Keep on believing don’t give in . . .

Semester is almost over and that means more pony time!

Been squeezing in as much time with my boy as I can and I know I’ve said this probably a million times, but I feel like I’m really learning how to make every second with him count. I feel like our biggest thing lately has been really learning about the power of MY focus, in all the savvies.

Been trying to up the ante with our online patterns lately. Changing them up a little with lots of transitions and trying to see how little I can move my feet/body and get him to do the pattern. Been playing on the 22 and the 45 and I’m starting to feel a bit more confidant with the 45. Even getting better at handling the 45 with obstacles. Attempted at filming our online last week and it went alright, not exactly what I wanted but I know what I’m going to do differently next time. Hopefully will be able to squeeze in another video session in a few weeks.

Been experimenting with the seven games (minus the circling game) at liberty out in the arena and that’s been going well. Just a matter of trust, focus and being in control of my energy when we’re out in a larger space. Been playing lots of circling game while standing on the 22 (sort of “faux”) liberty to prep for eventually playing the circling game out there. Really have had to separate the pieces of the circling game for that to make sure I can keep him with me every step of the way (he’s best at the “bring back”, lol).

Riding wise, it’s been focus, focus, focus! Lol. And a stunning realization to how much I don’t trust him to go out and do the pattern and feel like I need to tell him what to do every step of the way. I’ve starting noticing the pinned back ears, the tail swishes (especially the tail swishes) every time I “nag” him with my legs, reins or stick. If I can maintain my focus we can do the patterns with me not touching him at all! We got the most epic simple change on the Question Box last week off just my focus and Wednesday we got the most awesome transitions off just my body. I’ve had so much fun experimenting with patterns like that and he puts more effort into our rides, it’s been awesome

Today we had an epic finesse breakthrough, we’ve thrown in a million transitions with contact (haven’t gone faster than a trot) the past couple rides with me focusing on really stopping once it’s gets a teeny tiny bit better. I’ve seen steady improvement (in my body and in his) over the past few rides, but today was the best yet. The best part? It was my LBI’s idea!

We were playing with various size circles and I had thrown in some fluid rein at the trot and after stretching a bit he started to come “up”, so I decided to seize the opportune moment and go with. We had a blast! He had impulsion, I was literally using my reins for shaping and I got to make lots little little tweaks in my body. He was only tossing his head when I would start engaging my biceps instead of my triceps and at those points I was able to make the adjustments in my arms. We started with our million transitions while following the rail we’ve been playing with. Threw in some “Let me help you!” when he got crooked to the right and then played with some partial disengagements both ways and that made a huge difference. From there we played with transitions on the clover leaf, figure eight and question box. I made sure to stop every time something was a smidge bit better and I got tons of licks and chews. I was getting blow outs at the trot, with me having contact, which was super awesome. We ended with a some canter trot transitions and he did great! Had some fluidity issues of my own, but it just gave me some stuff to lick and chew on. I hopped off before I pushed my luck and he did the biggest shake I think I’ve ever seen him do followed my massive blow outs.

I’ve never had so much fun with this boy, he’s the best partner ever. I think I’m starting to grasp your frustration becoming your fascination. Just gotta get stuff on film . . .

 

 

Between who you are and who you could be . . .

First off, many thanks to Kristi Smith for an amazing private lesson and workshop yesterday.

I am so excited about where my journey with my horse is going. Kristi told me yesterday that the foundation was all solidly there, now I get to have some fun and get super creative for my boy.

Took it slow in the morning and brushed him up before our private lesson. He was a little distracted by a visiting horse and all of the new sounds/people/stuff, so I just made sure to play lots of little friendly, porcupine and driving games to keep him “with” me. Went and played out front with some touch its and some new phase ones and more subtle gesture with my body. Hung out with him on the tire, since I know he likes that. When Kristi was ready for us, she asked if she could play with us with some Level 4 concepts online and so began the awesome amazing online lesson I was able to have.

