Review for Dawn #4 the plan as of our last call

The overall plan is to remain careful until August 15 to give my shoulder a chance to heal. I am feeling really ambitious though. Any way discussed with Dawn using the monthly plan rather than weekly. This will need some refining into weekly chucks to avoid being overwhelming and some items are H-homework.

August 15: send in audition tape for level 1, On Line

I copied the 7/17 notes here to comment on progress.

horse development 9
Rider 8

Talent 24, Skill 23, Try 24, LUCK 25

For Try

• The golden feeling
• Listen to what feels right to her--is she ready for a conversation
• H film her expressions
• Ride for fitness and determine what that should be
• Trot and canter quality
• H stand in my stirrups
• H friendly game in motion

As of 8/17: 

• Try and I have really been concentrating on parameters of the golden feeling. Listening to her, waiting to be sure she wants to do something and mostly being able to say yes to her. 
• Filming expression my videographer likes playing with still photos during lesson breaks and Try looks really relaxed and peaceful. 
• I haven't done all that great a job of fitness for Try this month. 
• Question for you about yeehaw vs gait quality. We have made some big strides in canter quality, simple bending cueing and I feel I am finally starting to "get" dressage instead of just being confused. 
• Done a little stand in the stirrups, and friendly game in motion causes no reaction.

For Sephira

• Listen to what feels right to her--is she ready for a conversation
• H film her expressions
• Ride for fitness and determine what that should be to achieve partnership goals
• Lenthen Trot, canter and soft feel/frame up
• H stand in my stirrups
• H friendly game in motion
• Patience but track her learning to express herself and puzzle solve, retain learning rather than react and expect micromanagement
• H ride with my eyes closed

• Dwell time, attempting to read her and being reminded by her to do so. Waiting for her to come to me before taking her out of her stall. YES
• Filming expression--I haven't done this.
• Ride for fitness better than Try but not as much as I would like for her to be gaining fitness unlike Try where the issue is more maintaining fitness level.
• Huge strides in my confidence in riding Sephira.
• NO not much progress with lengthen trot, canter and "framing" These are not my goals right now but BA's and we are on different wave lengths. I do plan to build to a normal on the rail hack soon to intersperse with "dressage" days. I am glad to do lessons with MH as I feel that she is helping me with a pre-dressage very beginning approach and looking for Sephira's happiness as we are all too aware of her burnout in the past.
• Stand in stirrups and close my eyes--yes some
• Friendly game in motion--we did this and it was confusing for Sephira as if she wondered if it was like lunging in her past. Good to put this on list for next month because she is doing so well with friendly.
• We are still not having the mental breakthrough I would like about learning. We are learning, changes are coming BUT I don't think it makes sense to Sephira.

Me

• fitness - pilates etc
• riding for safety
• golden feeling
• 5+2/affirm/mind reading
• watch videos savvy pack/dressage
• 
  
• I actually REALLY want more energy and endurance and to begin addressing my own fitness again. I have always been fit in my life and I have lost ground with the injury and my age. This is an important priority and I let so many other things come first!!!
• Riding for safety: I am almost back to my normal confidence--the next confidence hurdle--do canter laps on the big rail with Sephira. A normal basic canter hack at Rollover is 3 laps or a mile canter. 
• Golden feeling: I keep reminding myself to check for golden feeling with Sephira. It isn't as easy to keep the feeling with Sephira as with Try. My insecurities come into play and she doesn't send me the lovely warm feelings in the manner that Try does. 
• 5+2 tracking has gone well, affirmations and mind reading I have let slide recently.
• watched savvy pack games 1-3 and found them helpful also found new Scale of Training--fist video inspiring. Also felt HUGELY inspired watching FEI level riders in the sessions with Dennis Callin--I could see the progress during the session and two days and see a pathway instead of dressage just looking like some miraculous thing that naturally talented horses can do.

Question:
1. Emotional fitness and emotionally needy??

Review for Dawn #3

What has happen since the July 17 plan??

