Timing is a funny thing... not that this really has any impact on me, but it just so happens that today is the first day of the next six-month course in Karen Rohlf's Virtual Arena. I will not be signing up, of course, since it is WAY out of my budget, but I feel somehow more motivated on my own personal immersion plan to dive headlong into her book. For the next six months, she'll be guiding students through her six-step program I outlined in my last post, and I'll be working through the same six steps on my own. For one thing, I think knowing this will keep me on a more progressive timeline.
I'd really like to have some quality before and after video footage, but I don't think the GoPro is really going to cut it. I'm working on getting R to come out to the barn, but no luck so far.
Anyway, yesterday I began establishing our conversation about balance by focusing on "whoosh-y" yields, from the ground and in the saddle. One of the most fascinating observations I made was that there was some unexpected brace in Finn's HQ yield. I believe this is primarily due to confusion/lack of clarity rather than any real defensiveness or concern on his part. When I would ask for his HQs, he seemed torn between disengaging and engaging for a forward transition. We sorted it out pretty easily, though, and I will just have to be careful to be more clear in the future.
This group of exercises about balance is about where I got stuck and gave up on this with Journey several years back, and that has been on my mind. Mostly because I have been asking myself: how will this time be different? I think the key is going to be keeping a curious, open mind, and not allowing myself to get bogged down in everything I don't know. Rather, allowing myself to experiment, to feel foolish, to experiment, and to trust my intuition. That should get us through.
Today we took our discussions of relaxation, energy and balance on the road, and added in a little hill work for good measure. Being outside of the arena, I only worked on our whoosh-y yields from a halt instead of playing with the transition from walk to yield. But the real excitement of the day was all about energy...
My plan was to play with the exercises for maintaining energy, and Finn's initial responses to requests for energy were right on from the beginning, so we got right to it. Going into our two main hills, I asked Finn to bump it up from a 3 walk to a 4, and the response he offered was really lovely. His walk was big and swingy and active, and I only had to remind him a few times to keep to it.
When it came time for our first trot hill, I established a 4 walk and then thought about transitioning smoothly and directly into a 4 trot, which we had been playing with the day before in the arena. Well, low and behold, Finn responded immediately and matched my energy perfectly, which I can partly attribute to the patterns of anticipation I have built into this program of ours.
He powered up the hill, high-headed at times, but going into the second half, he started stretching his top line more consistently and really getting to work. In fact, he even did a few strides of a baby trot lengthening, which felt amazing! I've felt a HUGE trot from him before, but it was done with a completely upside-down posture... those few strides today were easily the biggest trot I've ever felt him STRETCH into. The last several strides he leveled back into a more moderate trot, but still felt super committed to carrying the energy and maintained a lovely stretched feeling. Talk about a Yes! moment!
Although I had planned to ride longer, I also needed to get home early-ish today and I was so impressed with Finn's big effort, I decided to just quit on that note. While I enjoy the longer, leisurely sessions we mostly have these days, sometimes there is nothing like short and sweet, an excellent way to reward a horse for being on point from the start.
Feeling that kind of energy and stretch in Finn is so exciting. He is such a talented mover with so much natural athleticism, I can't wait to watch him own that. I can't wait to help him grow stronger, more powerful and more confident. And you better believe I can't wait to ride the movement that's been in there untapped all along!
While I've asked myself, "How will this be different than last time?" (as in, "What's going to keep me from getting stuck again?"), somehow I just know it will be. I can feel it. I can feel it as though it has already happened. I know Finn and I are going to rock this.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Six Steps of Dressage, Naturally
A little while back, I listed to a webinar with Karen Rohlf in which she listed the six steps she guides students through in her online course, The Virtual Arena. I wrote them down, feeling that just having that guideline to structure my planning was a huge benefit. Unfortunately, I then misplaced my notes and have been wondering what those six steps were.
Well, Karen just release a new series of free videos, focusing on the most frequent questions she hears that keep people "stuck." The videos are EXCELLENT, and if you haven't seen them yet, I suggest you check them out HERE. In the fourth video, Karen reviewed the six steps again, and this time I am NOT misplacing my notes. I am going to list them right here:
In particular, I am so excited just to get to Step 3. Finn is such an interesting mover... because he can absolutely move really well, with a LOT of fluidity and reach and spring, but his nature often keeps him from moving as well as he might, because he carries a good bit of tension. I can't wait to help him unlock his potential, empower him to find freedom and relaxation in movement, and see just how lovely and powerful this little horse can be!
Well, Karen just release a new series of free videos, focusing on the most frequent questions she hears that keep people "stuck." The videos are EXCELLENT, and if you haven't seen them yet, I suggest you check them out HERE. In the fourth video, Karen reviewed the six steps again, and this time I am NOT misplacing my notes. I am going to list them right here:
- Foundation Check-Up & Understand the Big Picture
- Establish Conversations About Relaxation, Energy & Balance
- Explore & Enjoy the Sweet Spot
- Sweet Spot for Rider Position
- Riding in Connection with the Reins
- Understanding Gymnastic Exercises
In particular, I am so excited just to get to Step 3. Finn is such an interesting mover... because he can absolutely move really well, with a LOT of fluidity and reach and spring, but his nature often keeps him from moving as well as he might, because he carries a good bit of tension. I can't wait to help him unlock his potential, empower him to find freedom and relaxation in movement, and see just how lovely and powerful this little horse can be!
Saturday, September 27, 2014
High Sierra Riders 4H Trail Trial
I am SO grateful Mother Nature held off and allowed the High Sierra Riders 4H Trail Trial to go off without a hitch. After watching the forecast get progressively more grim throughout the week, I woke up this morning to a forecast of 70% or more chance of thunderstorms all day long! Well, suffice it to say the forecast in Northern Nevada is often even less predictive of the actual weather than in most places. While it drizzled on us a bit and was rather chilly, all in all I'd say it was a lovely day.
