I am older and I am in horses and so while I am occasionally inspired by people who are older than me who are still very active in horses, I am also very aware that I am older, that I am finite, and that this life is finite.
And so I do what I can.
Sometimes I long for things I can't have or can't do -- could I not go to about 12 clinics a year, could I not apprentice with someone who knows a heck of a lot more than me and is actually willing to share that knowledge (even if I have to do it in short spurts because I do have a life too).
I am constantly aware of what I do have -- the opportunity to ride more horses than I can ride, the ability to be with horses and good horse people every day, and the care, the care of horses.
And I am constantly aware of the precariousness of that situation. Anything could happen. Just like it has in the past. Who knew? Who knew?
And who knows? And so that is possible in the future too that due to the finiteness of one thing, there will be another . . . thing
Monday, April 28, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
fear and hope (PTSD)
We
have a smallholding, and for a decade we had Duke, a Belgian, who
helped us work it. He was blind in one eye, and had some ring bone so
he was never 100% sound, but we didn't ask much of him -- just to plow
the garden in the spring (for which he got some bute) and pull the
occasional log. He had a good life and enjoyed himself with our goats
(he was a goat midwife, I swear) and our donkey. Then, after a decade, he got to where
he wouldn't eat enough and died.
So then another Belgian, Bill, was looking for a home so he plowed our garden one spring, then came to live with us in the fall. But in December he fell and broke his leg just above his hock and we had to kill him.
So we went one year and just worked our corn field by hand but at the fall auction I found Rose. She was just an old, gentle BelgianX mare. Because we didn't know her history, she went to the facility where I do some work so we could drive her in an arena for safety and confidence (for me) for the first time. She had checked out as a wonderful animal and we were ready to bring her home when she colicked, her stomach ruptured, and the vet put her down.
So everyone has been looking for a suitable animal for us and our farrier found one, Clyde. I just got a call today that Clyde's coggins came so he is ready to come to us. And it scares me to death. Oh, there is no way I won't do it but it hurts everything there is in me. It is like the older I get, the more the hurt just builds up or something. The kindness makes me cry and the fear makes me cry and maybe I'm just pre-menstral.
May we have years and years with Clyde the Belgian.
So then another Belgian, Bill, was looking for a home so he plowed our garden one spring, then came to live with us in the fall. But in December he fell and broke his leg just above his hock and we had to kill him.
So we went one year and just worked our corn field by hand but at the fall auction I found Rose. She was just an old, gentle BelgianX mare. Because we didn't know her history, she went to the facility where I do some work so we could drive her in an arena for safety and confidence (for me) for the first time. She had checked out as a wonderful animal and we were ready to bring her home when she colicked, her stomach ruptured, and the vet put her down.
So everyone has been looking for a suitable animal for us and our farrier found one, Clyde. I just got a call today that Clyde's coggins came so he is ready to come to us. And it scares me to death. Oh, there is no way I won't do it but it hurts everything there is in me. It is like the older I get, the more the hurt just builds up or something. The kindness makes me cry and the fear makes me cry and maybe I'm just pre-menstral.
May we have years and years with Clyde the Belgian.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Why I Am A Working Horseman
A while ago someone said to
me, "So you're a professional horseman." And that statement caused me
to hiccup, to stammer, to say, "Well, I clean stalls too."
I suppose that my contact with "professional" horsemen hasn't left that good a taste in my mouth. I hadn't really realized that until faced with that question. It is like the term "cowboy" -- it can be a term of great derision or a term of great respect but you rather need a qualifier to tell which one.
I've noted the term "working" used as the qualifier for "cowboy" to delineate it from wannabe or pseudo or weekend or play pretty or dress-up or whatever cowboys. I've decided that I am a Working Horseman.
When I show up to a feeding, I'm not trying to finish as soon as possible and get out of there. Rather I like horses and I like being around them. I want to notice how they are doing, are they drinking, are they pooping, are their eyes bright, are they curious. The "Professional Horseman" often misses this part, and especially the part about poop. When I ride, I'm concerned with how the horse is doing, and why that might be, and how my relationship with that horse can improve that, rather than what the next showing will be like. I pay attention to the horses out in their fields, not just for their beauty but because that is a huge part of a husbandman's work. I make sure the hoses are drained even if I'm not working the next really cold day. I pay attention. I do less sooner, or at least that is always my ambition. I do not think it is someone else's problem. Because to me, horses are not problems.
I am also not trying to convince anyone of my invincibility. I'll be honest as to what my opinion is even if I know you won't like it. I don't think anyone is below me. Whatever it is that you know, I'm interested in knowing it too. If your horse is looking good, I think that is great and I want to know what went in to it. I'm not in a competition and I'm not in a hierarchy.
"Working" implies a level of aspiration. I'm working on it. I haven't arrived, and never will.
Thus I am a Working Horseman.
I suppose that my contact with "professional" horsemen hasn't left that good a taste in my mouth. I hadn't really realized that until faced with that question. It is like the term "cowboy" -- it can be a term of great derision or a term of great respect but you rather need a qualifier to tell which one.
I've noted the term "working" used as the qualifier for "cowboy" to delineate it from wannabe or pseudo or weekend or play pretty or dress-up or whatever cowboys. I've decided that I am a Working Horseman.
When I show up to a feeding, I'm not trying to finish as soon as possible and get out of there. Rather I like horses and I like being around them. I want to notice how they are doing, are they drinking, are they pooping, are their eyes bright, are they curious. The "Professional Horseman" often misses this part, and especially the part about poop. When I ride, I'm concerned with how the horse is doing, and why that might be, and how my relationship with that horse can improve that, rather than what the next showing will be like. I pay attention to the horses out in their fields, not just for their beauty but because that is a huge part of a husbandman's work. I make sure the hoses are drained even if I'm not working the next really cold day. I pay attention. I do less sooner, or at least that is always my ambition. I do not think it is someone else's problem. Because to me, horses are not problems.
I am also not trying to convince anyone of my invincibility. I'll be honest as to what my opinion is even if I know you won't like it. I don't think anyone is below me. Whatever it is that you know, I'm interested in knowing it too. If your horse is looking good, I think that is great and I want to know what went in to it. I'm not in a competition and I'm not in a hierarchy.