Review for Dawn #2 Try

I am back to lessons with Kathy. I had the saddle fitter check all of Try's saddles for fit and she recommended riding in the western saddle (custom) as first choice and NOT in the wintec dressage. So Try and I are now officially studying western dressage! LOL

• Continue to review shoulder in and haunches in.
• Play with the new improved canter (thanks to western saddle)
• Creating rhythm and relaxation in the trot

from last time and homework I remembered to consider:

• visualize uphill in asking for the canter and keep the visualization so as not to "drop" Try
• My position in the canter (feels like leaning back but is actually vertically aligned shoulders over hips) My tendency to be foreward--hunt seat.
• Extra time on getting a good step with the hind quarters--sit deep and relax

(small plane crop dusting low over the field across the street our entire session)

1. Shoulder in

We used circling to get a good bend/shape and to provide pattern variety. Both Try, Sephira and I are circling with a nice bend from my seat using inside and outside legs to stay "straight" on the circle. After circling keep the shape in the shoulder in sometimes "ride her more in."

2. Haunches in Outside leg goes back. No need to rebend. Shoulders more to the track. Crossing more.

3. Canter: First canter I wasn't effective in letting Try know I wanted canter in the ask. Loss of energy...4 beating...my visualization and communication-- mind saying no and my seat saying yes-- causing confusion. Picture uphill. Second side Try knew it was coming and offered the canter before I was ready with my visualization. So it was messy and it took me a bit to find my seat. Kathy called it a happy accident...great that she offered and an opportunity to fix it. Third canter at end of session.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu7rdPa0J5Y .53 seconds

4. Rhythm and relaxation in the trot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA7_0swXJpc 3.23 minutes

Finding a good rhythm if the trot is "runny" I can slow my body, comb reins (I can bounce on her back). I kept missing that Kathy was saying to allow Try to stretch my combing the reins and giving her more rein. If its fast/runny/emotional--circle and get a good shape.

PICTURE a big relaxed swinging stride lengthening and reaching in her FQ. Having the video I could hear Kathy give the instruction--I tried it--visualized and on the video I did see just a bit of lengthening in front. WOW THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ability to visualize and ask for something new. Later I visualized this in liberty circling on the rail and Try reached out with her inside shoulder so much that she "straightened" her knee.

At facebook I commented that Try and I were playing out back at liberty and she offered front feet and one back foot on the pedestal as that is a game she really knows. I decided to change it up. I wanted a real puzzle for Try to solve so asked that instead of lifting her right hind foot and placing in on the puzzle I asked that she step her hind feet TOWARD me as I knew it would be too easy to ask her to move them AWAY from me. This took quite a long time--??7 minutes for her to figure out and she gave a big nicker when she got it. That gave me the opportunity to practice the long 60 second count/visualization release that Mary Miller Jordan is teaching.

Review for Dawn #1 Sephira over the last month

Sephira changes - 

• moving toward more confident and dominant. 
• Reactive mostly in the wash stall/cross tied, showers--does not like being sprayed. 
• She used to be reactive to grooming and is now much more relaxed. 
• Also the lack of reactiveness means she feels less extraverted. 
• I am confident that it will take a good bit to get her to explode with something new on the ground AND she is pretty much not concerned by any of the riding she has experienced at Rollover. I do think a big ol' exhausting hunter hack and jumping as a regular thing could make her really grouchy. 
• My riding lately has been walk/trot laps on the big rail as a warmup--patterns with bending in the dressage ring, playing with rhythms and for me gaining confidence especially in the canter which is quite lovely.
• She will make downward transitions from my intention as that is her preferred direction!!
• I do feel I need to be careful not to make her dull and uninterested. I keep debating how much to up the ante. Just up my energy level and Jim Carrey devilishness? Higher phases--On line start to ask for more energetic stuff?? 
• Riding I have MH's help to find the balance. MH REALLY likes Sephira for natural talent, prior training and knowledge and lovely willingness and happy in sessions. Issue: should I include occasional rides for Sephira with MH as a treat/something different??