Finn, by the way, was an absolute super horse. Aside from the Buck Brannaman clinic this May, this was his first big "event." It was also his first competition, although I don't think he noticed. He was somewhat confounded at first by all the horses going every which way, but he soon grew accustomed to it. That alone was a huge part of what I was hoping to accomplish! I've had Finn half-way LOSE IT over horses in the distance before... today there were almost constantly horses in the distance and it was no big deal.
When it came to the actual obstacles, I was pleased to find that the Novice level challenges were pretty appropriate for us. There were several obstacles which Finn handled with ease, such as picking up a rain slicker, mounting and dismounting, walking through a "car wash", or navigating ground poles. There were others that concerned him more, requiring that I allow him more time to think his way through, such as circling a tarp-enclosed water hazard and crossing through a white PVC gate. And there were a few we accepted a score of '0' for, but still found a way to achieve success by our own definition.
For example, at one obstacle, we were asked to walk across a board laying on the ground. After several minutes of working at it from the saddle, I asked if I could dismount and work on it from the ground. Luckily, there was no one behind us waiting, and the judge welcomed me to spend some time schooling. After a little more discussion, Finn gave it a try, making the first crossing in a half-leap, and the second in a lovely walk. I would have happily left it there, but the judge invited me to remount and try again. After a brief hesitation, Finn willingly took a little half-leap to the other side, and on the second try walked across perfectly. So far as I'm concerned, the score of '0' does absolutely nothing to detract from the value of that experience! I was thrilled.
On another note, the PVC trail gate had the added challenge of a semi-hidden small board on the far side which the horses had to step onto. I know Finn well enough to suspect that he might launch a bit when that board moved under his feet. If I hadn't been doing a trail trial, I probably wouldn't have set something up like that, because it did test my nerve. I worried that Finn might put a foot across and then suck back, potentially catching a foot on the bottom bar of the gate.
In the end, he did launch somewhat... forward though, which is almost always preferable to sucking back, especially for a future jumping horse. I was on it enough to have taken a hold of my breast collar when I felt him commit to going, so I stayed right with him and didn't catch him in the mouth. I praised him big time for his bravery and moved on, as there were people behind us and thus no opportunity to school.
The reason I am dwelling on this (and a few other things that happened) as a success is this: nothing Finn did today felt concerning or difficult to ride to me. His handful of startles and his one big leap all felt reasonable to me, and never once did I feel like he was anywhere close to really losing it. In other words, one might say I have ridden through some of his antics and survived! That is definitely a confidence booster.
The thing is, Finn has shown me some very dramatic reactions in the past, reactions which I would absolutely NOT want to ride. He showed me them at a time in my life when my confidence in my horsemanship was already faltering, and to be honest I have felt more nervous, heck even fearful, around and on this horse than I had EVER felt before, especially with one of my own horses!
But that's changing... I trust Finn more now. I trust my own abilities more now. And altogether I no longer feel like getting on him is a gamble... now we've got enough going on to really put the odds on our side. That is HUGE!
So, all in all, a fantastic day full of growth and fun and laughter and Yes! moments. Exactly the outcome I had been hoping for all along. Again, I am SO grateful Mother Nature chose to play along with our plans!
Finn, by the way, was an absolute super horse. Aside from the Buck Brannaman clinic this May, this was his first big "event." It was also his first competition, although I don't think he noticed. He was somewhat confounded at first by all the horses going every which way, but he soon grew accustomed to it. That alone was a huge part of what I was hoping to accomplish! I've had Finn half-way LOSE IT over horses in the distance before... today there were almost constantly horses in the distance and it was no big deal.
When it came to the actual obstacles, I was pleased to find that the Novice level challenges were pretty appropriate for us. There were several obstacles which Finn handled with ease, such as picking up a rain slicker, mounting and dismounting, walking through a "car wash", or navigating ground poles. There were others that concerned him more, requiring that I allow him more time to think his way through, such as circling a tarp-enclosed water hazard and crossing through a white PVC gate. And there were a few we accepted a score of '0' for, but still found a way to achieve success by our own definition.
For example, at one obstacle, we were asked to walk across a board laying on the ground. After several minutes of working at it from the saddle, I asked if I could dismount and work on it from the ground. Luckily, there was no one behind us waiting, and the judge welcomed me to spend some time schooling. After a little more discussion, Finn gave it a try, making the first crossing in a half-leap, and the second in a lovely walk. I would have happily left it there, but the judge invited me to remount and try again. After a brief hesitation, Finn willingly took a little half-leap to the other side, and on the second try walked across perfectly. So far as I'm concerned, the score of '0' does absolutely nothing to detract from the value of that experience! I was thrilled.
 |
| Trying it from the saddle first... |
 |
| Helping Finn find success from the ground. |
In the end, he did launch somewhat... forward though, which is almost always preferable to sucking back, especially for a future jumping horse. I was on it enough to have taken a hold of my breast collar when I felt him commit to going, so I stayed right with him and didn't catch him in the mouth. I praised him big time for his bravery and moved on, as there were people behind us and thus no opportunity to school.
The reason I am dwelling on this (and a few other things that happened) as a success is this: nothing Finn did today felt concerning or difficult to ride to me. His handful of startles and his one big leap all felt reasonable to me, and never once did I feel like he was anywhere close to really losing it. In other words, one might say I have ridden through some of his antics and survived! That is definitely a confidence booster.
The thing is, Finn has shown me some very dramatic reactions in the past, reactions which I would absolutely NOT want to ride. He showed me them at a time in my life when my confidence in my horsemanship was already faltering, and to be honest I have felt more nervous, heck even fearful, around and on this horse than I had EVER felt before, especially with one of my own horses!
But that's changing... I trust Finn more now. I trust my own abilities more now. And altogether I no longer feel like getting on him is a gamble... now we've got enough going on to really put the odds on our side. That is HUGE!