"Working" implies a level of aspiration. I'm working on it. I haven't arrived, and never will.
Thus I am a Working Horseman.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Buck Notes, Lexington KY 2013
Today
the next clinic starts, the clinic after *my* clinic. And my life goes
on, blessedly not skipping a beat. But the time outside of time, the
time in the magic rectangle of an arena . . . yes, I do want to be there
again.
So the biggest thing that I've brought away from the Buck clinic is that I can do it. Maybe not to that level, but there are tools, there is timing to work on, there is the horse, there is feel, it makes sense.
First there is groundwork. There is not anything in groundwork that is not directly applicable to riding, and it is all about getting control of their feet. Eventually, depending on how good you are, their feet become your feet when you are riding. And it is all about getting them to follow a feel, to be light, responsive. One of Buck's "isms" is that a horse can NEVER be light to your hands if he is not light to your legs. If he is light to your legs, he has a chance to be light to your hands.
Another "Buck-ism" is that it isn't about training the horse but about training your body to do something consistently. If your body will do it consistently, your horse will pick up on it; will get the message. And so perhaps the first discipline is to always ask as though you are on the most highly trained horse there is. The very first time you ride a colt, ask him to walk through moving your pelvis from position 3 to position 2. He won't know what the heck you mean, but then you back it up with the equivalent of phases and soon he will know what you mean when you move your pelvis to ask him to walk. Always always always start light. Do this when grooming in a stall, when walking out to the fields, ALL THE TIME: know what you want and ask with the least possible thing.
So on a lead rope, there is always float in the rope. You can't pull a horse along: drive. Always be prepared: if you don't have your flag, use your rope.
Another principle is, whatever you are doing, keep doing it until you get a change. If you are doing the half circles on a line as you walk, keep going until the horse respects your space, follows a feel, and offers good expression (for example). YOU have to have PRESENCE to get this done. YOU have to change. The horse changes very easily -- it is MUCH harder for you to change BUT if you want the horse to change, YOU have to change. The whole point of this is to not train your horse but to get your horse's feet to be your feet. If you can do that, you can do anything (dressage, cow work, jumping, roping, trail riding, anything). But don't ever stop doing something when it is bad -- keep at it until it is better.
Some of the things Buck said: "It isn't about winning a battle: It is about developing understanding. I'm trying to get you all to make peace and you are ready to make war!" "It is about how little you can do." "Always be sorting out what works and what doesn't and QUIT DOING WHAT DOESN'T WORK!" "You thin I'm just doing a little exercise with this horse. I'm changing how this horse processes the entire species of humans!" "I'm not a horse trainer. I take great pride in that. Horses don't like horse trainers." "Learn all the things to do on the ground so you don't have to be a great bronc rider." "Don't prevent the horse from thinking: Allow the horse to think." "How little can you do?"
How should your horse be? Always relaxed but always ready. You should be able to bring his life/energy up and down immediately, without trouble.
So, what to do? First, take time with the flag to get the horse used to it. It isn't something to be scared of. They shouldn't even startle at it. They will learn that the flag means NOTHING if there is not a leading hand. But that leading hand should always offer on a floating rope, and only if the horse doesn't take you up on that good deal should you drive. Tap the shoulder, the rib, the hip, in that order, if he doesn't go. Let him circle, and even pet him with the flag as he does. Your feet keep moving. Then walk to the hip, bend with the lead, untrack hind, let him line up with you. Teeter back.
Buck has very specific ways to saddle and very specific ways to bridle and they are on his DVDs. And they work too.
Colt notes:
The horse should always understand that: 1) I can move his feet; 2) He cannot move my feet; and 3) He can move without being troubled.
The colt homework the first night was: 1) be able to be careless with the flag; 2) circling up (lock lead on outside hip, walk to hip, get flexion and inside hind steps over); 3a) throw rope over face; 3b) lead around outside of horse (rope from halter to behind him), come to pressure (be light); 4) half circle ground exercise.
From the circle up exercise, you are looking to bend and step and hindquarters move on a FEEL.
An exercise to promote precision in the human was to offer on a soft feel, make ONE circle then step to hindquarters, bend and roll hind ONE circle and STOP, being ACCURATE. Over and over. Because it is really the repetition.
Mount from the fence stuff includes getting them to lead by on a feel. Then climb the fence and get them to lead by right to left. Bump up on lead and STOP bumping when their hindquarters move to the left. Once they are leading by and bumping up well, dink around them from above them on the fence with ropes, flags, move stirrups, throw a rope and coil back up, everything you can think of. To half mount, always keep left hand and left foot on fence then if the horse goes, you can stay on the fence.
So the biggest thing that I've brought away from the Buck clinic is that I can do it. Maybe not to that level, but there are tools, there is timing to work on, there is the horse, there is feel, it makes sense.
First there is groundwork. There is not anything in groundwork that is not directly applicable to riding, and it is all about getting control of their feet. Eventually, depending on how good you are, their feet become your feet when you are riding. And it is all about getting them to follow a feel, to be light, responsive. One of Buck's "isms" is that a horse can NEVER be light to your hands if he is not light to your legs. If he is light to your legs, he has a chance to be light to your hands.
Another "Buck-ism" is that it isn't about training the horse but about training your body to do something consistently. If your body will do it consistently, your horse will pick up on it; will get the message. And so perhaps the first discipline is to always ask as though you are on the most highly trained horse there is. The very first time you ride a colt, ask him to walk through moving your pelvis from position 3 to position 2. He won't know what the heck you mean, but then you back it up with the equivalent of phases and soon he will know what you mean when you move your pelvis to ask him to walk. Always always always start light. Do this when grooming in a stall, when walking out to the fields, ALL THE TIME: know what you want and ask with the least possible thing.
So on a lead rope, there is always float in the rope. You can't pull a horse along: drive. Always be prepared: if you don't have your flag, use your rope.