On Line assessment:
1. Friendly game--she isn't afraid and is relaxing more. I want to be more observant now as to degree of relaxation from which method.
2. Porcupine game--yes FQ/HQ circles and getting the idea of getting good steps and fairly soon likely to be true turns on the haunches and forehand. HQ yields are easier than FQ. Backing--she doesn't like as much--dominance--but she is getting the idea more and more. From the chest and from the nose coordinating the steps with my fingers R/L. Head down for bridling/haltering: she is more likely to offer this for haltering than bridling. LOL Using Parelli approach of porcupine phases on top of head will not work as she is incredibly taller than I am BUT lower phases from below with halter/lead or visualize and ask her with loving energy to match my head lowering or having a low cookie will work fine. Higher phases offend her.
3. Driving: I can drive HQ--sometimes it is an escape rather than confident. FQ--we are just starting to get this. Backup--it takes a wiggle from the wrist and maybe elbow but sometimes from my energy/body language/intention.
4. Yoyo: Her draw is way stronger.
5. Circling: I want to get Marie's help with the send as Sephira and I know different ways to ask for the send. Circling itself--gait transitions up and down are easy. The bring back--I haven't gotten the idea across that my looking at her HQ means yield HQ, halt, turn and face and ask for permission to come. We are starting to get some nice changes of direction on the circle.
6. Sideways on the fence: played with it just a little FQ/HQ etc and then a few sideways steps. As dressage horse I don't know how much she did a true sidepass.
7. Squeeze--she is not claustrophobic about tight spaces--don't know otherwise. She can be hesitant about unknowns i.e. no desire to walk on the tarp--nose, neck and one foot.

Sticking together: on the lead line easy to match walk/trot/halt--backup takes a reminder.
Figure 8--we will have it when our change of direction on the circle is more solid.
Touch IT --if there is a cookie there--she doesn't understand the concept
Pick me up at the mounting block: this is a big priority for me now as she moves her HQ away from the block and I feel sure she is saying I don't want to do this. Actually--we noted before in photo that she was even going internal when someone was getting ready to mount. I have started standing on both pedestals and rubbing her in zone 3, leaning on her in zone 3, then walking away with her and repeating. She gets a cookie for a successful mounting and bop with the baby carrot stick for moving HQ. ??????????

However I still don't feel any of this makes any sense to her--she is thinking about this I guess in a way that doesn't make sense to me or doesn't compute for her.

Riding: Now that I am feeling more confident about the basics I am starting some pre-dressage basics in lessons with MH. I asked for help and got it in having consistent nice rhythm in the walk and trot and for help in improving upward transitions which came from having more forward energy before asking. Also enjoying bending in patterns: circles, serpentine and cloverleaf--shaping her from my body--not using reins--adding straightness through my leg. MH and BA say prevent falling in with inside leg to outside rein BUT do I even need rein??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX6Q0XDop_8  8 minutes--5 minutes walking then trot on circle--fast forward to 7:15 for serpentine

Plan to continue above and alternate with days of simple hack on the rail. Explore safety issues in riding out in the fields. Don't know about that yet?

#5 Saturday - Comparison B Me and Parelli

Comparison of B Me and Parelli as I see them at this point:

Friday - Lesson MH and Sephira - walk and trot - quality rhythm and transitions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX6Q0XDop_8  8 minutes

Started with the walk (after Sephira and I warmed up with trot laps on the main rail and circling. Sephira and I have been just walking (as if we were on a trail ride or something LOL) and not paying attention to quality of walk that may well have caused issues in upward transitions to trot and canter!

So use leg or if need be stick--bop shoulder in need be, more energy etc to get a nice walk. If will however be even nicer after a higher gait. Be careful of nagging--ask, get it then leave her alone and if she loses it ask again at that point. IN FRONT OF MY LEG. Not sticky. Too much energy: take my energy down and use 1/2 halt in my body. NEED the energy to get a good upward gait transition! A naturally laid back horse i.e. Try and Sephira need a warmup to wake them up.

I still did not see on the tape the walk I visualize Sephira can do but that may not be appropriate for me at my stage or learning/need for safety etc. MH did say after riding Sephira that she is really trained and to Grand Prix level--and said "lucky you." Also we discussed her baggage and balancing--making me think about being careful for not too much pressure leading to old feelings vs not asking enough of Sephira and Sephira not respecting me or wanting to follow my leadership. I do feel I have made her dull in my search to feel safe after the fall.