So, all in all, a fantastic day full of growth and fun and laughter and Yes! moments. Exactly the outcome I had been hoping for all along. Again, I am SO grateful Mother Nature chose to play along with our plans!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Super Horse!
I had super and very different sessions with Finn yesterday and this morning. Yesterday, I was still feeling pretty unmotivated and bummed about my saddle, so I decided not to ride and instead pulled out our old "friend" the tarp.
I realize our long and checkered past with the tarp precedes this blog, so to briefly sum it up: we have had issues. We spent a great deal of time working with it early this year, but we were stuck at tolerance, not acceptance. While I could toss it on and around him, have him walk over and across it, and even get him to put his front feet on it for short periods of time, he was not truly calm about any of it.
Finn's injury in March interrupted our program with the tarp, and when he was 100% again, I decided to let it rest a while longer. We were making so much progress in other areas, strengthening my leadership and our mutual trust, that I wanted to see how his feelings about the tarp might change just because so much stuff between us had changed. Well, based on his response yesterday, I'd say this was an excellent decision!
To be honest, I cannot believe this is my horse. I have studied this video and the others I took over and over again wondering if he might be "catatonic," but as best as I can tell, he is simply relaxed, which is how I read it in the moment, too. What a novel concept! Seriously, I am in disbelief.
Next up, crossing:
This might not look like much, but it is SO improved. Earlier this year, I could get him to cross, but he felt like he might leap 20 feet in the air at any moment if the tarp so much as wiggled a smidge. At first he would rush, and I would reward him with a break only for walking. Then he figured out he was supposed to walk, and it was the TIGHTEST walk I had ever seen!
He started out super yesterday, then back-tracked a little into uncertainty, then ended on what you see in the above video, which I consider absolutely awesome. This is a horse I could imagine riding across a tarp without fearing for my life. That is major progress.
There are still a couple things I'd really like to get solid with the tarp. First, actually tying it to my saddle and having Finn carry it through some ground work. Second, having him be able to stop and stand on it 100% relaxed. Third, crossing it confidently from the saddle. And fourth, dragging it from the saddle and even being able to pull it up and over him. The thing is, I feel 100% closer to all of those things after yesterday's session. Now I feel like they are all within reach.
Moving on to this morning's session... I have been getting some inspiration and ideas from a new series of free videos released by Karen Rohlf, and I finally felt motivated enough to actually play with the D,N exercises again. I went out today with the intention to focus on 100% clarity in the simple things.
The nice thing is Finn and I actually have quite a lot of clarity already. I think even an objective observer would agree that our communication is high quality. Not perfect, but certainly above average. What was really helpful, though, was the reminder to strive for 100% clarity, and the high level of focus that requires, at all times. Also, the reminder of how important 100% clarity is to helping the horse be a confident, motivated and willing partner. Of course the horse will be more interested in working for someone who remembers to tell them how absolutely right they are!
After working at this for a while, I shifted to thinking about creating "inspired" movement. After listening to Karen's videos, I was thinking a lot about how to help Finn feel truly inspired and eager to let his power come through. In other words, really getting to the core of the conversation about energy we've been kinda stuck on for the last several weeks.
I asked Finn to show me what freedom looks like. I told him I knew he was so full of power, and I'll love if he could show me some of it. I showed him some freedom in my own body, exaggerating my body motions and really shaking it loose. I went out to really and truly PLAY with it, instead of having a certain way of doing it in mind. And the last thing I changed was I tied my stirrups up, to remove one reason he had to hold back while working on line while saddled. (While he is not afraid of the stirrups bouncing around, he finds it unpleasant, and I can't blame him.)
Well, among those changes we found the key, because we really got it today, first on line and then under saddle. I felt transitions so free and flowing I almost missed being stoked about it because it felt so easy! We quit our on line session on a walk-trot-canter transition in which Finn showed me three strides of the biggest, most elevated, most powerful trot I've ever seen him offer. While the riding was, by design, a little less exuberant, the last transitions felt no less free. And I made sure Finn knew he had gotten it, 100%! Yes, yes, yes! I told him he was my hero.
I am realizing how important and powerful it is for the horse to feel safe to make such a big offer, and how critical it is to make it SO clear to them that's exactly what you wanted when they do. Especially for a quiet, timid type like Finn! This is how we inspire a horse through 100% clarity.
So, both days offered big victories, and opened the road to so much more I want to play with! That's always a good thing. While it's lovely to dwell on moments like these, one makes progress by continuing to move forward... onward and upward.
I realize our long and checkered past with the tarp precedes this blog, so to briefly sum it up: we have had issues. We spent a great deal of time working with it early this year, but we were stuck at tolerance, not acceptance. While I could toss it on and around him, have him walk over and across it, and even get him to put his front feet on it for short periods of time, he was not truly calm about any of it.
Finn's injury in March interrupted our program with the tarp, and when he was 100% again, I decided to let it rest a while longer. We were making so much progress in other areas, strengthening my leadership and our mutual trust, that I wanted to see how his feelings about the tarp might change just because so much stuff between us had changed. Well, based on his response yesterday, I'd say this was an excellent decision!
To be honest, I cannot believe this is my horse. I have studied this video and the others I took over and over again wondering if he might be "catatonic," but as best as I can tell, he is simply relaxed, which is how I read it in the moment, too. What a novel concept! Seriously, I am in disbelief.
Next up, crossing:
This might not look like much, but it is SO improved. Earlier this year, I could get him to cross, but he felt like he might leap 20 feet in the air at any moment if the tarp so much as wiggled a smidge. At first he would rush, and I would reward him with a break only for walking. Then he figured out he was supposed to walk, and it was the TIGHTEST walk I had ever seen!
He started out super yesterday, then back-tracked a little into uncertainty, then ended on what you see in the above video, which I consider absolutely awesome. This is a horse I could imagine riding across a tarp without fearing for my life. That is major progress.
