the buckle
1. Kathy was testing me as to whether she is using her HQ or FQ more. Being in balance is better than being on the forehand but more HQ is better IF she is lifting her shoulders.
2. To lift shoulders, sit deep, abs, think that we are riding uphill. Focus

Shorter reins
1. Little whoa and little go
2. 1/4 turns on the haunches really worked when I added carrot stick
3. Then took it into the trot

Trot: 4 minutes
Trot was alternately pretty good then runny when beside stallion Richmond (Try in season). Keep my energy, post slower and heavier. Continue to think uphill. Really liked the last trot--and quit.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Catch up days--rest, perspective, relax and destress.

Monday - great day

Lovely time with Try today. It would have been day off but with rain coming we went ahead. Played with exercises from the weekend--leisurely sort of sorta hack. Nice shower. Happy horse, happy human.

Sunday - day off for Try

First day indoor for the heat for the special horses at Rollover LOL. 10 in and 6 out today--Dorrie has gone home. BA and Jocelyn taking 2 ponies to Cottonwood for schooling show.

Try was happy to leave her stall and walk up the drive and back stopping to graze.
Nickers: see her blog.