Sunday 25th October 09
Just what the doctor ordered! Had a fab ride round Scarletts lake. Same route as before. D totally chilled, not even tense when I got on. Walked & trotted. We went on the outside on the way back on the road.
Sharon "let me off" when we got back and I got stuck with D's head down munching. I felt like a little kid!! Had to go to Ph 4 to get him to walk on and when he did he was bracey. I said "Look, he's worried" but even as I said it I revised it to "I bet he's fed up, he wants to eat the grass"! S confirmed this to be the case which was good, piggy rather than panicky! He was a really good boy.
Monday 26 October 2009
More oh dears!
Friday 24th october 09
I felt mouldy and it was rainy & blowy. D was both spooky RB and dominant LB, flicking from one state to another in a moment. I was not patient at all and tried to push him through extreme FG with the bag (actually ok with that) then too soon into driving from Z4 - he didn't want to go here then there and I kept going to Ph 4 then he'd get spooky, lots of trying to get away and kicking his heels up. I really was not in the mood and ended up having a little weep I was so frustrated and wishing D was more straight forward.
Pulled myself together and chilled out a bit, at least the procupines from the nose were nice today! Got some nice sideways but D was not impressed with me and neither was I! No way riding was an option so we left on a reasonable note ('though the next visit he turned and walked away from me which he hasn't done for ages!!! I looked at S and said "feedback!")
I felt like I was on a slippery slope down until I thought about the situation in "normal" terms - that is within my previous pre-parelli riding experience. If a horse was spooky (which O often was), I would ride round & round changing direction, moving forwards, transitions etc in an area of the school or field they felt safe in until the horse was with me & listening. I would not use my stick & try to force them where they did not want to go. So why was I doing that on the ground?
Felt a lot better as it all started to make sense and I could see where I'd gone wrong. Must try harder..............!
I felt mouldy and it was rainy & blowy. D was both spooky RB and dominant LB, flicking from one state to another in a moment. I was not patient at all and tried to push him through extreme FG with the bag (actually ok with that) then too soon into driving from Z4 - he didn't want to go here then there and I kept going to Ph 4 then he'd get spooky, lots of trying to get away and kicking his heels up. I really was not in the mood and ended up having a little weep I was so frustrated and wishing D was more straight forward.
Pulled myself together and chilled out a bit, at least the procupines from the nose were nice today! Got some nice sideways but D was not impressed with me and neither was I! No way riding was an option so we left on a reasonable note ('though the next visit he turned and walked away from me which he hasn't done for ages!!! I looked at S and said "feedback!")
I felt like I was on a slippery slope down until I thought about the situation in "normal" terms - that is within my previous pre-parelli riding experience. If a horse was spooky (which O often was), I would ride round & round changing direction, moving forwards, transitions etc in an area of the school or field they felt safe in until the horse was with me & listening. I would not use my stick & try to force them where they did not want to go. So why was I doing that on the ground?
Felt a lot better as it all started to make sense and I could see where I'd gone wrong. Must try harder..............!
Oh dear day
Monday 19th October 09
This are going to be brief as must get to bed but I'm 3 entries behind! I deliberately left this one as I was pretty mad with myself afterwards. This is what I emailed to T afterwards:
I had terrible trouble today with Duncs throwing his head up and even biting my coat sleeves when I touched his face. I'm afraid I got totally predatorial and frustrated and even (horrors!) jerked on the rope a few times before getting a grip of myself. So, so much for my porcupining before touching. I was very disheartened and resorted to giving him a treat after he'd been soft which meant he was soft because he wanted the treat, not because he respected me - but it broke my cycle of frustration if nothing else (no if about it!)
There were some positives - lovely driving from Z4 and good circling. Did some more with the Sainsbury's bag too. However, D was disappointingly tense when I got on - though marginally quicker to relax and actually moved about a bit while grazing. I was not proud of myself today :(
This are going to be brief as must get to bed but I'm 3 entries behind! I deliberately left this one as I was pretty mad with myself afterwards. This is what I emailed to T afterwards:
I had terrible trouble today with Duncs throwing his head up and even biting my coat sleeves when I touched his face. I'm afraid I got totally predatorial and frustrated and even (horrors!) jerked on the rope a few times before getting a grip of myself. So, so much for my porcupining before touching. I was very disheartened and resorted to giving him a treat after he'd been soft which meant he was soft because he wanted the treat, not because he respected me - but it broke my cycle of frustration if nothing else (no if about it!)
There were some positives - lovely driving from Z4 and good circling. Did some more with the Sainsbury's bag too. However, D was disappointingly tense when I got on - though marginally quicker to relax and actually moved about a bit while grazing. I was not proud of myself today :(
Sunday 18 October 2009
Fan-tas-tic da-a-ay!
Sun 16th Oct 09 - My FIRST PROPER RIDE!!
I had negotiated 2.5 hrs time off this pm but hadn't quite decided what to do yet when I spoke to Sharon who said she was taking M round Scarletts lake. I said maybe I would come too and the thought popped into my mind that I could possibly ride a bit of the way, especially when S said "It's quite a long way to walk!"
We met up at the field and agreed to go out and that I would have a sit on and be led for some of the way. I did a tiny warm up of porcupining Z1, foot on the mounting block and circling before we set off. We turned left and went along the main road then right into Shepherds Grove. D was quite joggy but I thought he would run out of steam quite quickly and, sure enough, by the time we turned into Scarletts lake lane, he was quiet.