There are still a couple things I'd really like to get solid with the tarp. First, actually tying it to my saddle and having Finn carry it through some ground work. Second, having him be able to stop and stand on it 100% relaxed. Third, crossing it confidently from the saddle. And fourth, dragging it from the saddle and even being able to pull it up and over him. The thing is, I feel 100% closer to all of those things after yesterday's session. Now I feel like they are all within reach.
Moving on to this morning's session... I have been getting some inspiration and ideas from a new series of free videos released by Karen Rohlf, and I finally felt motivated enough to actually play with the D,N exercises again. I went out today with the intention to focus on 100% clarity in the simple things.
The nice thing is Finn and I actually have quite a lot of clarity already. I think even an objective observer would agree that our communication is high quality. Not perfect, but certainly above average. What was really helpful, though, was the reminder to strive for 100% clarity, and the high level of focus that requires, at all times. Also, the reminder of how important 100% clarity is to helping the horse be a confident, motivated and willing partner. Of course the horse will be more interested in working for someone who remembers to tell them how absolutely right they are!
After working at this for a while, I shifted to thinking about creating "inspired" movement. After listening to Karen's videos, I was thinking a lot about how to help Finn feel truly inspired and eager to let his power come through. In other words, really getting to the core of the conversation about energy we've been kinda stuck on for the last several weeks.
I asked Finn to show me what freedom looks like. I told him I knew he was so full of power, and I'll love if he could show me some of it. I showed him some freedom in my own body, exaggerating my body motions and really shaking it loose. I went out to really and truly PLAY with it, instead of having a certain way of doing it in mind. And the last thing I changed was I tied my stirrups up, to remove one reason he had to hold back while working on line while saddled. (While he is not afraid of the stirrups bouncing around, he finds it unpleasant, and I can't blame him.)
Well, among those changes we found the key, because we really got it today, first on line and then under saddle. I felt transitions so free and flowing I almost missed being stoked about it because it felt so easy! We quit our on line session on a walk-trot-canter transition in which Finn showed me three strides of the biggest, most elevated, most powerful trot I've ever seen him offer. While the riding was, by design, a little less exuberant, the last transitions felt no less free. And I made sure Finn knew he had gotten it, 100%! Yes, yes, yes! I told him he was my hero.
I am realizing how important and powerful it is for the horse to feel safe to make such a big offer, and how critical it is to make it SO clear to them that's exactly what you wanted when they do. Especially for a quiet, timid type like Finn! This is how we inspire a horse through 100% clarity.
So, both days offered big victories, and opened the road to so much more I want to play with! That's always a good thing. While it's lovely to dwell on moments like these, one makes progress by continuing to move forward... onward and upward.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Lackluster
You know, I didn't have the most super-est ride on Finn today, but there was a lot to be thankful for. First off, the air was clear! We could breathe! It was lovely.
Second, Finn seemed happy. He gave me a big whinny when he saw me coming, which always warms my heart. The lump on his nose is smaller than it was yesterday, so chances are good the porcupine encounter will have no ill-effects. We were far from perfect harmony, but we enjoyed each others' company and were both happy and healthy, and that's what really counts.
We rode with the flag for the first time ever, and Finn was stupendous. To be honest, I was ten times more nervous than he was. That was good for me to feel, because it is something I need to work on. We've made so much progress this year, but it is clear that there is still much we need to dig through together. Just think how much stronger we'll be, how much more I'll trust him, and how much more he'll trust me, when we've filled these subtle, easily hidden holes in our partnership.
I had an interesting play at Liberty with Finn to warm up, mostly because I didn't have a line longer than my 12' lead rope, which wasn't terribly well suited to what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was focus on availability and freedom... so the confinement of the 12' line was a bit contradictory.
While some nice stuff occurred, I think the reason I feel a little blah about the whole session is because I was paying too much attention to the contrast between what I have now and what I would like to have between us. For whatever reason, that was weighing on me today. And I'm going to just be okay with that, since I know inspiration and motivation will return.
Last note... Finn is putting his winter fuzz on, and has developed some patches of white hairs along both sides of his spine about where the center of my saddle sits. This is somewhat discouraging, because it could WELL be an indication of a significant amount of pressure being put there when I ride. Since my saddle is treeless, this wouldn't exactly be a surprise.
What can I say, the treeless saddle has never really sat right with me... but I have used it anyway because Finn didn't seem to be complaining; nor did his posture seem to be deteriorating. After all, this is the horse that moved like an upside down giraffe before he'd ever worn a saddle. While he is not to a point where he is engaging and using himself exceptionally well, he mostly carries his neck at a relaxed level and feels loose, which seems appropriate for his level of training.
To be honest, I am on the fence about how exactly to move forward. There is part of me that wants to put my Ansur up for sale right away and never ride in it again, and there is a part of me that thinks, all things considered, will it really do any harm to keep riding him in it a little while longer? I have two Thorowgood test ride saddles on back order from SmartPak... hopefully they come soon, and hopefully we love them! As to whether or not I will ride in the Ansur in the meantime... probably so. But I will likely limit the amount of time I spend in the saddle.
Second, Finn seemed happy. He gave me a big whinny when he saw me coming, which always warms my heart. The lump on his nose is smaller than it was yesterday, so chances are good the porcupine encounter will have no ill-effects. We were far from perfect harmony, but we enjoyed each others' company and were both happy and healthy, and that's what really counts.
We rode with the flag for the first time ever, and Finn was stupendous. To be honest, I was ten times more nervous than he was. That was good for me to feel, because it is something I need to work on. We've made so much progress this year, but it is clear that there is still much we need to dig through together. Just think how much stronger we'll be, how much more I'll trust him, and how much more he'll trust me, when we've filled these subtle, easily hidden holes in our partnership.
I had an interesting play at Liberty with Finn to warm up, mostly because I didn't have a line longer than my 12' lead rope, which wasn't terribly well suited to what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was focus on availability and freedom... so the confinement of the 12' line was a bit contradictory.