Another principle is, whatever you are doing, keep doing it until you get a change. If you are doing the half circles on a line as you walk, keep going until the horse respects your space, follows a feel, and offers good expression (for example). YOU have to have PRESENCE to get this done. YOU have to change. The horse changes very easily -- it is MUCH harder for you to change BUT if you want the horse to change, YOU have to change. The whole point of this is to not train your horse but to get your horse's feet to be your feet. If you can do that, you can do anything (dressage, cow work, jumping, roping, trail riding, anything). But don't ever stop doing something when it is bad -- keep at it until it is better.
Some of the things Buck said: "It isn't about winning a battle: It is about developing understanding. I'm trying to get you all to make peace and you are ready to make war!" "It is about how little you can do." "Always be sorting out what works and what doesn't and QUIT DOING WHAT DOESN'T WORK!" "You thin I'm just doing a little exercise with this horse. I'm changing how this horse processes the entire species of humans!" "I'm not a horse trainer. I take great pride in that. Horses don't like horse trainers." "Learn all the things to do on the ground so you don't have to be a great bronc rider." "Don't prevent the horse from thinking: Allow the horse to think." "How little can you do?"
How should your horse be? Always relaxed but always ready. You should be able to bring his life/energy up and down immediately, without trouble.
So, what to do? First, take time with the flag to get the horse used to it. It isn't something to be scared of. They shouldn't even startle at it. They will learn that the flag means NOTHING if there is not a leading hand. But that leading hand should always offer on a floating rope, and only if the horse doesn't take you up on that good deal should you drive. Tap the shoulder, the rib, the hip, in that order, if he doesn't go. Let him circle, and even pet him with the flag as he does. Your feet keep moving. Then walk to the hip, bend with the lead, untrack hind, let him line up with you. Teeter back.
Buck has very specific ways to saddle and very specific ways to bridle and they are on his DVDs. And they work too.
Colt notes:
The horse should always understand that: 1) I can move his feet; 2) He cannot move my feet; and 3) He can move without being troubled.
The colt homework the first night was: 1) be able to be careless with the flag; 2) circling up (lock lead on outside hip, walk to hip, get flexion and inside hind steps over); 3a) throw rope over face; 3b) lead around outside of horse (rope from halter to behind him), come to pressure (be light); 4) half circle ground exercise.
From the circle up exercise, you are looking to bend and step and hindquarters move on a FEEL.
An exercise to promote precision in the human was to offer on a soft feel, make ONE circle then step to hindquarters, bend and roll hind ONE circle and STOP, being ACCURATE. Over and over. Because it is really the repetition.
Mount from the fence stuff includes getting them to lead by on a feel. Then climb the fence and get them to lead by right to left. Bump up on lead and STOP bumping when their hindquarters move to the left. Once they are leading by and bumping up well, dink around them from above them on the fence with ropes, flags, move stirrups, throw a rope and coil back up, everything you can think of. To half mount, always keep left hand and left foot on fence then if the horse goes, you can stay on the fence.
When you put on the snaffle bit, you have to do all this again in that. Bend them in the snaffle. Get them to lead by in the snaffle. Bump up in the snaffle. If they are moving on a feel, this should go well.
Everyone, colt or not, will want to teach their horse to back from the slobber strap. Take hold of it with palm facing down, pinkie just touching bit. Ask by feel. Add rhythm by bumping bit on chin if good deal doesn't take hold. Keep at it until the good deal works. AFTER there is NO resistance, add backing circles, backing faster and more slowly, back then forward (if there is resistance forward, drive with flag). If he flares sideways, back by fence until he can straighten out. Always build in the FEEL!
Once you do get on, you aren't going to want to ask them to go forward and then take back on them. Leave their mouth alone. Use a one rein stop and/or roll hind then front to give their excess energy direction. You wouldn't be asking for soft feel with two reins until the horse could do this stuff on a floating rein.
He went through some information on hobbling but personally I'd have to know more about it that I do now to attempt to teach this.
He went over the general progression in breaking babies: When weaned, start with a rope in a foaling stall. Rope them but don't pull. Drive, then put rope over hips to turn. Teach them to corner up to yield hind, then to circle up. Then you can touch them at their perfect balance point (where they will neither go forward nor backward) and teach them how good your touch feels. Then to the other side. Only then put a feel on the rope and wait for them to let the forequarters come. That's the beginning of leading. (Horses will learn anything if you can learn to QUIT when they are doing what you want instead of when they are doing something you don't want.)
Those are all the colt notes I have from 2013.
H1 notes:
Obviously I don't have as many specific notes from H1. I didn't write down any Buck-isms from that. I just tried to get the progressions mostly. Let me see if I can get them in some sort of order.
The first thing is probably flexion and the elements thereof. In proper flexion the horse's poll needs to be higher than his withers, his head at a 90 degree angle to his body, his ears level, and face perpendicular to the ground (vertical flexion).
Soft feel: Get a soft feel at standstill, both reins, horse gives head (vertical flexion) without troubling his feet. Do this thousands of times. Then start getting a soft feel while moving withOUT it changing the forward. Only after you can get it with no resistance as a response when you ask do you try to hold it.
One big exercise is the short serpentine. This emphasizes the hands and bending and all four quarters moving the same. It is a great calming exercise too. One of the few exercises you are in position 1 for, and rather choked up on reins. Outside rein must give as much as inside takes. Horse should flex to 90 degrees, walk about a four foot (part of a) circle, then walk straight a step or two, then go the other say. The inside leg is back, the outside leg is at girth. It would take 10 minutes or more to get all the way around the arena doing this. Timing should be as inside fore lifts off ground.
Subsequent to this is the open serpentine which emphasizes the legs. On loose rein with legs to guide, do basically the same thing as the short serpentine.
There are FOUR ways to move the hindquarters:
1a) get lateral flexion, add leg to move hind, release hand and leg together.
b) get lateral flexion, add leg to move hind, release leg and allow him to find stop, release hand.
2) center soft feel, leg to move hind, release.
3) leg only to move hind, use hands to block other movement.
4) flexion without leg and allow them to search for what you want.
