Been a long time posting....

Been a long time posting, but I've been playing more than I ever have before this summer. Two lesson series with Fawn Anderson, playing nearly every night and now I have Maya at Carolyn's house in Krestova so we can go play together in the covered arena at Rosemary's. It's just too dark and cold to play at night, here.

Last night I had my best play with Maya EVER. Bar none. Amazing. Started out a rainy, muddy, cold, nasty, dark night. Her pasture mate didn't want to come in to her paddock so we could leave and Maya was exhibiting some minor RB tendencies. When we were finally able to leave, she was midly RB so I used two barrels to do some figure 8's. Instant difference in her. She became attentive, calm and thinking! Then she practically *marched* to the arena (about a 10 minute walk) - her usual spooky spots brought nothing, except for going past the pump house to which she stopped and snorted, then lowered her head again and kept marching on!

We played on line briefly. She was too wet and it was too rainy to bring the bareback pad over, so I didn't plan to ride unless she dried off. She didn't. About a half hour online with some awesome trot figure 8s and some walk/trot weave and she felt so connected. I asked her to jump towards me yo-yo style over a jump she couldn't just step over. She did it beautifully. Twice. I took her offline and played at liberty.

I felt such connection and TRY from her I cannot even describe how beautiful it was. She was really trying to do what I asked - even squeezing over that same jump at liberty calmly and lightly. The smallest ask and she gave the biggest try. We did WEAVE at liberty in the arena! Sideways, yo-yo, walk/trot/canter/trot/walk/stop/backup with her beside me. I just sat down in awe and amazement and she still stuck around. She'd wander off to check the door but come right back to cuddle and hang out. She even went trotting around the arena twice as if to say - aren't we going to do follow the rail?

If you hadn't guessed, we got the patterns and it's made a huge difference in our communication and rleationship.

I'm so blessed. Thankful. Grateful. Happy.

More play tomorrow!!

Confidence. Confidence. Confidence.

Mine and the horses'. Been a while since I last posted, been a while since I seriously played. I was in Red Deer for the Mane Event Equine Expo - selling pottery, and the week before that was spent getting ready for it... so I haven't been as active as I'd like in the horsemanship department.

Dewormed last week with a program of getting them ready using apple sauce in a syringe. Awesome reulsts. Even after the "nasty" tasting one, 2 of the 3 horses wanted more. I managed to convince the third to try some - of course giving her apple sauce - and they all want it, now.

Now to prepare them for injections! I have my toothpicks at the ready, hypotonic muscles, here we come!

Bailey kicked me in the hand last week. I took her out for grass without preparing her, she was out of her comfort zone, I didn't have my stick and string and I used the end of the 12' line to ask her to move forward past me - she did, with an explosion that caught me in the hand. Her loss of confidence lead to my loss of confidence. Keep the confidence in your horse and you can keep yours, too!

What do you do when your horse kicks you? Say "Ow". I said "Ow" and put her away. Then I took the time to realize what I could have done to avoid being kicked and to have her confident enough to not feel the need to kick me.

Here's what I came up with. Always have the right tools with me. Keep her within her comfort zone and slowly approach and retreat from thresholds. Learn to RECOGNIZE thresholds. More friendly. Stay out of the kick zone! (the right tools will help with this one).

So then I took her out a few days later (as my hand felt better and more useable) and recognized moderate RB behaviour, retreated and all was well! I was quite wary of her hind end, mind you. I'll need some move closer, stay longer and lots of friendly with that.

Been taking all of them out for grass - they're all so sensitive. I don't realize HOW sensitive until I gently ask them to do something and they respond, almost without seeming to notice. If I'm rude and go up my phases too quickly, they react, rather than responding. Wow! How cool to notice.

At any rate, I'm still at it, just had lots of stuff going on the last few weeks. Cleaning, preparing for the show, more cleaning, organizing etc. Phew! Spring is here, the work begins!

Using my horse for transportation

Today Maya and I rode/walked to the NDRC riding grounds for the Spring Clean Up. There was another ride today in Trail the "Fort Sheppherd" ride, but we dont' have a trailer and most everyone else was full... plus, I'm not sure about riding in a big group, yet. I want our relationship stronger before I test it with something of that magnitude. Might not happen this summer, since I'm getting bigger in the belly with a baby and I'm already starting to get a bit more awkward. I nearly tipped over backwards mounting today - sorry Maya.