While some nice stuff occurred, I think the reason I feel a little blah about the whole session is because I was paying too much attention to the contrast between what I have now and what I would like to have between us. For whatever reason, that was weighing on me today. And I'm going to just be okay with that, since I know inspiration and motivation will return.
Last note... Finn is putting his winter fuzz on, and has developed some patches of white hairs along both sides of his spine about where the center of my saddle sits. This is somewhat discouraging, because it could WELL be an indication of a significant amount of pressure being put there when I ride. Since my saddle is treeless, this wouldn't exactly be a surprise.
.JPG) |
| Subtle, but definitely there. |
To be honest, I am on the fence about how exactly to move forward. There is part of me that wants to put my Ansur up for sale right away and never ride in it again, and there is a part of me that thinks, all things considered, will it really do any harm to keep riding him in it a little while longer? I have two Thorowgood test ride saddles on back order from SmartPak... hopefully they come soon, and hopefully we love them! As to whether or not I will ride in the Ansur in the meantime... probably so. But I will likely limit the amount of time I spend in the saddle.
Monday, September 22, 2014
I'm Back!! And the Porcupine Misadventure
Goodness it feels like it has been FOREVER! I think I squeezed in three rides in between my trips... nothing terribly eventful except for one unfortunate flashback to the olden days of Finn having a panic attack and me handling it not-so-well. That happened last Monday between my braiding trips, when I was thoroughly exhausted and really shouldn't have been in the saddle in the first place. Lesson learned.
I got back from braiding yesterday afternoon, super stoked about having the next two weeks to play with Finn without interruption. I am HOPING the smoke from the King Fire will not wreak havoc on my time, as it sure is unpleasant to be outside when the air quality is so poor. So far, though, the smoke has been intermittent, and usually not too bad in the morning.
Headed out to the barn this morning planning on a short, relaxing ride on Finn. It takes a couple days for me to really bounce back from working nights for two weeks, so I didn't want to push it too much. Plus, the smoke. But, my plans abruptly hit a road block when I found THIS:
Funnily enough, it makes me more nervous than Finn to be so close to the road. No doubt because I can imagine the dire consequences of being hit by a car, while he mostly seems to consider passing cars to be unworthy of his attention. I guess I'll need to do more approach and retreat! If I build up enough confidence, I could ride to Washoe Lake one day... what a feat that would be! For me, anyway.
Finn wasn't as soft or responsive as he might have been, but we worked on doing the little things with feel and I left it at that. It was hot and a little smoky, and I was pretty much spent, so I thanked Finn for being such a super horse and turned him back out.
There's a tiny bit of localized swelling around where the porcupine quills were, so I'll be keeping an eye on that. As long as it keeps going down and Finn doesn't seem bothered by that, I'll assume we're in the clear. Tomorrow, hopefully we'll have a decently clear morning to get a more serious ride in...
I got back from braiding yesterday afternoon, super stoked about having the next two weeks to play with Finn without interruption. I am HOPING the smoke from the King Fire will not wreak havoc on my time, as it sure is unpleasant to be outside when the air quality is so poor. So far, though, the smoke has been intermittent, and usually not too bad in the morning.
Headed out to the barn this morning planning on a short, relaxing ride on Finn. It takes a couple days for me to really bounce back from working nights for two weeks, so I didn't want to push it too much. Plus, the smoke. But, my plans abruptly hit a road block when I found THIS:
I know the picture is not the clearest, but those are, in fact, porcupine quills sticking out of the front of Finn's nose, NOT newly evolved super whiskers. There were eleven of them, to be exact. Having never before had ANY experience whatsoever with porcupine encounters, I was a little freaked out at first. I consulted Google and tried to gather info from a couple friends, reluctant to spend money on an unnecessary vet call. In the end, though, I called the vet to be sure. He gave me the a-okay to remove them on my own and said it would be highly unlikely for complications to develop.
Now, I was feeling none-too-awesome about the idea of actually yanking these things out of Finn's nose, but once I got the first one out I realized it wasn't such a big deal. I tied Finn in the grooming area and was able to convince him to cooperate with a little effort. In between each quill, I let him have a few bites of grass. By the third quill, we had it pretty down pat... I would back him to the end of the rope, hold his nose against my shoulder with my left arm, and take hold of a quill with my right hand. Once I had a good grip, I would pull a little and Finn would yank it right out with a sharp toss of his head. Done deal.
After the removal of porcupine quills was complete, I let Finn have a nice graze along the driveway. And then, since it really seemed like such a non-event, I decided to have our little ride anyway.
I decided to stretch our comfort zone by riding in the opposite direction from the pasture... instead of up towards the barn, down towards the mailboxes and the road. I really expected this to be a bit of a challenge, and planned to do some approach and retreat, but Finn surprised me by being totally chill about the whole thing and we made it to the mailbox in no time:
Finn wasn't as soft or responsive as he might have been, but we worked on doing the little things with feel and I left it at that. It was hot and a little smoky, and I was pretty much spent, so I thanked Finn for being such a super horse and turned him back out.
There's a tiny bit of localized swelling around where the porcupine quills were, so I'll be keeping an eye on that. As long as it keeps going down and Finn doesn't seem bothered by that, I'll assume we're in the clear. Tomorrow, hopefully we'll have a decently clear morning to get a more serious ride in...
Monday, September 8, 2014
Student Skills
"We also need to realize that although 'practice makes perfect', it is the practicing itself that is the art. Not only do we use techniques to create something else, but also the way in which we apply technique is an art in itself. It is this artful application that will lead to harmony no matter what stage you are in and will make the journey a pleasure." (Dressage, Naturally 44)
Of course I brought Dressage, Naturally to Texas with me. I've reviewed the relaxation and energy exercises and moved on to reading about the balance exercises. The review of the first exercises was an excellent reminder that "study" doesn't mean "read once." After a few weeks of experimentation, reviewing the text revealed several new insights and questions and potential tweaks to my approach.