I gave S the lead rope and stood on a hillock to mount. D was fine about the mounting but quickly became very tense at the signal to move off. He fidgeted and squashed my leg into M a bit which then made him jump a bit. I would describe him as being on "high alert" and very touchy but he held it together. After a minute or so S said he was licking & chewing a lot which I was glad to hear (quick too). He stayed pretty tense through his back until we got to the lovely old house but then he lowered his head and got into the rhythm. I must say, I felt very safe in S's hands - but still clutched the front of the B/B pad with one hand & the neckstrap and D's mane with the other!!!
We had a few trots which at first were very staccato and made me laugh as I was bumping! By the end of the ride we had both relaxed enough so that there was a swing coming through from behind and, at one point, I felt a really lovely powerful trot. What a fantastic feeling it was to be riding D after all this time. It was a moment I'd imagined for so long - but so unexpected that it should happen today! It was a gorgeous afternoon too. We rode back along the main road and right back to the field where Rob took a picture of the momentous occasion!
I almost didn't go for it as I thought I should really "stick to my plan". Of course I shall stick to my plan in the field but if we can do this even once a week it will be fantastic for Ds confidence and I'm sure he will start to be a bit bolder with me in the field too. Wow whee! On top of the world!
I had negotiated 2.5 hrs time off this pm but hadn't quite decided what to do yet when I spoke to Sharon who said she was taking M round Scarletts lake. I said maybe I would come too and the thought popped into my mind that I could possibly ride a bit of the way, especially when S said "It's quite a long way to walk!"
We met up at the field and agreed to go out and that I would have a sit on and be led for some of the way. I did a tiny warm up of porcupining Z1, foot on the mounting block and circling before we set off. We turned left and went along the main road then right into Shepherds Grove. D was quite joggy but I thought he would run out of steam quite quickly and, sure enough, by the time we turned into Scarletts lake lane, he was quiet.
I gave S the lead rope and stood on a hillock to mount. D was fine about the mounting but quickly became very tense at the signal to move off. He fidgeted and squashed my leg into M a bit which then made him jump a bit. I would describe him as being on "high alert" and very touchy but he held it together. After a minute or so S said he was licking & chewing a lot which I was glad to hear (quick too). He stayed pretty tense through his back until we got to the lovely old house but then he lowered his head and got into the rhythm. I must say, I felt very safe in S's hands - but still clutched the front of the B/B pad with one hand & the neckstrap and D's mane with the other!!!
We had a few trots which at first were very staccato and made me laugh as I was bumping! By the end of the ride we had both relaxed enough so that there was a swing coming through from behind and, at one point, I felt a really lovely powerful trot. What a fantastic feeling it was to be riding D after all this time. It was a moment I'd imagined for so long - but so unexpected that it should happen today! It was a gorgeous afternoon too. We rode back along the main road and right back to the field where Rob took a picture of the momentous occasion!
I almost didn't go for it as I thought I should really "stick to my plan". Of course I shall stick to my plan in the field but if we can do this even once a week it will be fantastic for Ds confidence and I'm sure he will start to be a bit bolder with me in the field too. Wow whee! On top of the world!
Saturday 17 October 2009
Confidence & honesty! It's a long one......
Sat 15th Oct 09
Got so much in my head I hardly know where to start! So, in the words of Julie Andrews.."lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start"!
Warmed up fairly strong in terms of speed and zero tolerance towards the head flip (returned plus some today which gave me a good indication of D's mood!) Had to really hang on to the rope until he released down. It did work over the session though so I'm keeping to this method as it's the most effective yet. Did some weave, porcupine, extreme FG with pad and C/S, foot up onto mounting block then set off for a walk intending to do sideways and driving from z4 while out & circling when I got back.
D was great out, a lot of the walk our footsteps were completely in time. I practised my singing as my throat is - at last- feeling better (& I've got til Mon to learn as "As long as he needs me!") and D seemed to like it so that was encouraging! Very little grass diving, great climbing on the banks, good in the woods - more confident than last time - so really pleased with him. On the way back, I felt really happy that, at last, things are starting to be more intuitive for me in this system. Like driving a car, I don't have to think about every thing I do any more.
I was keen to get back, get on & do nothing so, being short of time, when I got back to the field, I skipped circling. I know you're supposed to walk, trot & canter on-line before you get on but going for a walk will always show up any demons lurking so I felt safe to get on.
So, this is where it started to get interesting - as I learned a lot about me today......both because of today - and reflecting on my lesson.
To start with, my lesson....I was dead keen to get on D but, thinking about it now, when I got up, I really only wanted to do what I wanted to do, which was to sit still, do lateral flexion and interrupt any brace. I think this is a) because I have a plan which I am convinced will work long term - therefore I am comfortable with it and b) I feel safe with this plan.
So, had I thought this through before, I could have said to Terri that that was all I wanted to do and we could have had a nice chat while I sat and did (hopefully!) nothing. Anyway, as I wrote, we tried to get D to walk about a tiny bit but he was very bracey & skeptical - starting from me disengaging the HQs - which I have deliberately avoided for ages as I have decided to only passenger for as long as it takes D to be confident to walk about.
So, whilst D was tense, I'm sure I could have contributed to his negativity by not being up for it myself! I was also aware that I wanted to bend him every time he got tense. Terri said "just rub him, don't grab him all the time or he'll come to expect it and this could set up a brace". I didn't like this advice much at the time as I don't feel safe when the brace sets in - it's the fear of what might happen next - so I'd rather make a pre-emptive strike. If I'm honest, I thought to myself later that I might not take that advice as me feeling safe was my number one priority!!!!
Fast forward to today, I got on and sat - singing - (not easy sitting down!) waiting for D to relax. He did not! I can feel the tension in his back and the fact that he was not grazing said it all. We've gone backwards a bit in this respect. I'd given myself more time today as, since it's been getting dark, my "ridden" time has been squeezed a lot as I've been loathe to cut down on the groundwork.