We trotted circles that show on the video and serpentines where we were off camera a lot. I loved the trot in the serpentines as she really got going and had good energy mostly. We had a few strides where everything came together and it felt like we were dancing. Serpentines at 7+ minutes.

Lots to think about:

1. Good rhythm--consistent
2. Good shapes--bending in Sephira's body
3. Using my body to turn
4. Change posting diagonal in the center
5. 1/2 halt or other adjustment to rhythm in the centers
6. the center as a straightaway releasing the bend
7. pay attention to the letters in the ring
8. relax, swoop and enjoy the movement!!

Monday and Tuesday rides for building block basics such as rhythm, relaxation and transitions.

Sephira was HAPPY!

Homework for me--I would like to video some walk and trot rhythms--experiment but I think I know the feeling I want even better with Sephira than Try.

Using the circles and serpentine for balancing/energy.

Friday - B Me notes for Session 2

The Lesson - Text

Part 1 - Do what your horse does Mirroring

Align yourself with your horse. Face the way she is facing. Standing about 10 feet from her side, align your shoulder to hers. Mirror her in Body. Do whatever she does. If she rests a leg, rest yours. If she exhales, exhale too. If she walks off, amble along with her – being sure to not put any pressure on her to do anything. Her job is simply to exist. Nothing more. (Complete passenger mode) Only do this if Try or Sephira are already in GM mode.Focus on every little detail in body that your horse is doing and mirror EVERYTHING you can. Do this for at least 15 minutes at a time and try it at least three different times. Often the first time is the hardest

Day 1 with Try: I stood too close to really observe everything so I missed a good bit of expression and tail swishing. She was not in the mood to move and I (RBE) got bored and my legs got tired so at 3 minutes and 8 minutes I asked her to move with basic Dan sticking together ask. She took a few steps and stopped again each time. This was not the exercise--I needed to hang the whole 15 minutes without asking Try to do anything. ??If mirroring needs to be subtle for human to human, should it be subtle for human to horse mirroring??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdmjE6tCxRs This is 8 minutes edited down from 30 minutes of video 0-4 min is initial mirroring, 20 seconds of mirroring at a walk. The task to magnify release with GM energy cookie is 4 minutes. (Task is to step with HQ toward me while FQ remains on the pedestal.)

Part 2 – Magnify Release through GM Energy Cookie

1. Request your horse does something – anything. have your horse feel an increase in tension (from your intent/request to do something) so that he can then release from it.  After you have asked your horse to do something, allow him to halt. Watch for all signs of release. Mirror any sign of release. 

4. Wait for a LARGE release. This could be all sorts of things - but often a long lick/chew or a deep exhale or big Yawn are signs off large releases. When your horse offers a LARGE release we want to make a really big deal of it. Let’s say he exhaled for his large release. You will exhale in return and lower your gaze/and or drop to the ground to squat – and do a 60 count. This is where you want to go to GM yourself for one minute. This is that ultimate cookie the horse craves. This is how you say YES this was IT. That was what I wanted. This is how you build freeways of positivity.

5. Do this at least three sets in each session and do at least three sessions. You can work this in to anything else you do with your horse. It can be within a riding session or just leading to the pasture. I would like you to practice first on the ground, but if you ride your horse feel free to do it while on her back as well.

6. Take note of what YOUR horse does to release. What are his Large releases? What does he do when he is tight vs. relaxed? What about you?

7. Take note of when your horse offers those Large releases the most. Is it after a ride? Is it throughout a ride? Is it when you turn him loose in the pasture and go to leave? Is it when you take him to the barn aisle to groom? Notice these things. Be aware of your horse’s emotions. This is valuable stuff you will use in the future.

Day 1 with Try: I used the pedestal task and stayed with it for the 3 times. First was small release, messy, I did not have my act together. 2nd and 3rd better. Try gave immediate Large release--big nicker--to say I am so cool I figured it out--I am so smart--where is my cookie. I did give the cookie and ??wonder if I can bridge in the beginning from good girl/cookie AND GM energy??? Then did the count but rushed it and the movie of what Try just did was not clear.