We walked to Verigin road and then I got on and we rode the rest of the way except on the short paved Blewett road stretch. As far as that goes we did well. Mounting was a bit iffy today, and we worked on it some... but the predator in me is alive and well when riding - and especially when I am running late to the riding grounds. We still took the time it took MOST of the time. I know I can do better for her than that, however.

The ride home was interesting in that she got it in her head that we had to go RIGHT on Marello road instead of LEFT to go home. So up the road we went after a battle (her idea my idea... ) didn't really work, though so I ended up getting off and re-establishing leaderhip on the ground. We passed some spooky lound engines revving on 49 creek road and she was worried a bit, but then we went home pretty well, even passing some horses going the other way - she wanted to go with them, but listed to a relatively soft rein and seat asking her to go towards home.

I got both front feet from the same side with no confusion at all, today. Hind foot after the ride was very reluctant, however. Have to fix that next time. I was too tired.

I am too tired, now - bedtime!

A lovely ride...

Went for a ride on Maya on Saturday with my sister and her horse who got her name during that ride, "Kona".

We played on the ground first, saddled well - no fussing or moving around - and I walked and drove her from zone 3 up the road towards the black gate where we were to ride from. On the way I met Connie coming back because her horse wasn't ready to go trail riding and kept trying to back up all the way home.

Maya had one case of the druthers just around the first big bend in the road, but I retreated some, then kept her feet busy and she soon settled into following Kona (who had yet to be named).

We rode to Malina road through some new road construction and on the way found a large clear puddle that we stopped to give the horses a drink out of. It was very sandy around the puddle and when I turned Maya to head off, she thought she might just have a little roll and lay down with me on her. She couldn't roll over with my leg holding her up, I gave her a squeeze and she got up and we continued on, though she was still looking a bit like she wanted to roll, so I asked her to trot to change her mind. It was very cute. I think she'll probably be easy to teach to lie down to let me mount, if I can just stop her from rolling right away before I can get on!

We stopped at a house to visit some folks and pick up some money for a saddle that Carla had sold them - their kids were cool. Their youngest daughter really took a shine to Maya and even sat on her - she hadn't been on a horse since she was really little, too little to remember. Maya was a trooper but did scare the girl a bit when she gave a good shake. That can feel so unsettling. I taught the girl how to play the yo-yo game and Maya and I played stick to me because she was feeling really connected to me. That part was great.

I do think that i need to prepare her a bit better with me in the saddle. On the ground I can ask her to do lots of things that I can't get from the saddle, so I am sure that it's time to play in the saddle more in the round pen and locally where she's comfortable and I'm comfortable, so we can learn new things like sideways. That could be very valuable when I don't want to be run into every bush & tree on the side of the trail.

Her feet held up well, though they are getting a bit long, she wasn't sore or ouchy at all like she was last year. My rocky paddock must help with that - that and not having just been trimmed after 3 years of practically no hoof care before I got her.

I haven't played with her much since then, just spent undemanding time and played a bit at liberty in the paddock. It's so cool how I mirror her and she mirrors me. She's getting to be very sweet towards me and isn't ignoring me much at all, anymore.

One more thing: I have a story in the Parelli E-news this week. -=) A while back they asked for submissions from Canada - so I sent one in, never thinking that they'd include it in its' entirety. I saved the pdf of the e-news this week cuz I thought it was cool. My two minutes of fame. ;-)

Nighty night.

Played with Maya after work yesterday - she's getting more confident with me, definitely, asking her to squeeze over new ditches is no big deal, she even anticipates - but I should start doing other things with ditches so she doesn't JUST think we're going to jump them!

Circling game is still a mess - I wasn't very focused yesterday because my sister and nephew came out and were watching me, it distracted Maya for a bit, and then I felt like I needed to explain what I was doing.

After circling going so wrong and RB I decided to slow everything down and just play friendly & porcupine games with her. We did smell your tail, very nice and soft, and I picked up both front feet from one side with ease for the first time. She understood what I was asking for. Used to be that she would keep picking up the near foot when I was asking for the off one. I haven't tried back feet, yet- I have a bit of a "move closer stay longer" issue with the back feet. Though she's getting much lighter and offering more when I ask for her back feet.