After about 10 minutes, D plucked up the courage to graze and even walked a bit after Moet which is when the first spook happened. I had already got off and back on a couple of times when i could see D staring intently at things yonder. We got so close to M, I brushed my foot against his rug. M jumped and so did D. That was it, no more. but I quickly disengaged & got off. D wasn't bothered by this I'm glad to say. I got back on straight away.
D fluctuated between grazing and gazing and then came the next spook. A bird flew up out from behind the shed. M jumped & so did D. This time, because I'd sat the jump and survived, I didn't feel the need to get off! I just sat & rubbed & sang! Aha.....something was starting to shift in my mind, memories of similar feelings bubbling to the surface. Eureka!!!! I remembered that when I started to sit on Ollie in the field, I would jump off at the slightest whiff of danger...and I mean slightest! Over time, each time I got off and saw that, actually Ollie was not going to P off round the field just because Mollie did etc, I grew in confidence and next time, stayed on longer.
Now, here's the big revelation...I thought back to why I was unconfident on Ollie when I got him back. It wasn't because of the napping. That's not scary, it's annoying. It was because a) I was in a big field with a lot of running space and b) I was sitting on a bareback pad with a rope halter for brakes!!!
So Terri was so right when she said we could really do with a round pen! That would fix concern A - which is a valid one. As far as concern B goes, I have got to deal with my own insecurities about falling off due to losing my balance and lack of control as this is nothing to do with D. I have always been worried about my balance - which is why I bought a big western saddle for Ollie - I wanted to hold on to the pommel in an emergency!!! Also, Let's face it, my number of hours riding in a halter on a BB pad are minimal compared to years with saddle & bridle.
Well, as I'm not about to saddle & bridle D up, I have to recognize these fears and deal with them as best I can. For me, that means, the more success I have and the more I don't fall off or get run off with, the more confident I become. I do know a lot more about balance now through Parelli but I need to work on this all the time.
So, I was having a huge lick & chew after the "survived spook" & at last, D was starting to relax too (connected?!! Cesar would say so!) he did LOADS of yawning and then started to blow out to which I gave him a lot of "Good Boys" as he really responds to this. Alas the clock was ticking but i stayed on another 5 mins then got off thoroughly pleased with D - and myself too if I'm honest. And why not...I've bared my soul here today which has been therapeutic. I hope it will also be cathartic!
Got so much in my head I hardly know where to start! So, in the words of Julie Andrews.."lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start"!
Warmed up fairly strong in terms of speed and zero tolerance towards the head flip (returned plus some today which gave me a good indication of D's mood!) Had to really hang on to the rope until he released down. It did work over the session though so I'm keeping to this method as it's the most effective yet. Did some weave, porcupine, extreme FG with pad and C/S, foot up onto mounting block then set off for a walk intending to do sideways and driving from z4 while out & circling when I got back.
D was great out, a lot of the walk our footsteps were completely in time. I practised my singing as my throat is - at last- feeling better (& I've got til Mon to learn as "As long as he needs me!") and D seemed to like it so that was encouraging! Very little grass diving, great climbing on the banks, good in the woods - more confident than last time - so really pleased with him. On the way back, I felt really happy that, at last, things are starting to be more intuitive for me in this system. Like driving a car, I don't have to think about every thing I do any more.
I was keen to get back, get on & do nothing so, being short of time, when I got back to the field, I skipped circling. I know you're supposed to walk, trot & canter on-line before you get on but going for a walk will always show up any demons lurking so I felt safe to get on.
So, this is where it started to get interesting - as I learned a lot about me today......both because of today - and reflecting on my lesson.
To start with, my lesson....I was dead keen to get on D but, thinking about it now, when I got up, I really only wanted to do what I wanted to do, which was to sit still, do lateral flexion and interrupt any brace. I think this is a) because I have a plan which I am convinced will work long term - therefore I am comfortable with it and b) I feel safe with this plan.
So, had I thought this through before, I could have said to Terri that that was all I wanted to do and we could have had a nice chat while I sat and did (hopefully!) nothing. Anyway, as I wrote, we tried to get D to walk about a tiny bit but he was very bracey & skeptical - starting from me disengaging the HQs - which I have deliberately avoided for ages as I have decided to only passenger for as long as it takes D to be confident to walk about.
So, whilst D was tense, I'm sure I could have contributed to his negativity by not being up for it myself! I was also aware that I wanted to bend him every time he got tense. Terri said "just rub him, don't grab him all the time or he'll come to expect it and this could set up a brace". I didn't like this advice much at the time as I don't feel safe when the brace sets in - it's the fear of what might happen next - so I'd rather make a pre-emptive strike. If I'm honest, I thought to myself later that I might not take that advice as me feeling safe was my number one priority!!!!
Fast forward to today, I got on and sat - singing - (not easy sitting down!) waiting for D to relax. He did not! I can feel the tension in his back and the fact that he was not grazing said it all. We've gone backwards a bit in this respect. I'd given myself more time today as, since it's been getting dark, my "ridden" time has been squeezed a lot as I've been loathe to cut down on the groundwork.
After about 10 minutes, D plucked up the courage to graze and even walked a bit after Moet which is when the first spook happened. I had already got off and back on a couple of times when i could see D staring intently at things yonder. We got so close to M, I brushed my foot against his rug. M jumped and so did D. That was it, no more. but I quickly disengaged & got off. D wasn't bothered by this I'm glad to say. I got back on straight away.