Now, to use #4, you need to have it IN MIND BEFORE you do it, and go back and forth from just flexion to flexion to move the hind but ALREADY have it in mind BEFORE you ask. This one thing will do wonders in getting the horse to try to take a feel of you to figure out what you want (says Buck).
Progression of go: move pelvis from position 3 to position 2, add vibration to leg, the mean it! Always offer that good deal first.
Progression of stop: soft feel, sit on pockets (position 3), then pull if you have to. How fast and hard you move to position 3 should tell him how fast to stop.
Every time you stop (on ground or mounted) you should teeter back.
Progression of back up: 1) Stop, release, back, release every step.
2) stop, stay in soft feel, back up, release every step back.
3) stop, stay in soft feel, back up, release to stop backing.
Sometimes when you back up, you should rest there and sometimes move forward, even jumping them out (a bit).
Progression to hurry back up (only after stop and back up is PERFECT at all the progressions):
1) with reins (time a pick up with reins just before feet leave ground to hurry them up).
2) with reins and legs at the same time.
3) with legs only.
Progressions of 1/2 circle exercise:
1) on floating rein, front end reaching more than hind (time outside leg at girth asking inside fore to open up just as inside fore leaves ground).
2) soft feel carried throughout (at first you'll get the soft feel, start the 1/2 circle, lose it some, just stay with it until it comes back soft, then release -- eventually it will carry through the whole 1/2 circle).
3)soft feel, halfway through half circle change the bend and leg yield to the fence with shoulders leading
4) soft feel, change bend, leg yield to fence, strike off in canter
5) soft feel in canter, leg yield to fence pushing shoulders over, simple change of lead.
6) flying change.
Other exercises include getting and holding soft feel while moving without changing forward, slowing body to slow pace (walk as if on eggs, then throw the slack and walk out). Also backing circles, starting with just a little, maybe a step out every three or four steps back.
(I will note that on the first day in colts he was talking about controlling the feet and knowing where they are and placing them, a front when backing now crosses behind, now in front. Well, in trying that in warming up that afternoon, I backed the best circles I ever had by thinking about that fore crossing "now behind". In H1 he asked us to time up with the front foot that was opening instead of the one crossing and I had a much harder and less successful time of it.)
Always build the feel. Always do as little as you can but always get it done.
There. I finished these notes a week after I got back home.
Friday, August 30, 2013
dare to dance
I wrote that just about 12 years and one month ago. I was 40. I didn't have a horse. I hadn't had a horse in 20 years.
Before I turned 41 I had a horse. Duke, my gentle giant Belgian gentleman who taught me so much. When I was about 43 I got my first training horse, Betty Sue, and didn't exactly do wonders with her and probably learned that I wasn't exactly cut out for the "put 30 days" on this horse sort of thing because when I said to her owner, "Do not try to hook her to that sled by yourself, she'll run off," and he did anyway, I was flabbergasted. And she did. That was just something that 60 days couldn't fix (at least not with me, at least not at that time) but someone standing at her head could fix it so just have someone stand at her head while you hook her for goodness sakes.
When I was 46 I got my first horse related job since I was 20. My mother had just died. It was not a riding job. I had only sporadically been on a horse for the past 20 years so I just felt lucky to be shoveling. But I wormed my way in to riding some anyway, and always wanting more.
By the time a decade had passed, exactly a decade from writing that, I had a job that had as much riding as I could handle. Well, maybe I can handle more. We'll see. I am happy with riding, that much is certain. And I like and am good at the horse care part of it too.
During the time I had been out of horses altogether, "natural horsemanship" had come to the fore. I basically didn't know anything about it. I grew up on gaited horses, fell in love with jumping, believed that dressage was the basis of all horsemanship, had had the privilege of sitting on a horse that was turning a cow. I didn't know who Ray Hunt was. I had never heard of Buck Brannaman.
But it didn't take me long to find out. Because it has never been someone's tack or credentials or size of their wallet or condition of their barn that impressed me (although I'm not going to hold any of that stuff against anyone either), but whether or not their horses danced with them. So when I saw Pat Parelli, I cried, just like I used to cry as I watched Kay Meredith ride musical dressage freestyles and Ron Kohlhoff ride reining patterns. Is it even possible to see that and not want to do it? For me the answer is no.
So when I saw Buck The Movie, well, I wanted to see Buck the person in person. And so, just as it had done for the previous decade, the universe stepped in. The universe, by the way, is powered by friends. Buck would have a clinic near a friend of mine and I could stay with her and go audit, and another friend would go with me and drive me there. When I watched Buck and his students for four days, I couldn't help but desire to ride with him one day. Never mind that I didn't have a horse, a trailer, a truck, or money.
And then in December Buck's schedule for this year came out. And my husband, when he heard me say that Buck's schedule was out, asked how one would go about riding with him. I said, "The first step would be to start calling and trying to get a spot in one of the clinics."
"And what would that entail?" he asked.
"Calling and getting a spot, which there likely aren't any, then probably sending in a non-refundable deposit in a few days."
He asked a few more questions to discern the scope of the thing, but mostly he said, "Call."
"But," I said. Every possible obstacle. No horse, no trailer, no truck, no money.
"Call," he said. "Get a spot. We'll work it out." He makes harps. He said, "I will go down today and pick out the wood and lay out a harp and sell it and it will pay for the clinic. Everything else we'll work out. And if we lose the deposit, well, we've blown more money for less important things than this. You really want to do this. We'll do it. We'll figure it out." It turns out the universe is also powered by husbands.
So I called. And to my great surprise, I got a spot. I sent in my deposit. I started asking for stuff. "Can I take your horse?" "Can I borrow your trailer?" And people mostly said yes, and more volunteered, and more yet cheered me on . . .
And here it is, the month I go ride for Buck. We're still working some stuff out.
But I am going to ride for Buck. And I get to try to dance with horses every day.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Universe and every.single.person who has helped or even thought about helping or even not thought about helping but just not gotten in my way. I cannot explain this. It makes no sense. But it makes my heart sing. Loudly.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
by hindquarter yield
Five or six weeks ago I was in a Carol Coppinger clinic for Level 3-4. I was waaay over my head, but mostly in a good way, and when they did the finesse part, I could do that. But how much better would my finesse work be, how much better my dressage, if I really get the loose rein stuff, the disengaging stuff, the connections with all the feet?