Being an independent student is hard mental work. It requires a greater degree of self-discipline and self-management than learning with frequent coaching. Happily, I'd say my skills in this area are stronger than average, because I've practiced more than average. I haven't taken regular lessons since I began studying Parelli in January 2003, so although it's still a fight sometimes, I'm usually at least conscious of what I need to do.
As I delve deeper into the D,N text, a few important reminders have surfaced in my mind. Mainly, reminders to let feelings of overwhelm, confusion, or skepticism roll off my back. Some of the things Karen Rohlf describes, even in the most basic exercises, can sounds pretty abstract and esoteric. For example:
"Whenever he is in this better balance, I leave him completely alone, allowing him to explore the new sensations for as long as he is thinking about it. [...] My reminder for him can be as small as a glance at a specific body part and, in the end, he seeks and explores this himself. His focus becomes internal in a positive way as he is thinking about his own body. He is calm, free and energetic." (D,N 66)
At times, the subtlety and intimacy of communication Karen describes, the mental engagement and willingness she expects from the horse, is confounding. My internal skeptic wells up now and again, whispering to me, "That's not possible. You'll never get it." It is then when I must step in quickly and interrupt the thought. I have seen Karen accomplish too much to truly believe she is off her rocker! I have made a choice to believe her and to dedicate my honest best efforts to the exploration of her teachings. So I cut off the skeptic and reinforce my optimism, encouraging myself with the thought that open-minded exploration of quality information (which I have in this book) will lead where I want to go.
Which leads me to my next reminder for myself: be an explorer. For most humans, myself included, it is hard to maintain an attitude of exploration, because there is too much feeling confused, frustrated or foolish involved. When we don't KNOW the answer, we EXPLORE... which means there may be quite a lot of back-tracking, missteps, and general fuzziness involved. This is definitely NOT a comfortable place to be, and it is easy to let frustration get out of hand and despair to set in.
So, I am committed to keeping positive and light-hearted. I know I must allow myself to not know... to experiment and try my best. I must remember to be kind to myself and even kinder to Finn, and that we are in this together. And if I can do those things, I am well on my way, even when I don't know what I'm doing.
Of course I brought Dressage, Naturally to Texas with me. I've reviewed the relaxation and energy exercises and moved on to reading about the balance exercises. The review of the first exercises was an excellent reminder that "study" doesn't mean "read once." After a few weeks of experimentation, reviewing the text revealed several new insights and questions and potential tweaks to my approach.
Being an independent student is hard mental work. It requires a greater degree of self-discipline and self-management than learning with frequent coaching. Happily, I'd say my skills in this area are stronger than average, because I've practiced more than average. I haven't taken regular lessons since I began studying Parelli in January 2003, so although it's still a fight sometimes, I'm usually at least conscious of what I need to do.
As I delve deeper into the D,N text, a few important reminders have surfaced in my mind. Mainly, reminders to let feelings of overwhelm, confusion, or skepticism roll off my back. Some of the things Karen Rohlf describes, even in the most basic exercises, can sounds pretty abstract and esoteric. For example:
"Whenever he is in this better balance, I leave him completely alone, allowing him to explore the new sensations for as long as he is thinking about it. [...] My reminder for him can be as small as a glance at a specific body part and, in the end, he seeks and explores this himself. His focus becomes internal in a positive way as he is thinking about his own body. He is calm, free and energetic." (D,N 66)
At times, the subtlety and intimacy of communication Karen describes, the mental engagement and willingness she expects from the horse, is confounding. My internal skeptic wells up now and again, whispering to me, "That's not possible. You'll never get it." It is then when I must step in quickly and interrupt the thought. I have seen Karen accomplish too much to truly believe she is off her rocker! I have made a choice to believe her and to dedicate my honest best efforts to the exploration of her teachings. So I cut off the skeptic and reinforce my optimism, encouraging myself with the thought that open-minded exploration of quality information (which I have in this book) will lead where I want to go.
Which leads me to my next reminder for myself: be an explorer. For most humans, myself included, it is hard to maintain an attitude of exploration, because there is too much feeling confused, frustrated or foolish involved. When we don't KNOW the answer, we EXPLORE... which means there may be quite a lot of back-tracking, missteps, and general fuzziness involved. This is definitely NOT a comfortable place to be, and it is easy to let frustration get out of hand and despair to set in.
So, I am committed to keeping positive and light-hearted. I know I must allow myself to not know... to experiment and try my best. I must remember to be kind to myself and even kinder to Finn, and that we are in this together. And if I can do those things, I am well on my way, even when I don't know what I'm doing.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Parting Ride
My last two rides before my trip to TX didn't really go according to plan, thanks to some unexpected drama at the barn... I swear, it is simply not possible to have a boarding barn sans drama. But, I did get to ride this evening and I did have a wonderful time with Finn, which is all that's really important anyway.
We took a relaxed saunter around the farm, sometimes checking the availability of a bigger walk, but often just letting him pick the pace as long as he was committed to the direction I had in mind. We stretched our comfort zone a bit... going further past the arena on the hill and further down the second driveway. We checked our yields at the points where we turned around, working on getting backwards, HQ, and FQ yields with lightness and without using the reins.
We trotted up the hills once, then decided to go for a canter. On the left lead up the first hill, Finn show-cased his rocking horse canter. I really wanted the right lead for the second hill, and it took two tries to get it, and then Finn wanted to roll into a hand-gallop and I gave him the OK. It was an absolute blast to ride... he RAN laser-straight past the arena and right over the crest of the hill which has marked our threshold for a couple of weeks. It was also nice to feel him so confident and enthusiastic about going somewhere fast... remember what I said about enthusiasm in my last post?