D fluctuated between grazing and gazing and then came the next spook. A bird flew up out from behind the shed. M jumped & so did D. This time, because I'd sat the jump and survived, I didn't feel the need to get off! I just sat & rubbed & sang! Aha.....something was starting to shift in my mind, memories of similar feelings bubbling to the surface. Eureka!!!! I remembered that when I started to sit on Ollie in the field, I would jump off at the slightest whiff of danger...and I mean slightest! Over time, each time I got off and saw that, actually Ollie was not going to P off round the field just because Mollie did etc, I grew in confidence and next time, stayed on longer.
Now, here's the big revelation...I thought back to why I was unconfident on Ollie when I got him back. It wasn't because of the napping. That's not scary, it's annoying. It was because a) I was in a big field with a lot of running space and b) I was sitting on a bareback pad with a rope halter for brakes!!!
So Terri was so right when she said we could really do with a round pen! That would fix concern A - which is a valid one. As far as concern B goes, I have got to deal with my own insecurities about falling off due to losing my balance and lack of control as this is nothing to do with D. I have always been worried about my balance - which is why I bought a big western saddle for Ollie - I wanted to hold on to the pommel in an emergency!!! Also, Let's face it, my number of hours riding in a halter on a BB pad are minimal compared to years with saddle & bridle.
Well, as I'm not about to saddle & bridle D up, I have to recognize these fears and deal with them as best I can. For me, that means, the more success I have and the more I don't fall off or get run off with, the more confident I become. I do know a lot more about balance now through Parelli but I need to work on this all the time.
So, I was having a huge lick & chew after the "survived spook" & at last, D was starting to relax too (connected?!! Cesar would say so!) he did LOADS of yawning and then started to blow out to which I gave him a lot of "Good Boys" as he really responds to this. Alas the clock was ticking but i stayed on another 5 mins then got off thoroughly pleased with D - and myself too if I'm honest. And why not...I've bared my soul here today which has been therapeutic. I hope it will also be cathartic!
Tuesday 13 October 2009
Lesson with Terri
Tues 14th Oct 09
Not much time to write so will try to be succinct!
Had a great lesson with loads to work on now on the ground:
On board was interesting, D great to get on, was relaxed and confident - impatient to eat! This changed after I asked him to disengage the HQs - which I haven't done for a while (deliberately as it's asking him to move his feet!) D became unconfident which made me a bit unconfident too. Had to get off and run up and down a bit. I'm seeing a theme of changing the pattern leading to skepticism and braciness.
I got back on and T put a string round Ms neck to see if D would follow him a few steps but, right away, D's head came right up and neck braced so I got off and we changed tack as I wasn't getting a good feeling about it! I had to circle D a bit until we got back to where he was emotionally before (although he was still a bit tense in his back).
Weird, I noticed again that D is quite happy to walk about with me lying over him but when I sit up, he doesn't want to move his feet. This is either a) because he has not accepted the human being up so high or b) sitting up means riding whereas lying over does not. If I didn't know D, I'd think the latter was a bit imaginative but, as he knows putting a hat on means riding, it's quite plausible.
Interesting, when he walked off with me lying over however, he took me to the shed again!! Would have taken me in if I hadn't jumped off!
We finished with me just sitting, Terri got D interested in her by nibbling treats, then he followed her about a bit - during which time he was very relaxed. In an ideal world, we'd have a round pen with good footing to get D used to going forward without too much space for mischief. For the moment, however, I'm going to keep going with my sitting passenger and emergency dismounts. I figure that D will eventually get confident enough to walk about. Maybe I will have to put aside 2 days for it!
Ooh, mustn't forget...Fab porcpines from the nose, barely any resistance and very little rope chewing today either. Hurrah! Progress!!!
Not much time to write so will try to be succinct!
Had a great lesson with loads to work on now on the ground:
- Extreme FG - used an orange bag - D unconfident being touched with it and when made a scrunchy sound. Also do more banging around with BB pad. Careful not to put too much pressure on tho & cause D to go extreme RBI
- Driving from Z4- this was really fun. D liked it too - less crabby than when I'm in Z2/3. Had some lovely back-ups too.
- Weave from a distance - T had to hold the back of my jeans to stop me drifting forward with the drive! Also gotta remember to go to neutral when D doing the right thing so he learns pattern by himself
- Circling - Find NEUTRAL! I'm still egging D on after he's moved up a gear! D was really good on circling today - been getting progressively better (with treats for a small effort!)
- Don't porcupine back onto things if D unconfident - this could be too much pressure
On board was interesting, D great to get on, was relaxed and confident - impatient to eat! This changed after I asked him to disengage the HQs - which I haven't done for a while (deliberately as it's asking him to move his feet!) D became unconfident which made me a bit unconfident too. Had to get off and run up and down a bit. I'm seeing a theme of changing the pattern leading to skepticism and braciness.
I got back on and T put a string round Ms neck to see if D would follow him a few steps but, right away, D's head came right up and neck braced so I got off and we changed tack as I wasn't getting a good feeling about it! I had to circle D a bit until we got back to where he was emotionally before (although he was still a bit tense in his back).
Weird, I noticed again that D is quite happy to walk about with me lying over him but when I sit up, he doesn't want to move his feet. This is either a) because he has not accepted the human being up so high or b) sitting up means riding whereas lying over does not. If I didn't know D, I'd think the latter was a bit imaginative but, as he knows putting a hat on means riding, it's quite plausible.
Interesting, when he walked off with me lying over however, he took me to the shed again!! Would have taken me in if I hadn't jumped off!
We finished with me just sitting, Terri got D interested in her by nibbling treats, then he followed her about a bit - during which time he was very relaxed. In an ideal world, we'd have a round pen with good footing to get D used to going forward without too much space for mischief. For the moment, however, I'm going to keep going with my sitting passenger and emergency dismounts. I figure that D will eventually get confident enough to walk about. Maybe I will have to put aside 2 days for it!