Discussion at facebook--prior to my being able to watch footage of Try and I

• Well gave mirroring a go this am--not as much fun as I thought it would be--Try didn't want to move and stood in one place--my muscles got tired just standing there and cheated and asked her to move a couple times during the 15 minutes. LOL Not what I expected. I didn't realize until today that the mirroring I have been doing--leadership may (or may not) have been shared but was never just me mirroring her for that length of time. I do enjoy mirroring on the lead line as we have some place to go. OR perhaps I don't have to mirror her exactly the whole 15 minutes and its ok to get some variety of movement going. ??

  19 hrs · Edited · Like · 1
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  Michele Sayetta This will be very interesting...

  18 hrs · Like
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  Mary Miller Jordan Good thoughts Elizabeth Pope  .. There are two aspects to this Session (part 1 and part 2) .. for part 1 it is really important to not request anything of your horse - AT ALL - I know it's hard .. Everything we do with a horse involves our leadership in some way - but much of the point of this is to let that GO and truly submerge into our horse's life and way of 'being' ... remember to mirror EVERYTHING - not just if she walks, but the shifts of weight from left front to right front .. every TINY shift - mirror it .. I think we will all be surprised to notice all the little things our horses do all the time that we over look. Little things are the BIG things 

  16 hrs · Like · 2
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  Mary Miller Jordan and for this you do not want your horse thinking she is supposed to be waiting for your guidance - She needs to know it's ok to just BE. Can you imagine a friend that ALWAYS told you what to do? It would get old. We need balance. They need balance. I have a 'cue' w/ Dance where I pat him and say verbally 'ok' that's his sign that he can do whatever he wants .. you want your horse to know it's ok to just hang out .. you might play around with different locations .. as long as your horse is in GM and you are safe it will work.

  16 hrs · Unlike · 2
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  Mary Miller Jordan but YES Elizabeth Pope - please do try this in different ways and different time frames - you might try hand grazing too ....

VIDEO #1 Theory Notes
HOW can we encourage our horse to have internal GM? How to let him know that it is right and that is what we want. We in GM mode as the ultimate "cookie" for our horse. MMJ she counts correlating the good thing that just happened into the county of 60 i.e. a movie of what the horse just did suprimposed into the rhythm of the count.

Remember: Horses see our thoughts!! We get more done in that well spent minute than if we skip it. (finding the time to do it right versus having to do it over and over again wrong??)

VIDEO #2 Mirroring

• Do not ask horse to do anything during this time--15 minutes or could be less
• We always expect horse to do stuff FOR US
• Need to be able to tell him when he has done a good job--this goes deeper than giving rest or good girl.
• Use E/GM ultimate way to say he did right.
• Where is your horse most comfortable and relaxed. Horse not constrained--at liberty. not guiding horse even if horse wants to be on top of you--if need be have fence between you for safety.
• Do what your horse does. Build the tool before you need to use it. 12' away, shoulders aligned, facing the same direction, drop head and be passive--take it in. This can be a way to get to your own GM--Live real time visual movie for you.
• Horse starts to pay attention to her.
• ??subtleness/simultaneous ness
• Powerful concept. horse will be more comfortable in your presence

VIDEO#3 the "Cookie"

• Ask Try to do something--at this stage we are NOT concerned about what the task is or how we ask
• When Try does it, wait for the release, and ID what the release is
• Large release, magnify it with 60-1 count in GM mode and visualize what Try did.
• This tells her she is right--that she got it.
• big release I exhalt and melt--MMJ kneeled
• signs: exhale, lick n chew, nicker, tail moves, drop head, eyes soften, rst leg, blow

1. What does the horse do when she is "tight"?

2. What are her signs of release?

3. What are her large releases? blow, nicker, shake and drop her head

4. What do I do when I am tight? forget to breathe, tighten jaw and eyes

5. My release? blow, exhale, shake it out

term: statue mode LOL