On the one hand, I am observing a pattern developing that features Finn's left lead as the slow direction and his right lead as the fast direction, so I feel a little bad that I played into this instead of working to counter-act it. But mostly I am just pleased. Pleased because Finn has always lacked a bit of confidence to just GO, so I love to encourage him when he gets such ideas in his head. (I certainly don't want to make him feel wrong for offering more forward.) Pleased because of the amazing harmony of two beings sharing one idea. Pleased because I was very appreciative of all Finn's efforts today. And finally, pleased because it was just plain FUN, running up that hill with Finn. I hope he enjoyed it, too; I have a feeling he did.
I lingered quite a while letting Finn graze after we finished our ride. Truth be known, I'll be back Sunday. I might even have time to visit Finn that afternoon. But I miss him anyway. I know this few weeks of being away will be over before I know it (leaving the 4-H trail trial right around the corner!), but it doesn't make me any more content about all the rides all be missing and all the days that will pass without seeing my good friend.
What does make me more content, however, is the knowledge that being away makes me appreciate being home even more. That makes it easier for me to consistently bestow appreciation upon Finn. So, all in all, it isn't such a bad thing. Maybe.
We took a relaxed saunter around the farm, sometimes checking the availability of a bigger walk, but often just letting him pick the pace as long as he was committed to the direction I had in mind. We stretched our comfort zone a bit... going further past the arena on the hill and further down the second driveway. We checked our yields at the points where we turned around, working on getting backwards, HQ, and FQ yields with lightness and without using the reins.
We trotted up the hills once, then decided to go for a canter. On the left lead up the first hill, Finn show-cased his rocking horse canter. I really wanted the right lead for the second hill, and it took two tries to get it, and then Finn wanted to roll into a hand-gallop and I gave him the OK. It was an absolute blast to ride... he RAN laser-straight past the arena and right over the crest of the hill which has marked our threshold for a couple of weeks. It was also nice to feel him so confident and enthusiastic about going somewhere fast... remember what I said about enthusiasm in my last post?
On the one hand, I am observing a pattern developing that features Finn's left lead as the slow direction and his right lead as the fast direction, so I feel a little bad that I played into this instead of working to counter-act it. But mostly I am just pleased. Pleased because Finn has always lacked a bit of confidence to just GO, so I love to encourage him when he gets such ideas in his head. (I certainly don't want to make him feel wrong for offering more forward.) Pleased because of the amazing harmony of two beings sharing one idea. Pleased because I was very appreciative of all Finn's efforts today. And finally, pleased because it was just plain FUN, running up that hill with Finn. I hope he enjoyed it, too; I have a feeling he did.
I lingered quite a while letting Finn graze after we finished our ride. Truth be known, I'll be back Sunday. I might even have time to visit Finn that afternoon. But I miss him anyway. I know this few weeks of being away will be over before I know it (leaving the 4-H trail trial right around the corner!), but it doesn't make me any more content about all the rides all be missing and all the days that will pass without seeing my good friend.
What does make me more content, however, is the knowledge that being away makes me appreciate being home even more. That makes it easier for me to consistently bestow appreciation upon Finn. So, all in all, it isn't such a bad thing. Maybe.
Monday, September 1, 2014
D,N: Exercise 1 and Pre-Reqs
Last night I began reading the exercise section of Dressage, Naturally again, and realized at once I was guilty of never having actually done Exercise 1: Assess Your Horse. This, you see, is exactly why I feel the need to declare this "big commitment," because I want to do something other than my usual pattern... which is doing the reading, but not doing the work. So, I went and did it.
For the exercise, Karen asks you to go out and assess your horse, pretending you've never seen the horse before. The idea is to try to look at the horse as objectively as possible and record your observations so you have a clear idea of where you're starting from. After playing with the horse for approximately 15 minutes, Karen instructs the reader to "pretend I call you on the phone, and you must tell me, as concisely as possible, as much information about the horse." (D,N, 48)
As suggested, I played with Finn both on the ground and in the saddle, for about 15 minutes each, and if I had to summarize it as concisely as possible, this is what I'd say:
He's a good-natured horse with an attitude of partnership and a strong basic foundation of relaxation and understanding. He has a steady rhythm and basic balance at all three gaits, generally even and swing-y movement, but lacks energy and freedom. Tight through his back at the trot and canter. He hasn't found his power.
To sum-up the exercise, Karen poses three questions, again to be answered as concisely as possible:
After my initial assessment ride, the ride sort of morphed into checking on the prerequisites Karen lists for beginning the D,N exercises, and I'm happy to say that Finn actually exceeded my expectations on that front. Many of the pre-reqs are more directed at the human's understanding of the principles of natural horsemanship, and while I ran through them quickly, I also took them to heart as an always useful reminder to stay true to an approach based on psychology and understanding. The two that gave me pause last night were these:
As for the closely related number two, well I've checked out most of those yields without using my reins, I haven't spent nearly as much time working on that as I had with Journey at this stage of her development. Thus I didn't feel confident to say that they consistently work, and, believe it or not, I had never actually asked Finn for direct sideways before!
So, I started by checking on those yields, with my rein hand fixed on Finn's neck, and lo-and-behold they all worked, even the sideways after a few steps of trial and error on Finn's part. I was also able to steer in figure-8s, circles and around the rail at the walk and trot. In fact, this went so well, I figured I might as well just take the bridle off and prove to myself we had number one down as well.
And that's how my first bridle-less ride on Finn happened, and it was really a non-event. We rode at the walk, trot and canter, and even popped out a few simple lead changes. I had to use a neck rope for some steering corrections, which I will definitely take note of for the future, but if the pre-req is to be comfortable bridle-less, we're definitely there.