Ooh, mustn't forget...Fab porcpines from the nose, barely any resistance and very little rope chewing today either. Hurrah! Progress!!!
Sunday 11 October 2009
Play day watching!
Sun 10th Oct 09
Had a lovely day. Went to Bletchingly to watch a play day. I had E all day as R nights so couldn't have taken D - plus transport still tricky.
Took Sue and Alex along and we had a picnic (as soon as we arrived!). Very impressed with the standard of all the participants, met a few new people including the woman who took my/Ollie's place at Fiona's. Small world! Everyone very welcoming. After an hour or so, we went inside (minus horses) for Parelli cake and spritzers - four of the girls were celebrating their L2 on-line passes. The kids were really good and played on the hay and with a little sand pit. Fantastic...Louise retied my hackamore following the instructions I'd printed from the Parelli webiste earlier. I did help a bit....honest!
We went home after this in a quit while you're ahead mood!
Had a lovely day. Went to Bletchingly to watch a play day. I had E all day as R nights so couldn't have taken D - plus transport still tricky.
Took Sue and Alex along and we had a picnic (as soon as we arrived!). Very impressed with the standard of all the participants, met a few new people including the woman who took my/Ollie's place at Fiona's. Small world! Everyone very welcoming. After an hour or so, we went inside (minus horses) for Parelli cake and spritzers - four of the girls were celebrating their L2 on-line passes. The kids were really good and played on the hay and with a little sand pit. Fantastic...Louise retied my hackamore following the instructions I'd printed from the Parelli webiste earlier. I did help a bit....honest!
We went home after this in a quit while you're ahead mood!
I think I'm on to something! Plus first time in hackamore
Sat 9th Oct 09
Had a great time with D yesterday. Lovely day which always helps! Only had 2 hrs so didn't go out. Had a plan...warm up with loads of lateral flexion, get on and do loads of lateral flexion. The reason for this was I had been watching Clinton Anderson (G'day Mate!) who is not my favourite presenter but does follow all the Parelli principles with the added bonus that, because he works with horses in clinic format, with each episode following on with the same horse, you get a clear picture of the steps he takes and his long term goals.
Well, Clinton was working with a stiff, bracey, horse with not much go or whoah. He banged on and on about flexion and said he would do lateral flexion every day for 7 days over and over again until the horse was feather light. I notice C is very hard on the horses at times but they know completely where they stand and don't get upset because the release is always perfectly timed - and it's the release that teaches of course.
So added to my 7 day plan of:
Had a great time with D yesterday. Lovely day which always helps! Only had 2 hrs so didn't go out. Had a plan...warm up with loads of lateral flexion, get on and do loads of lateral flexion. The reason for this was I had been watching Clinton Anderson (G'day Mate!) who is not my favourite presenter but does follow all the Parelli principles with the added bonus that, because he works with horses in clinic format, with each episode following on with the same horse, you get a clear picture of the steps he takes and his long term goals.
Well, Clinton was working with a stiff, bracey, horse with not much go or whoah. He banged on and on about flexion and said he would do lateral flexion every day for 7 days over and over again until the horse was feather light. I notice C is very hard on the horses at times but they know completely where they stand and don't get upset because the release is always perfectly timed - and it's the release that teaches of course.
So added to my 7 day plan of:
- porcupine back from nose
- driving Z1
- sideways at trot
- circling
- backing to touch things with back feet
- lateral flexion to emergency dismount
- extreme FG and flank ropes
- Was.......more, more, more lateral flexion!
D was really keen to play today. I'm really liking this positive feedback as he will always let you know if he didn't enjoy himself the last time you played! He did great with all the above, especially porcupining from the nose (after asking him to lower head). He did toss his head up a bit but it was less violent and diminished greatly throughout the session. Got some great back-ups like this.
Had a funny moment - put a water carrier out as a touch-it object. D wanted to dribble it like the ball and managed to get it rolling along which pleased him as he then looked expectantly for his treat! Had some lovely sideways though D does still drag his HQs because he's a bit stiff. He tried his hardest anyway.
Any time D got tight and fixed on a distant object, I flexed him sideways or gave him a feel to follow. Now is this is micro-managing.....I don't know.....it's following the Cesar principle of not letting things escalate and creating the behaviour you want. Up until now, I would have just waited or asked him to do something else which may of course have had the effect of getting him to soften. But this is different, it's saying "don't brace your neck!" I guess time will tell but at the moment, I really feel I'm onto something (I'm looking for the Holy Grail!)
I did a lot of flexion on the ground and by the time I came to mount, D was totally up for it and chilled. In fact, he was so good, I was very tempted to stray from my plan and ask him to walk about. But I didn't! More excellent LF from on top (now in my strangely-tied hackamore), great dismounts (with some height now!) and D walking about a tiny bit of his own accord. I was delighted with him and hopped off just in time to get away and meet my 6pm curfew!
Oh, and the rope chewing and biting was low level today so I just ignored it.
Monday 5 October 2009
How to get effective without getting mean, mad or moody?
Mon 4th Oct 09
.....that is the question!
I didn't have a lot of time today and had already recognized that I was irritable (I'd allowed E to seriously rattle me and lost my cool!) So, I decided to go for the easy option and just go for a walk down the road.
It was raining, D was soaked and muddy so I didn't fancy putting the bareback pad on. Also didn't have time for "riding" so it didn't really matter. We warmed up with more porcupine, sideways and driving then set off slowly. D was a little RB at times but he flips so quickly you have to be on the ball the whole time in order to prevent the brace setting in. Fortunately, it's usually over quickly but then the diving at grass and hedges begins. This really got on my nerves today!