One of the things Carol said in the clinic that surprised me was that leg doesn't mean to go forward. Really? It always has -- at least two legs used together. Hmmmm. But she shared this story of being with Pat Parelli and him asking her (and presumably other Parelli Professionals) if they could sit on their horses with their arms crossed, reins draped, and disengage their horse's hindquarters so that the horse's head would follow a cow as the cow moved in the arena -- without the horse going forward.
My horses have all equated leg with going forward and so we've been reworking some of that.
So anyway, there we were in the arena, a whole bunch of us, and I'd mostly done my thing and had stopped and was watching some, and in my stop put a leg on to disengage the hind and did not touch the reins. And she moved her hind end around and did not step forward. And it excited me. I whooped a bit and my smart a** male boss said, "Accidents happen I guess."
I told him I was about to say something nasty to him and to channel my inner smart a** female boss at him. And I know he's just being funny. But those thing are always on the square too.
So today I did it again, with my arms crossed and not touching the reins at all. What's more, everything else is improved too. What anyone thinks doesn't matter because I can do it, and I can do it with relationship and finesse and excellence. Or at least, I'm getting there.
The discipline of riding without reins will certainly help you ride in your body.
For those six weeks, I haven't ridden with any contact. Today we also played dressage pony. The contact was the steadiest ever. Everything is improved. By hindquarter yield.
One of the things Carol said in the clinic that surprised me was that leg doesn't mean to go forward. Really? It always has -- at least two legs used together. Hmmmm. But she shared this story of being with Pat Parelli and him asking her (and presumably other Parelli Professionals) if they could sit on their horses with their arms crossed, reins draped, and disengage their horse's hindquarters so that the horse's head would follow a cow as the cow moved in the arena -- without the horse going forward.
My horses have all equated leg with going forward and so we've been reworking some of that.
So anyway, there we were in the arena, a whole bunch of us, and I'd mostly done my thing and had stopped and was watching some, and in my stop put a leg on to disengage the hind and did not touch the reins. And she moved her hind end around and did not step forward. And it excited me. I whooped a bit and my smart a** male boss said, "Accidents happen I guess."
I told him I was about to say something nasty to him and to channel my inner smart a** female boss at him. And I know he's just being funny. But those thing are always on the square too.
So today I did it again, with my arms crossed and not touching the reins at all. What's more, everything else is improved too. What anyone thinks doesn't matter because I can do it, and I can do it with relationship and finesse and excellence. Or at least, I'm getting there.
The discipline of riding without reins will certainly help you ride in your body.
For those six weeks, I haven't ridden with any contact. Today we also played dressage pony. The contact was the steadiest ever. Everything is improved. By hindquarter yield.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
a poem for Bill
crimson blood red
water running for creek
and ocean
and green grass reaching
for sky so blue and so big
so clear that you can look at it
and not exist anymore
my Bill unnaturally still by our hand
and his tibia
my heart too broken
water running for creek
and ocean
and green grass reaching
for sky so blue and so big
so clear that you can look at it
and not exist anymore
my Bill unnaturally still by our hand
and his tibia
my heart too broken
Monday, August 20, 2012
Intro Reserve Champions!
Long and low and loose and forward thinking went pretty well. Still needed a bit more forward in spots, and more bend just about everywhere (which should help steadiness in bridle) BUT she was interested and not scared! Except she was mighty skeptical of the flowers!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
mantra for the next week
long, low, loose and forward
**********
There's a schooling dressage show next Saturday. When the date was finally set, I admit I rather hoped to take two horses and ride intro B and Training 1 or 2. But you know this training other people's horses thing, it isn't a straight line. Ok, so training horses at all isn't a straight line, but trying to work out what is best for the horse, while working toward your training goals, while working inside your own parameters and the owner's parameters. You have to ride the horse you have today and yet work toward the horse you want tomorrow, and frankly you don't always know who they want this horse to be, and you don't always know what this horse is capable of anyway.
Anyway. Jin. You know, I would have hoped she'd have been more advanced by now. But she isn't. Whether that means I'm not any good or not, I am not sure. I do know that in the process, I'm at least not hurting her. So there's that. I'm also being stretched, learning, trying things, so there's that too.
I'd pretty much already given up the idea of being able to ride them both in the show because, well, because. And Jin wasn't suddenly getting a canter so even intro C was out. And a week out Jin's owner says, "If you think she can do it, you can show her." Well, of course I think she can do it. I don't know whether she WILL or not, but she can. And I take her up to the arena with the specific idea in mind to ride through A and B just to test us.
However, on the first attempt at that there are horse eating chairs sitting outside of the arena and riding the horse I have today meant that it was an accomplishment just to eventually walk around the arena on a long rein almost but not completely relaxed. And also an accomplishment to lead her to within 20 feet of those threatening plastic chairs. So that's what we did.
I wondered the next day if it would be different. The tarps the chairs had been on were still there but at least the chairs were gone. It was worth a look but not the flat out right brain introvert panic of the night before. We went in the arena and it was fine. After working some with another horse and rider, I rode those two tests. Intro A went fine, but it is rather . . . ummm, boring. I saluted for intro B, went for the corner and immediately got her kick out, piss ant, I don't want to do this attitude showing. To which I responded first with a firm "no". And maybe a little bit of, oh-you-want-to-kick?-I'll-give-you-something-to-kick-about.-I-didn't-think-you-wanted-to-kick. But then I loosed the reins completely, to the buckle, and asked her just to trot forward, because when she does her little kick/buck thing, forward is what she so isn't doing in that moment. Completely around the arena a couple times with some circles both directions. And of course in doing that I also had time to think.