So, all in all, I now feel I can confidently declare we are good to go on this Dressage, Naturally journey. It's a nice feeling... let me explain: I've mentioned before that foundation before specialization is a primary tenet of my horsemanship. But, developing Finn has been really different from developing Journey. I'm no longer following the cut-and-dried Parelli path, and while I love what I learned with Journey, among the lessons were a few about what I didn't want to repeat. Primarily, I didn't want to allow or encourage Finn to move with unhealthy posture for several years before I felt "ready" to discuss posture with him. This is a major reason I have ridden him so much in the bridle from early on in his development - it has helped me encourage better flexion from the get go.
I also wanted to spend more time in the saddle with Finn, so haven't done as much elaborate ground work. These things combined often make me doubt whether my foundation is really strong enough to progress to the next stage. Well, based on my ride today, I'd say it is.
Which is not to say my foundation is finished or perfect, but Karen allows for that. Her thoughts on this were so helpful for me to hear. First, that as you progress to the beginning of dressage training, you may find holes in your foundation, at which point you have the opportunity to go back and fill them in. If we practice our dressage artfully, we will continually expand our foundation. So, if I find something missing along the way, it's no reason to be disappointed. It's part of the process.
Secondly, Karen says if your foundation is strong in the arena, but still needs work on the trail... well, practice your dressage in the arena and continue to work on your foundation on the trail! Simple as that. This was definitely a good reminder for me, because the fact that Finn and I lose some connection outside the arena shouldn't prevent us from beginning to discuss physical things that will be beneficial to his health and well-being. Our ride today definitely confirmed that our foundation is solid in the arena, which makes it a safe, promising place to begin our conversation about dressage.
So, that's that. We're doing this. And I'm awfully excited about it!!!
For the exercise, Karen asks you to go out and assess your horse, pretending you've never seen the horse before. The idea is to try to look at the horse as objectively as possible and record your observations so you have a clear idea of where you're starting from. After playing with the horse for approximately 15 minutes, Karen instructs the reader to "pretend I call you on the phone, and you must tell me, as concisely as possible, as much information about the horse." (D,N, 48)
As suggested, I played with Finn both on the ground and in the saddle, for about 15 minutes each, and if I had to summarize it as concisely as possible, this is what I'd say:
He's a good-natured horse with an attitude of partnership and a strong basic foundation of relaxation and understanding. He has a steady rhythm and basic balance at all three gaits, generally even and swing-y movement, but lacks energy and freedom. Tight through his back at the trot and canter. He hasn't found his power.
To sum-up the exercise, Karen poses three questions, again to be answered as concisely as possible:
- What is a positive feature that I would like to keep? His goodwill and desire to connect.
- If only ______ was better, I think everything would be better. If only Finn had more enthusiasm for energy, I think everything would be better.
- How would my horse answer those questions about me? "I like that my human ______," and "if only my human changed _____ I think everything would be better." I like that my human is attentive and understands my ideas. If only my human consistently kept her cool when we're confused I think everything would be better.
After my initial assessment ride, the ride sort of morphed into checking on the prerequisites Karen lists for beginning the D,N exercises, and I'm happy to say that Finn actually exceeded my expectations on that front. Many of the pre-reqs are more directed at the human's understanding of the principles of natural horsemanship, and while I ran through them quickly, I also took them to heart as an always useful reminder to stay true to an approach based on psychology and understanding. The two that gave me pause last night were these:
- You are comfortable riding bridle-less walk, trot and canter.
- You and your horse can do all the basic yields (forward, backwards, HQ, FQ and sideways) without using your reins.
As for the closely related number two, well I've checked out most of those yields without using my reins, I haven't spent nearly as much time working on that as I had with Journey at this stage of her development. Thus I didn't feel confident to say that they consistently work, and, believe it or not, I had never actually asked Finn for direct sideways before!
So, I started by checking on those yields, with my rein hand fixed on Finn's neck, and lo-and-behold they all worked, even the sideways after a few steps of trial and error on Finn's part. I was also able to steer in figure-8s, circles and around the rail at the walk and trot. In fact, this went so well, I figured I might as well just take the bridle off and prove to myself we had number one down as well.
And that's how my first bridle-less ride on Finn happened, and it was really a non-event. We rode at the walk, trot and canter, and even popped out a few simple lead changes. I had to use a neck rope for some steering corrections, which I will definitely take note of for the future, but if the pre-req is to be comfortable bridle-less, we're definitely there.
So, all in all, I now feel I can confidently declare we are good to go on this Dressage, Naturally journey. It's a nice feeling... let me explain: I've mentioned before that foundation before specialization is a primary tenet of my horsemanship. But, developing Finn has been really different from developing Journey. I'm no longer following the cut-and-dried Parelli path, and while I love what I learned with Journey, among the lessons were a few about what I didn't want to repeat. Primarily, I didn't want to allow or encourage Finn to move with unhealthy posture for several years before I felt "ready" to discuss posture with him. This is a major reason I have ridden him so much in the bridle from early on in his development - it has helped me encourage better flexion from the get go.
I also wanted to spend more time in the saddle with Finn, so haven't done as much elaborate ground work. These things combined often make me doubt whether my foundation is really strong enough to progress to the next stage. Well, based on my ride today, I'd say it is.
Which is not to say my foundation is finished or perfect, but Karen allows for that. Her thoughts on this were so helpful for me to hear. First, that as you progress to the beginning of dressage training, you may find holes in your foundation, at which point you have the opportunity to go back and fill them in. If we practice our dressage artfully, we will continually expand our foundation. So, if I find something missing along the way, it's no reason to be disappointed. It's part of the process.
Secondly, Karen says if your foundation is strong in the arena, but still needs work on the trail... well, practice your dressage in the arena and continue to work on your foundation on the trail! Simple as that. This was definitely a good reminder for me, because the fact that Finn and I lose some connection outside the arena shouldn't prevent us from beginning to discuss physical things that will be beneficial to his health and well-being. Our ride today definitely confirmed that our foundation is solid in the arena, which makes it a safe, promising place to begin our conversation about dressage.
So, that's that. We're doing this. And I'm awfully excited about it!!!
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