She just watched us play a bit first and said she was glad to see how light things were getting, but now she wanted to see me really asking him to put effort into things and getting his play drive up. Both of which will lead to better flying changes. She had me get more unpredictable with my phase fours and really had his zone one moving out quickly on the send in our circling game. One of the big keys of getting a flying change and one we struggle with, getting some energy into zone one on the change of direction. We also played with transitions and I got some really fantastic upward and downward transitions with simply inhaling and exhaling. From there she had me playing with adding in lots of variety and quickly moving from one thing to the next to keep him interested and engaged.

Then we played with Mocach and I’s zone five driving, something that has given me lots of puzzles lately. Kristi had me following the rail and playing with transitions, then from there showed me how to ask him for a haunches in from zone 5 as we followed the rail. That proved to be a little tricky but with Kristi’s help my boy and I got it! She also helped me with a little mental brace of my own with our zone five driving. When he’d start to get a little worried, I would stop all together. But Kristi showed me how to just give him a rub and give him a minute to think the request through he would do just fine. Another good lesson in waiting. Once we got that good a few times we played with the weave pattern from zone five. I was a little confused with my stick/rope coordination at first, but I watched Kristi do it with him and then I was able to do it was well. We’ve always had a super hard time getting that one in zone 5, was so excited to have some success with that yesterday!

De-briefed with Kristi after that and then it was back to the barn to put his saddle on and eat lunch. The afternoon was a freestyle workshop. Played with the boy a smidge more online and then put his bridle on. Started out the neutral and indirect and direct rein. Really focusing on just getting it in my body and not having to use my stick. From there we followed the rail at the walk and once again played with indirect and direct rein. Once Mocachee and I were getting it nice and light, Kristi played the matador game with it and once again added in asking him to put some effort into it. We went back out and I tried achieving the same results out on the rail and we were starting to get it. I never knew my boy could do an indirect/direct rein so tight and fast!

Impulsion patterns were next, played with point to points and the corners game with my buddy to start getting his life up a little walk and trot. Kristi also had me lengthen my stirrups and tweaked my fluidity a little. The clover leaf was last and there was where my boy almost got me on emotional fitness. My water loving horse who normally does the cloverleaf just fine at the walk decided he couldn’t walk in a straight line because he was not going to walk through any mud puddles. I started getting frustrated and finally I just flexed him and gave myself a minute. Then I went and asked Kristi how she would deal with the mud puddle issue. She reminded me it was just a leadership question and I just needed to prove to him that I was the leader and he wasn’t going to get me emotional. It took quite a bit of effort and lots of deep breath on my part but I just stuck with it and finally my buddy was traversing through mud and back to normal. Kristi also had me start throwing in some transitions on the cloverleaf which certainly got his attention and made the pattern more interesting. Got some transitions off my breathing again and got a corner each way with just my focus and then it was time to horse shoe up. I think the highlight of my whole afternoon was managing to hold it together for my pony and managing to “win one”.

Played with our online stuff a little again this afternoon as I had a few minutes with the boy. Had some moments of unconscious incompetence and a little bit of conscious incompetence but just played lots of friendly game and did my best to make sure my buddy didn’t feel like he was wrong for me getting my timing wrong or messing up with my stick, string and/or rope. We got a step of the zone five driving haunches in both ways and he licked and chewed both times. We’re just taking it nice and slow with that, trying to not to push him while he’s trying to figure it all out. Transitions on the rail from zone five were much better. We had a couple rope failures on my part but he handled them really well. The weave started out so-so and I accidentally got too fast with my phase four at one point so I just went with him, told him I was sorry and I fixed up my friendly game a minute. I thought back to the stuff Kristi was telling me and remembered her talking about the goal being me just sticking my stick out and him making the turn. Went back to the weave and slowed it down and really made a effort to just lift my stick up and we got a whole weave with him at the walk making the turns with me just lifting my stick up and out! The best part of today? A really amazing, clean, exuberant flying change online at a phase one! The boy had so much forward energy I didn’t even have to touch him. Promptly turned him back out once we were done, which also left him licking and chewing.