I confess, I was not as tolerant today and went too quickly through the phases a few times BUT - D seemed to respond pretty well considering. At times, I had the most lovely walk, head low, ears pricked, soft eyes. He was in the same frame of mind at times as he was by the end of the Essex course when I had to be "hard" on him to stay safe. He also did a lot less of the rope biting, face pulling (though this could be because he was less confident today).
I am noticing that there seems to be a cycle of:
1. LB pushy behaviour
2. I get a bit mean
3. D gets a bit RB
4. I work him harder
5. He gets softer and more obedient
6. I drop my guard
7. He gets more confident
8. He gets a pushy again
I found this on return from Essex...I have to scare D a bit to get respect. I really don't know how to pitch it at times as he can lose confidence so quickly over a couple of sessions (as with all horses) it's important to gauge it just right. I'll ask Terri!
So, back to the first question. How do I get effective without getting mean, mad or moody?
At the moment, I don't know the answer.....
.....that is the question!
I didn't have a lot of time today and had already recognized that I was irritable (I'd allowed E to seriously rattle me and lost my cool!) So, I decided to go for the easy option and just go for a walk down the road.
It was raining, D was soaked and muddy so I didn't fancy putting the bareback pad on. Also didn't have time for "riding" so it didn't really matter. We warmed up with more porcupine, sideways and driving then set off slowly. D was a little RB at times but he flips so quickly you have to be on the ball the whole time in order to prevent the brace setting in. Fortunately, it's usually over quickly but then the diving at grass and hedges begins. This really got on my nerves today!
I confess, I was not as tolerant today and went too quickly through the phases a few times BUT - D seemed to respond pretty well considering. At times, I had the most lovely walk, head low, ears pricked, soft eyes. He was in the same frame of mind at times as he was by the end of the Essex course when I had to be "hard" on him to stay safe. He also did a lot less of the rope biting, face pulling (though this could be because he was less confident today).
I am noticing that there seems to be a cycle of:
1. LB pushy behaviour
2. I get a bit mean
3. D gets a bit RB
4. I work him harder
5. He gets softer and more obedient
6. I drop my guard
7. He gets more confident
8. He gets a pushy again
I found this on return from Essex...I have to scare D a bit to get respect. I really don't know how to pitch it at times as he can lose confidence so quickly over a couple of sessions (as with all horses) it's important to gauge it just right. I'll ask Terri!
So, back to the first question. How do I get effective without getting mean, mad or moody?
At the moment, I don't know the answer.....
Sunday 4 October 2009
Phew...Nothing's broken. Aha & Ouch!
Sun 4th Oct 09
I had about 3 hrs today as R took E to the British Wildlife Centre, dropping me off first. I had decided to go out down the lane as had the dog. D was more interested in me today - good feedback from yesterday!
He is now happy to be haltered which is a great improvement to the early days when I used to follow him round for 10 minutes before I got enough interest to put the halter on with ears pricked. I gave him a quick brush and put the bareback pad on. There was quite a lot of yawning going on so I took my time.
I warmed up in the bottom paddock around the trees and, as usual, D was his strange mixture of RB/LB, switching from one moment to the next. He didn't like going round the trees (circling!) and pushed his shoulders in, shaking his head at me. I decided to back him up downhill towards the barn and found a weak spot in our foundation! He was quite unconfident and not sure what I wanted. After a few goes, I decided to porcupine him back so I could control his direction of travel more easily. This brought on the old argument about whether I can put my hand on his face.
I had already come to the conclusion that my exaggerated head rubbing in response to D's shove-off was not working. I suspected he was enjoying it and it was becoming a pattern all of it's own! So, today, I followed on from yesterday with porcupining his head down when he resisted. We left the field LB and had a very nice walk down the road. D loves climbing up a bank at the end. It's really high at one point but he gets straight up there all pleased with himself!
In my new quest to keep him calm-submissive at all times, whenever D got a bit RB, I got his attention back by zig-zagging across the road. This was great for follow-the feel which I also realised I need to do much much more of so that he's really light. Should also help with any napping issues. On the way back, D rushed a bit but I was able to slow him right down by asking him to match my "moon walk" which was fun. At times, I find him surprisingly responsive - I'm always grateful!
M called a few times, as usual D didn't respond once which is nice! When we got back, M was grazing, another good step forward. We went into the shed. D & I had a drink and then went into the top right field below the church. He was a bit apprehensive but I got him busy and went slow!
Over the session, I had a huge Aha! Now this is nothing I haven't heard before but it really hit home today. I have got to have dominance over Z1 in order to get D's respect. Fantastic! It's such a concrete outcome to work towards. I don't think he'll give it up easily but when it comes, I think it could change everything!!!! A few more ahas:
I had about 3 hrs today as R took E to the British Wildlife Centre, dropping me off first. I had decided to go out down the lane as had the dog. D was more interested in me today - good feedback from yesterday!
He is now happy to be haltered which is a great improvement to the early days when I used to follow him round for 10 minutes before I got enough interest to put the halter on with ears pricked. I gave him a quick brush and put the bareback pad on. There was quite a lot of yawning going on so I took my time.
I warmed up in the bottom paddock around the trees and, as usual, D was his strange mixture of RB/LB, switching from one moment to the next. He didn't like going round the trees (circling!) and pushed his shoulders in, shaking his head at me. I decided to back him up downhill towards the barn and found a weak spot in our foundation! He was quite unconfident and not sure what I wanted. After a few goes, I decided to porcupine him back so I could control his direction of travel more easily. This brought on the old argument about whether I can put my hand on his face.