Yes, probably in thinking "dressage test" and "show" I had asked for more collection, more connection, that Jin can yet handle. She just isn't there yet. And in asking for that, I got that kick/buck for an answer. Which as I would have told my kids is an inappropriate response, but, ok, I understand. The answer here is that she can't kick/buck and I can't ask for that much collection and that forward will always be the right question and answer for now. I need to ask for connection, but softer, looser, never sacrificing forward. Not Pierre is wrong with two things: She doesn't need to be shorter, even for short periods of time, quite yet; and connection will come from the butt so that isn't enough trot for now -- what she needs is more forward, forward is always the answer, and that will eventually get us to canter. If he heard me say that he would probably say that is what he's been saying but it isn't.
Long Low Loose and Forward. If I can remember to do that, if I can ride that no matter if she's scared of the judges stand or whatever, long low loose and forward without too much driving leg either (dear right brain introvert you always have an escape! it just happens to be in front of you and it happens to be in the shape of this test) long low loose and forward and if she can stay as relaxed as she can stay under whatever her circumstances are that day, it'll be a good test for us.
Long low loose and forward is how success is defined this week.
Also, Parelli moments. Non-parelli-ites might wonder what all the equipment is for, why play with a pedestal. It's just circus sorts of tricks, after all. I mean, I thought those things so I would assume I'm not the only one. If the pedestal isn't in the arena now, I will usually put it there (and that ain't so easy) because I find that working with it just relaxes Jin in particular. The ball can do the same sort of thing -- I love it when both the ball and the pedestal are available to play with, and I find that I use them in the most serious "lessons", as a break, as a lesson, as a reward, as a change of pace -- but somehow they are more than these things too. Maybe horses just like being "circus" animals. Or maybe it is different enough for the human to really change things. I don't know, I just know that it is a real resource to be able to play with them. Anyway, Jin is now fairly good at getting both front feet on the pedestal with just an offer. Today I asked that she move her back feet up closer to the pedestal (in prep for eventually putting all four feet on at the same time). And she did of course. Just two steps, one with each rear foot. She gets a bit of confidence as a learner with each step.
Then we walked over those tarps on the way back to the barn.
**********
There's a schooling dressage show next Saturday. When the date was finally set, I admit I rather hoped to take two horses and ride intro B and Training 1 or 2. But you know this training other people's horses thing, it isn't a straight line. Ok, so training horses at all isn't a straight line, but trying to work out what is best for the horse, while working toward your training goals, while working inside your own parameters and the owner's parameters. You have to ride the horse you have today and yet work toward the horse you want tomorrow, and frankly you don't always know who they want this horse to be, and you don't always know what this horse is capable of anyway.
Anyway. Jin. You know, I would have hoped she'd have been more advanced by now. But she isn't. Whether that means I'm not any good or not, I am not sure. I do know that in the process, I'm at least not hurting her. So there's that. I'm also being stretched, learning, trying things, so there's that too.
I'd pretty much already given up the idea of being able to ride them both in the show because, well, because. And Jin wasn't suddenly getting a canter so even intro C was out. And a week out Jin's owner says, "If you think she can do it, you can show her." Well, of course I think she can do it. I don't know whether she WILL or not, but she can. And I take her up to the arena with the specific idea in mind to ride through A and B just to test us.
However, on the first attempt at that there are horse eating chairs sitting outside of the arena and riding the horse I have today meant that it was an accomplishment just to eventually walk around the arena on a long rein almost but not completely relaxed. And also an accomplishment to lead her to within 20 feet of those threatening plastic chairs. So that's what we did.
I wondered the next day if it would be different. The tarps the chairs had been on were still there but at least the chairs were gone. It was worth a look but not the flat out right brain introvert panic of the night before. We went in the arena and it was fine. After working some with another horse and rider, I rode those two tests. Intro A went fine, but it is rather . . . ummm, boring. I saluted for intro B, went for the corner and immediately got her kick out, piss ant, I don't want to do this attitude showing. To which I responded first with a firm "no". And maybe a little bit of, oh-you-want-to-kick?-I'll-give-you-something-to-kick-about.-I-didn't-think-you-wanted-to-kick. But then I loosed the reins completely, to the buckle, and asked her just to trot forward, because when she does her little kick/buck thing, forward is what she so isn't doing in that moment. Completely around the arena a couple times with some circles both directions. And of course in doing that I also had time to think.
Yes, probably in thinking "dressage test" and "show" I had asked for more collection, more connection, that Jin can yet handle. She just isn't there yet. And in asking for that, I got that kick/buck for an answer. Which as I would have told my kids is an inappropriate response, but, ok, I understand. The answer here is that she can't kick/buck and I can't ask for that much collection and that forward will always be the right question and answer for now. I need to ask for connection, but softer, looser, never sacrificing forward. Not Pierre is wrong with two things: She doesn't need to be shorter, even for short periods of time, quite yet; and connection will come from the butt so that isn't enough trot for now -- what she needs is more forward, forward is always the answer, and that will eventually get us to canter. If he heard me say that he would probably say that is what he's been saying but it isn't.
Long Low Loose and Forward. If I can remember to do that, if I can ride that no matter if she's scared of the judges stand or whatever, long low loose and forward without too much driving leg either (dear right brain introvert you always have an escape! it just happens to be in front of you and it happens to be in the shape of this test) long low loose and forward and if she can stay as relaxed as she can stay under whatever her circumstances are that day, it'll be a good test for us.
Long low loose and forward is how success is defined this week.
Also, Parelli moments. Non-parelli-ites might wonder what all the equipment is for, why play with a pedestal. It's just circus sorts of tricks, after all. I mean, I thought those things so I would assume I'm not the only one. If the pedestal isn't in the arena now, I will usually put it there (and that ain't so easy) because I find that working with it just relaxes Jin in particular. The ball can do the same sort of thing -- I love it when both the ball and the pedestal are available to play with, and I find that I use them in the most serious "lessons", as a break, as a lesson, as a reward, as a change of pace -- but somehow they are more than these things too. Maybe horses just like being "circus" animals. Or maybe it is different enough for the human to really change things. I don't know, I just know that it is a real resource to be able to play with them. Anyway, Jin is now fairly good at getting both front feet on the pedestal with just an offer. Today I asked that she move her back feet up closer to the pedestal (in prep for eventually putting all four feet on at the same time). And she did of course. Just two steps, one with each rear foot. She gets a bit of confidence as a learner with each step.