I think the concepts are what is really going to help me with Lucy. Plus, I got lots out of watching everyone else with their horses. I feel like a year after going to the center it’s starting to click. It’s like it’s not so much knowing the stuff in my head, it’s knowing how to really put it into practice. As well as knowing it on a different level. The concepts just had to sink in and I had to give myself some time to grow, I guess. The best part is, I’m sure as time goes on it’s just going to click more and more. Overall it was a fantastic day and I can’t wait to see what happens next on this journey!

Some pictures that Katie took during the workshop . . .

Bridling

My gorgeous boy

A lick and c ahew when I checked his girth, I think? He’s doing something with those big lips of his, lol

After playing the matador game with Kristi

De-briefing in the “horse-shoe”

Mocachee decided he needed a nap

Yep, it was a long day for my little LBI

Just for fun, my hat hanging out on the fence

How light is light. . .

Just a quick post before class, but something I’ve been licking and chewing on and I’m sure to get more information on tomorrow.

The past week, I’ve played with my horse twice, due to tests and tons of homework. Both times have been in the paddock, Monday on my 22 and yesterday on my 12. I’ve done something different online both times, but both sessions have led to short but fantastic liberty sessions in the paddock. Monday I really focused on how soft my send could be and came to the conclusion I go to neutral a second too late, which is why I get the head toss and pinned back ears on my send. I made that small little subtle change and then started to get a super connected circling game. I let my line drop a couple times and he stayed with, so we played the circling game 2 laps at the walk, 2 laps at the trot and about a 1/4 of a lap at the canter with the 22 foot line attached but me not holding it. He never left once. We’ve also been playing with a fun little stick to me where he trots and I walk, mainly in a small little circle for right now. We’ve had small success, but he still tends to leave. We got a couple steps in either direction Monday, no leaving and called it a day.

Yesterday we did a teeny tiny figure eight on the 12, with me focusing on barely moving my feet and hands. Moved into a falling leaf and finally wanted to try our circling game on the 12. I had the chance to play with a super “grumpy” LBI on Sunday and since then I feel like I’ve been noticing every pinned back ear, “bored” looked and swishing tail from my horse. Things I overlooked before. Every time I wiggled my finger, he swished his tail. So, I decided to just look at each individual foot I wanted to back up instead (trying to do the least that I could do) and my wiggling was phase four. Hello licking, chewing, blowing out, shaking and forward ears, goodbye swishing tail and “bored” ears. Once again, that itty bitty change made him get connected on the circling game and once I got a couple good laps at the walk, trot and canter I un-snapped the line and tried our little trot stick to me we’d been playing with. It was perfect We were able to keep it up for a few minutes and he didn’t leave once. His head was done, his tail out, one ear forward and one on me and he was starting to get his trot in sync with my walk. I quit before I “over did” it with him and was given more licking and chewing in return.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from yoga it’s how powerful little changes in my body are. One little tiny thing and my horse’s opinion of me changed, I became interesting, he wanted to stay with me. The connection I felt, especially when we “tested” our relationship at liberty, was the most connected he’s ever felt with me. I feel like I’ve learned to add a “dance like” quality to my movements, I can experiment with my phase ones now, because I know hot to play with making minor adjustments to my hands, feet, head, ect. My hands, especially, I’ve found affect him more than I thought. So often, I feel like I stay at a phase because that’s the one I learned in the beginning. In my mind it’s right now one. We were challenged in Florida to find out “how light is light” and I never really got it. Funny how a year later I finally feel like maybe I’m starting to grasp the concept. I feel like that about a lot of stuff I heard/learned at the Center. It was a seed that was planted and it had to grow. Kristi told me in May to experiment, I feel like I’m finally starting to get the idea. There are no rules, only guidelines. My horse, especially doesn’t like it when I play by the “rules”. Hopefully this afternoon I’ll have the time to play with softening some more things, but I feel like maybe I’m starting to get “it”. Whatever “it” is, lol. We’ll find out tomorrow, have a private liberty lesson with Kristi Smith in the morning and then a workshop in the afternoon. Can’t wait for more feedback/information!

 

One of the photos taken by Katie Weeks. I never really noticed, but he wants to be "in sync" with me so much lately