I had already come to the conclusion that my exaggerated head rubbing in response to D's shove-off was not working. I suspected he was enjoying it and it was becoming a pattern all of it's own! So, today, I followed on from yesterday with porcupining his head down when he resisted. We left the field LB and had a very nice walk down the road. D loves climbing up a bank at the end. It's really high at one point but he gets straight up there all pleased with himself!
In my new quest to keep him calm-submissive at all times, whenever D got a bit RB, I got his attention back by zig-zagging across the road. This was great for follow-the feel which I also realised I need to do much much more of so that he's really light. Should also help with any napping issues. On the way back, D rushed a bit but I was able to slow him right down by asking him to match my "moon walk" which was fun. At times, I find him surprisingly responsive - I'm always grateful!
M called a few times, as usual D didn't respond once which is nice! When we got back, M was grazing, another good step forward. We went into the shed. D & I had a drink and then went into the top right field below the church. He was a bit apprehensive but I got him busy and went slow!
Over the session, I had a huge Aha! Now this is nothing I haven't heard before but it really hit home today. I have got to have dominance over Z1 in order to get D's respect. Fantastic! It's such a concrete outcome to work towards. I don't think he'll give it up easily but when it comes, I think it could change everything!!!! A few more ahas:
- Go slow when D is unsure but don't let him dwell - disengage/transitions etc.
- Keep control of his head head & neck - don't allow a brace to continue uncorrected
- Work towards complete dominance over Zone 1! by:
- Lots of backing up from the nose
- Driving the front end round
Now for the ouch moment! I broke my thumb nail right off! Serves me right, it was too long anyway but...how interesting...it was an extreme head flip-up that did it as I put my hand on his nose. So now I have a reminder! I was a bit cross as I thought he'd become a bit more accepting. I got him to back up all over the place from his nose after that! Some really soft ones too.
However, what I did notice was, as D became more subdued in the head tossing department, he became more fixated on biting the rope below his chin. He seemed to be replacing one dominant protest with another! He would get the rope right into his mouth and give it a good chomp. Initially I sawed it to and fro to try to get him to think "no thanks" but, a bit like the extreme head rubbing, he seemed to like it rough! Being a bit cross, I reverted into dog training mode and fixed a gimlet eye on D with a "Tsss" noise as he went for the rope. I have to say this was more effective (followed by a diversion) but I'm not sure how this fits in with Parelli! Will find out...........
Onto the mounting...it went really well and nothing's broken. (Phew!!!) I followed the new mantra of aiming always for calm-submission so didn't allow more than a moment of brace. I either porcupined D down, got him to flex right round or just follow a tiny feel enough to take the brace out of his neck. Amazing! What a change in attitude! All this is really starting to make sense to me from a dressage perspective now. You never ever ride or even warm up with a brace as it's completely counter-productive. I know we're always being told that everything on the ground relates to what you do on top but I think you've (I've!) got to experience it for it to become reality.
I sat on today with no worries at all and each time, did a slow-motion emergency dismount, D's getting much softer and quicker to flex which is making it much easier. The only thing which is a slight concern is this pre-occupation with biting the rope - or indeed me! D is not averse to trying to grab my boots, joggers or anything within reach so he's not there emotionally yet. That said, as these are all LB behaviours, I'd rather have those than the RB tension any day. In a perverse way, it's flattering he feels confident enough to try it on!
Saturday 3 October 2009
Eureka! More Cesar moments!
Sat 4th Oct 09
Before I went up today I was feeling a bit frustrated as I hadn't been able to play with Duncan for 2 weeks. Our last play got me worried and thinking a lots and I couldn't wait ('though a bit apprehensively) to see how much had been "broken". Thinking sensibly, I didn't think I'd have to go back to square one - but I couldn't rest until I saw/felt for myself just where we were.
I didn't go out as didn't arrive until 5.45. I decided to concentrate on calm-assertive behaviour on my part and getting calm-submission from D and keep the patterns low-key. All went fairly well in the warm up - D was very keen to play - PTP, porcupine, touch it with back feet. He was stressed though as he kept yawning through all the games.
I did find myself getting a bit agitated as there was a concert going on at Hammerwood church with men in dayglo jackets directing traffic, an orchestra warming up and a gaggle of kids running round shrieking (tho' to be fair D didn't mind the kids!). I confess I thought "My one night and all this is going on! I'm not going to be able to get on D tonight" I managed to get a grip of myself and remind myself that it was all about the relationship not about whether I got on or not!!!
If I thought D was being calm-submissive, when I asked him to circle it became apparent he was not, he'd just been humouring me because it was easy! He objected strongly, doing his bronc act -head between legs - quite funny because his back end doesn't actually kick up much but I can see how you could fall off - one to remember!! He also stopped a couple of times and turned in defiantly. Fortunately I maintained my Cesar persona and he gave in quite quickly. I'm always surprised he doesn't make a good effort to leave actually, his resistance is pretty half-hearted (I'm glad to say!).
After this outburst, he remained at a higher alert state and took off a couple of times before I'd asked. I think there may be a little bit of anxiety there but there's a lot of LB behaviour going on - head low to the ground, head tossing, and trying to bite the rope to name a few! After getting a noce attitide circle in trot, I quit and went back to driving, yielding HQ then front end and porcupine. The eureka bit is coming soon, honest!
After all the above, D seemed pretty chilled so I thought I would do some mounting prep and just lie over today. After chilled flexions and FG, I lay over him. Up came his head and back came the tense look. I got off the block and did some falling leaf during which he was quite agitated and LBE but tense.