Then we walked over those tarps on the way back to the barn.
Friday, July 20, 2012
soul soothing
Life continues to go. I make a vow by the stars and moon to work with Inky every day and then the next day something makes it impossible and there it goes again. I will I will I will.
Meantime, things do go in a flow. I had a light couple of weeks riding at the barn because of various things. I had a not-Pierre lesson. And it seems there's a bit of perpetually trying to find my footing sorts of energy. Riding lately, and it seems for quite some time now, has made me wonder if I'm really not so good as I think I am. Nothing can make me feel as competent or as insecure as horses. And it isn't in the audience.
Riding lately has been . . . challenging. Like I'm an idiot. Maybe not that bad. I guess I would have hoped for and frankly expected more progress in this amount of time. I mean, I can always find something to be insecure about.
But every now and again there is a day. Like friendly game with Jin that I wrote about before. Which has continued by the way. Today was such a day. I'd heard Linda Parelli saying something on some video about being able to just move very slowly with introverts and I moved more slowly today, despite not having my line and just doing a bit of "on line" with the bridle reins and dressage whip. We've worked on getting two front feet on the pedestal and she's been getting more willing and consistent with that but today I just approached with her to the pedestal and offered and she got up, both feet.
So riding then we went sort of passenger although I don't think I yet have the full concept of passenger lesson to Parelli but anyway, I let her go where she wanted but began expressing to her, I'd rather go down there and when she didn't, that was fine, next round let her know again, that's where I'd like to go, until I went relaxed rein (I think that's what they call it) and asked her to follow the rail which did take some corrections on the "scary end" then changed direction and follow rail more. All this time mostly trotting, very forward, a little fast, but burning off that energy she has and getting down to business. Changed follow the rail to cloverleaf and doing less and less "correcting", changing direction every so often, in cloverleaf periodically stopping in the middle sweet spot to rest. Then using, hmmm, what did they call that, riding to the corners, some of that, to get a little more stopping in.
And then when she seemed really ready, I took up a bit of contact, remembering following hands and no leg (as per notPierre lesson) and asked for bend and she rounded beautifully, mostly, and what resistance she had wasn't as big as it had been, and asked for stretch, and just repeated that at walk for awhile, then asked for transitions to trot and just did bend, round, no leg, and then would change direction across diagonal with lengthening, then would sometimes lengthen on long side, and just contact, stretch, shorten, lengthen, round through bendbendbend.
She actually tried to get pissy once. This has been a "thing" with her. And she got a bit of a firm "no" at that point, almost a paddling, and she honestly didn't try again but went very very well. That was perhaps my "non-Parelli" moment, but at the same time, sometimes it is, umm, no.
Oh, I did forget to mention that I mounted at the barn and rode to the arena, which we often do with other horses but almost never do by ourselves. Today was by ourselves. We went up into the field just a bit and she wanted to go so I let her and she cantered, left lead (right is her more willing side in the arena), easily if only about 8 strides. But with a rider. She once did a nice quiet right lead canter in the arena but only once honestly. Usually she resists and objects. So I thought this was a nice opportunity to do it just because she wanted to. However, at that point she was a bit "up" so I dismounted and we went on to the arena where we did the rest of the above.
After riding, we left out the back gate of the arena (where we try to enter and exit since the front gate is the sweet spot) and walked around outside and she wasn't scared at all, and we went all the way up into the field by ourselves and she was a little tense near the top but turned and walked down calmly, and walked on over to the barn, finished our thing. She opens and closes that back gate rather well.
It was truly exceptional. Now to ride Blaze tonight. Now to get a good ride in on C. Ah, there's that straight line thinking self coming in there! LOL!
Meantime, things do go in a flow. I had a light couple of weeks riding at the barn because of various things. I had a not-Pierre lesson. And it seems there's a bit of perpetually trying to find my footing sorts of energy. Riding lately, and it seems for quite some time now, has made me wonder if I'm really not so good as I think I am. Nothing can make me feel as competent or as insecure as horses. And it isn't in the audience.
Riding lately has been . . . challenging. Like I'm an idiot. Maybe not that bad. I guess I would have hoped for and frankly expected more progress in this amount of time. I mean, I can always find something to be insecure about.
But every now and again there is a day. Like friendly game with Jin that I wrote about before. Which has continued by the way. Today was such a day. I'd heard Linda Parelli saying something on some video about being able to just move very slowly with introverts and I moved more slowly today, despite not having my line and just doing a bit of "on line" with the bridle reins and dressage whip. We've worked on getting two front feet on the pedestal and she's been getting more willing and consistent with that but today I just approached with her to the pedestal and offered and she got up, both feet.
So riding then we went sort of passenger although I don't think I yet have the full concept of passenger lesson to Parelli but anyway, I let her go where she wanted but began expressing to her, I'd rather go down there and when she didn't, that was fine, next round let her know again, that's where I'd like to go, until I went relaxed rein (I think that's what they call it) and asked her to follow the rail which did take some corrections on the "scary end" then changed direction and follow rail more. All this time mostly trotting, very forward, a little fast, but burning off that energy she has and getting down to business. Changed follow the rail to cloverleaf and doing less and less "correcting", changing direction every so often, in cloverleaf periodically stopping in the middle sweet spot to rest. Then using, hmmm, what did they call that, riding to the corners, some of that, to get a little more stopping in.
And then when she seemed really ready, I took up a bit of contact, remembering following hands and no leg (as per notPierre lesson) and asked for bend and she rounded beautifully, mostly, and what resistance she had wasn't as big as it had been, and asked for stretch, and just repeated that at walk for awhile, then asked for transitions to trot and just did bend, round, no leg, and then would change direction across diagonal with lengthening, then would sometimes lengthen on long side, and just contact, stretch, shorten, lengthen, round through bendbendbend.
She actually tried to get pissy once. This has been a "thing" with her. And she got a bit of a firm "no" at that point, almost a paddling, and she honestly didn't try again but went very very well. That was perhaps my "non-Parelli" moment, but at the same time, sometimes it is, umm, no.