She's so lovely to halter and unhalter - I finally understand why we bend their heads towards us and ask for it to be soft when putting on or taking off the halter - it's mental. Brace in the body is a brace in the mind. No brace in the body - soft mind! I let the halter pretty much fall off her nose when we release and then it's not a big "WHOOPEEE!" to get away like most horses used to give me before I had this savvy. She wasn't quite as easy to cath yesterday as she was the day before - we had to play catching game for about a minute.

When I released her for her roll in the round pen she did just that - and there were a bunch of distractions. People riding in the field above us, kids yelling and playing in another house nearby - and then my sister arriving. She wanted not much to do with me - I just persisted with catching game until she was really with me and then we haltered and played.

It's so much fun, even though I don't feel much progress in the circling game. I think I'll re-watch everything about circling tonight from Level 1, 2 and L&HB - that ought to give me some new insights!

I wonder who Pat and Linda are going to call in the Savvy Club ? I keep trying to think of questions to ask them... so far they're all around circling game! No wonder! I'm trying to figure this out on my own and when I run out of things to try, I'll call Fawn and talk to her about it. I could save myself some trouble, I'm sure, but I want to try to do this on my own. It's not that I'm worried about asking her, it's just that I really feel like I *can* solve this - and I'm not frustrated at all by it, just FASCINATED! I love this new me!

I realize how rude I've been with Maya in the past, just saddling up and trying to ride to the mailboxes, or trail ride with other people when she wasn't connected to me. I think things will start to go better with that, now that we're becoming more connected on the ground.

I love my horses. I miss playing with Bailey - but imagine how much better I'll be for her once I start again with all this practice with Maya! I already have new savvies around thresholds and confidence to share with her!

My horse likes me!

I forgot to mention that yesterday was the first time that Maya not only met me at the gate (she usually does that) but stayed at the gate when I came in with the halter and very nicely put her nose into it. Usually we have to play catching game at least one time!! Whee! My horse likes me!

Played for a good long time today - an easy walk up - a right brain snort when the neighbour's dog barked, but then a nice soft squeeze over the ditch. Up to the round pen and we squeezed in today instead of backing in (like we have ALWAYS done - boring!) Turned her loose, took off a layer, had a drink and watched her roll. She loves to roll, my horse. =)

We then played catching game - she's QUICK at that one - haltered with 22'line and played first three games - checking for ball or chair. Still a bit chair like on the PP HQ yields - but they're coming along. Driving is getting better and better. A little extreme friendly from a distance and we were ready to try circling.

Her sends are much better overall - which means mine must be - and we tried change of direction when she would break gait. That worked a few times but I think she gets quite unconfident out there quite quickly and then she would ignore my change of direction request and just speed up in the direction she was going. I'm not certain what to do about that but I'm going to try just slowing down and having more friendly time and also waiting a bit longer before I ask for the change - make SURE she's REALLY going to break gait. I did use the friendly a fair bit this time and it really seemed to help her confidence with me as her leader. After some sideways - trying to get her further away from me and still sideways - we then had some more turnout time while I packed up the 22' and had a drink so we could walk to the mailboxes.

On the 12' line we squeezed out of the gate - and she rushed out so I asked her back in and out over and over until we got a nice soft walk through the gate, then turn face and wait. Thanks Linda! Our walk up the road had some unconfident moments so I would interrupt her RB running all over the place and just hang with her, gently stroking her until I could see a change in her, then ask her with a subtle phase 1 "would you like to continue our walk" and if she left first, I went with her.

At the mailboxes we sat and grazed for about 10 minutes and then walked home. We stopped to talk to drivers on the way up and down the road and she seemed to like poking her head into their cars to see what was there - any treats? She is always more confident on the way home and we walked in synch for almost the whole way - I tossed the leadrope over her back and we would walk, stop, trot, stop etc. together. Just to see, I squeezed her over the ditch that used to scare her and she did it calmly and with confidence - yay!

So even though I still haven't solved the circling game problem, it's coming along. I can see progress and I can think of new things to try until I get the right savvy arrow.