I don't know what the trigger for the eureka was but I'd been having a bit of an argument with D about me touching his face again - he won't tolerate it without jerking his head up in a very dominant way. Previously I'd tried ignoring it but lately I'd been getting very busy rubbing his face, going quiet when he kept still then removing my hand. This had been fairly successful but I guess but abscence always brings the old challenges out again. Today, I was tpuching then quickly adding pressure on the halter rope to get D to yield downwards before taking my hand off. He got it really quickly.
Well, as I got back on the block and D's head came up with that huge brace underneath his neck, I suddenly had the idea to get off and get him to porcupine down. Then I got back on the block and he stayed there!!! I jumped up and leaned over him, flexed his head round towards me, got off and walked backwards (v slow emergency dismount). He stayed totally chilled.
I did the same thing again a few times, porcupined his head down then jumped up & lay over. His expression truly seemed to be as if he was saying "Well why didn't you say that was what you wanted?!!" He seemed so relieved if that's not being too anthropomorphic. I sat down on the mounting block and almost had a little weep because I felt for him so much. I pulled myself together because I remembered Cesar and the fact that crying can make you a weak energy source!
I think I finished right there but it was quite a long time before D gave up trying to investigate me sitting on the block. I had to enforce my personal space a few times! It was dark by now and the whole family came across the field from S & S's bearing torches, going to the church. D looked on with interest while M, bold as ever, went over to say hello! Whilst I was chatting to Sarah, D began eating and I thought "Good, I can go home now!"
I still have a few more thoughts but it's past midnight so time for bed! The main thoughts are - Quote Cesar: "You create the behaviour you want" and "It doesn't matter what technique you use if your energy is wrong". Can't resit adding this other great Cesar quote: "You don't always get the dog (horse?!) you want, but you get the dog you need!" Love it!
Before I went up today I was feeling a bit frustrated as I hadn't been able to play with Duncan for 2 weeks. Our last play got me worried and thinking a lots and I couldn't wait ('though a bit apprehensively) to see how much had been "broken". Thinking sensibly, I didn't think I'd have to go back to square one - but I couldn't rest until I saw/felt for myself just where we were.
I didn't go out as didn't arrive until 5.45. I decided to concentrate on calm-assertive behaviour on my part and getting calm-submission from D and keep the patterns low-key. All went fairly well in the warm up - D was very keen to play - PTP, porcupine, touch it with back feet. He was stressed though as he kept yawning through all the games.
I did find myself getting a bit agitated as there was a concert going on at Hammerwood church with men in dayglo jackets directing traffic, an orchestra warming up and a gaggle of kids running round shrieking (tho' to be fair D didn't mind the kids!). I confess I thought "My one night and all this is going on! I'm not going to be able to get on D tonight" I managed to get a grip of myself and remind myself that it was all about the relationship not about whether I got on or not!!!
If I thought D was being calm-submissive, when I asked him to circle it became apparent he was not, he'd just been humouring me because it was easy! He objected strongly, doing his bronc act -head between legs - quite funny because his back end doesn't actually kick up much but I can see how you could fall off - one to remember!! He also stopped a couple of times and turned in defiantly. Fortunately I maintained my Cesar persona and he gave in quite quickly. I'm always surprised he doesn't make a good effort to leave actually, his resistance is pretty half-hearted (I'm glad to say!).
After this outburst, he remained at a higher alert state and took off a couple of times before I'd asked. I think there may be a little bit of anxiety there but there's a lot of LB behaviour going on - head low to the ground, head tossing, and trying to bite the rope to name a few! After getting a noce attitide circle in trot, I quit and went back to driving, yielding HQ then front end and porcupine. The eureka bit is coming soon, honest!
After all the above, D seemed pretty chilled so I thought I would do some mounting prep and just lie over today. After chilled flexions and FG, I lay over him. Up came his head and back came the tense look. I got off the block and did some falling leaf during which he was quite agitated and LBE but tense.
I don't know what the trigger for the eureka was but I'd been having a bit of an argument with D about me touching his face again - he won't tolerate it without jerking his head up in a very dominant way. Previously I'd tried ignoring it but lately I'd been getting very busy rubbing his face, going quiet when he kept still then removing my hand. This had been fairly successful but I guess but abscence always brings the old challenges out again. Today, I was tpuching then quickly adding pressure on the halter rope to get D to yield downwards before taking my hand off. He got it really quickly.
Well, as I got back on the block and D's head came up with that huge brace underneath his neck, I suddenly had the idea to get off and get him to porcupine down. Then I got back on the block and he stayed there!!! I jumped up and leaned over him, flexed his head round towards me, got off and walked backwards (v slow emergency dismount). He stayed totally chilled.
I did the same thing again a few times, porcupined his head down then jumped up & lay over. His expression truly seemed to be as if he was saying "Well why didn't you say that was what you wanted?!!" He seemed so relieved if that's not being too anthropomorphic. I sat down on the mounting block and almost had a little weep because I felt for him so much. I pulled myself together because I remembered Cesar and the fact that crying can make you a weak energy source!
I think I finished right there but it was quite a long time before D gave up trying to investigate me sitting on the block. I had to enforce my personal space a few times! It was dark by now and the whole family came across the field from S & S's bearing torches, going to the church. D looked on with interest while M, bold as ever, went over to say hello! Whilst I was chatting to Sarah, D began eating and I thought "Good, I can go home now!"
I still have a few more thoughts but it's past midnight so time for bed! The main thoughts are - Quote Cesar: "You create the behaviour you want" and "It doesn't matter what technique you use if your energy is wrong". Can't resit adding this other great Cesar quote: "You don't always get the dog (horse?!) you want, but you get the dog you need!" Love it!
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