Oh, I did forget to mention that I mounted at the barn and rode to the arena, which we often do with other horses but almost never do by ourselves. Today was by ourselves. We went up into the field just a bit and she wanted to go so I let her and she cantered, left lead (right is her more willing side in the arena), easily if only about 8 strides. But with a rider. She once did a nice quiet right lead canter in the arena but only once honestly. Usually she resists and objects. So I thought this was a nice opportunity to do it just because she wanted to. However, at that point she was a bit "up" so I dismounted and we went on to the arena where we did the rest of the above.
After riding, we left out the back gate of the arena (where we try to enter and exit since the front gate is the sweet spot) and walked around outside and she wasn't scared at all, and we went all the way up into the field by ourselves and she was a little tense near the top but turned and walked down calmly, and walked on over to the barn, finished our thing. She opens and closes that back gate rather well.
It was truly exceptional. Now to ride Blaze tonight. Now to get a good ride in on C. Ah, there's that straight line thinking self coming in there! LOL!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Real Friendly
You know, I love working with horses, right? And I think the regular work, the cleaning work, the health work, is just as important, if not moreso, than the training work. I mean, they HAVE to be well taken care of or there isn't anything else to do with them.
But this training work, and this learning Parelli thing, it's so good. Sometimes it is nerve wracking too, in that it can make me feel like I'm not good enough, make me question whether or not I can really do it or not. But every now and again you get a day like today.
First of all, the Parelli stuff is beginning to jell a little for me. I'm beginning to see that if I work on this online, it is going to help me do this from the saddle. I truly *get* so much of the philosophy -- the do WITH and FOR not TO your horse.
Jin is the horse at the barn I work at that I've worked with the longest. I did my level 1 video with her, I worked with her in the Carol Coppinger level 2/3 clinic when I passed my level 2s. She's green. She's RBI who sometimes slips a bit E although, well, she says "I could go" but if you say, "ok, go right ahead then" she backs out of it so it is almost like she's faking that extrovert. She really acts like she just wants you to leave her alone most of the time. She's not really food motivated (although she's learning treats). She's never really responded well to scritching her. She progressed fine until she felt a bit confined and since then we've had "issues" that we haven't worked through yet. Although progress continues to be made, it might be measured in millimeters.
Today she'd been out for a few days, not in the barn at all. Today I stalled her all day which she doesn't mind but she's generally ready to go out, and can get grumpy if I ride after evening feeding instead of take her back out. So I'd planned to just leave her in a bit longer and then play with her online after we'd finished the barn work. I went in her stall, with her in it, to clean it. She usually easily moves to the other side of the stall and doesn't "say" much while I clean. She might "speak" once or twice, moving around the stall, or to the door to see if it isn't time to go out yet, but I don't believe she's ever, in all the time I've worked with her, ever asked for anything. I can scratch her on her itchiest spot and she just sort of shrugs.
Today I went in there and asked her to move to the other side of the stall and she presented me with her shoulder, clearly asking for something. I started scratching. She stretched her neck out and started making faces; "OMG, that feels so good, yes, please, there." So I scritched her and scritched her. And then backed away and asked if she would come (draw). She had to think about it but yes she would. And I scritched her and scritched her. And backed away. And tried other places. And did both sides. And went away. And came back again. And she came to me and she came to me and she came to me again and again and asked for something that I was able and willing to give to her.
YES!
I turned her out. We'd done our "Parelli" for the evening.
But this training work, and this learning Parelli thing, it's so good. Sometimes it is nerve wracking too, in that it can make me feel like I'm not good enough, make me question whether or not I can really do it or not. But every now and again you get a day like today.
First of all, the Parelli stuff is beginning to jell a little for me. I'm beginning to see that if I work on this online, it is going to help me do this from the saddle. I truly *get* so much of the philosophy -- the do WITH and FOR not TO your horse.
Jin is the horse at the barn I work at that I've worked with the longest. I did my level 1 video with her, I worked with her in the Carol Coppinger level 2/3 clinic when I passed my level 2s. She's green. She's RBI who sometimes slips a bit E although, well, she says "I could go" but if you say, "ok, go right ahead then" she backs out of it so it is almost like she's faking that extrovert. She really acts like she just wants you to leave her alone most of the time. She's not really food motivated (although she's learning treats). She's never really responded well to scritching her. She progressed fine until she felt a bit confined and since then we've had "issues" that we haven't worked through yet. Although progress continues to be made, it might be measured in millimeters.
Today she'd been out for a few days, not in the barn at all. Today I stalled her all day which she doesn't mind but she's generally ready to go out, and can get grumpy if I ride after evening feeding instead of take her back out. So I'd planned to just leave her in a bit longer and then play with her online after we'd finished the barn work. I went in her stall, with her in it, to clean it. She usually easily moves to the other side of the stall and doesn't "say" much while I clean. She might "speak" once or twice, moving around the stall, or to the door to see if it isn't time to go out yet, but I don't believe she's ever, in all the time I've worked with her, ever asked for anything. I can scratch her on her itchiest spot and she just sort of shrugs.
Today I went in there and asked her to move to the other side of the stall and she presented me with her shoulder, clearly asking for something. I started scratching. She stretched her neck out and started making faces; "OMG, that feels so good, yes, please, there." So I scritched her and scritched her. And then backed away and asked if she would come (draw). She had to think about it but yes she would. And I scritched her and scritched her. And backed away. And tried other places. And did both sides. And went away. And came back again. And she came to me and she came to me and she came to me again and again and asked for something that I was able and willing to give to her.
YES!
I turned her out. We'd done our "Parelli" for the evening.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Level 2s
So here it is a few months later. I sent in the video and got my level 1. Now, through a clinic, I got my level 2s! I really need to concentrate on Inky because to go very high, I'll need a dedicated horse to do it, and I could dedicate her . . . or get her really going and try to sell . . . I don't know, but right now I'm feeling the feeling of pleased.
Oh yeah, and Carol Coppinger rocks!
Oh yeah, and Carol Coppinger rocks!