Two Years

Time flies. Good Lord, it's been over two years since my last post.

Well, there isn't much in the way of horse activity to report. I've moved barns (again). Cheerios moved in order to be leased by a 4H-er, but the girl graduated high school, moved out, got a boyfriend, and forgot all about the horse she'd fallen madly in love with in February. So his lease is up in the air pending being given to a different 4H-er to use, and I haven't been on him since last summer sometime, and I haven't had the time, energy or motivation to do anything with horses in quite awhile.

Part of it is that I moved into a full-time position last summer, and then I took three Philosophy classes at night in the fall (do not recommend that). Putting in 13-hour days four nights a week then having three classes' worth of reading (and academic paper writing) to do does not leave much time for horses.

Another part is vertigo. And weight gain. I get out of breath when I move too much, and I have intermittent vertigo now that throws off my balance. I've probably had it awhile. I noticed I was having trouble balancing and finding my balance point a couple of years ago, but chalked it up to the saddle being shimmed wrong, or just the heat or something.

Now, I'd be uncertain about getting up on a horse and trying to stay put. I mean, I get dizzy in the shower, and it feels like the tub is falling out from under me. I thought the house was collapsing until I had it happen when I was out of the shower on very solid non-mushy floor, and realized it's me.

Shaveya stayed behind and is a happy little broodmare. She's had two fillies so far. One came out a mini-me and got sold within the year. This year's is a palomino solid. Well, I got her so I could have a broodmare. What I didn't count on was that the babies and the pleasure of watching them grow up would not be mine to have.

It may well be that my time with horses is over. If it is, I've been unwilling to accept it, because that was my main connection to my late father, as well as my childhood dream. 

I guess, though, that once a childhood dream is fulfilled, doesn't mean it will go on. Maybe the fulfillment of it was the main part.

Maybe it's time to let go.

Feed Reader Switch

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Switching feed readers, claiming my blog. (Google Reader is going away; I'm using Bloglovin now.)

It's September Again

I have to fix this template.  

Because Blogger changed things and now it is confusing.

One of these days, Cheerios and I WILL tape our Audition for Level Two Freestyle and we WILL send it in and get that blue string.

First, I need a job. Then I need to restore my Savvy Club membership. Then I can do it.

(Poverty has been tough. But it's getting better. That was just a phase. I had things to learn. I've learned them. At least by the Grace of God I still HAVE my horse.)

So I discovered something the other day while I was out at the barn. I like teaching HUMANS. This comes as a shock to me. I knew I liked teaching horses, but I didn't think I'd enjoy the human part. Well, a mom and her 10-year-old son came out to look at a couple of horses for lease (mine being one of them) and I wound up giving the kid his first impromptu riding lesson. He'd been in 4-H this summer, learned basic horse care but hadn't really rode yet (things they tell you AFTER they get on...)

He did pretty well but he lost confidence when Cheerios went faster than he wanted and he didn't know how to stop him (pulled back). The kid kept saying he wanted to go faster (cowboy thoughts) and I said "let's get you comfortable at a walk first". Cheerios doesn't go unless you ask. Well, he kept asking and Cheerios finally listened. I knew they were OK, though. His habit is to speed up then stop at the gate. He did that. Poor kid freaked out, though. Apparently he'd never cantered (even though it was a slow lope for Cheerios).

To my deficit, I should have known better than to take a kid's word for it about his riding ability. Everyone boasts; everyone thinks it's easy. To his credit, I'll admit that when I first started riding in 2000, I had to fill out a form at the trail barn and it asked if I had 10 hours or more of riding. Well, if you count the vacation nose-to-tails and a few weeks on my niece's horses when I was a teenager, and a couple of lessons in my college gym course, yeah... I think it should have read 100 hours because both me and the owner of the Palomino realized AFTER I'd mounted that I didn't have the expertise to handle him.

How soon we forget.

Well, the kid stayed on, but he was rattled. To my credit, what I did next was savvy. I know how fast confidence can go. I know how hard it is to get back. I know that the way you leave it is how you'll find it next time. I know that once you dismount, you have a lot of time to replay the horrendous incident in your mind and revisit the fear over and over until you can't remember anything BUT fear. 

I knew if he got off shaken, he might not get back on again.

So I kept him on, took the reins away, gave him instruction in the difference between pulling the saddle horn versus pushing (finding the balance point). I promised him I wouldn't go any faster than he was comfortable with, then I had him shut his eyes and just feel the horse beneath him while I led Cheerios around at a walk, backed him up, pulled him forward. When I saw relaxation returning, we went for a slow trot. The kid got off with restored confidence and a big smile.

I realized, it felt really good to give him that gift. It sat in the back of my mind for hours, and I thought about the profound effect Parelli has had on me. It's changed my whole life. It's teaching me how to "train" horses, how to ride, and how to be a more evolved person. Parelli has given me the greatest gift; I would be honored to share that gift with others. Human AND horse alike.

YELLOW HORSE / OFF HIATUS

YELLOW HORSE /OFF HIATUS*

I have been a lousy blogger. I've also been off my feed for a long time. (Little horse pun there.) After a hiatus that lasted far too long, I finally returned to the barn yesterday. I'm almost mortified to admit that I'm on hiatus from Savvy Club, too (though that can be reinstated when I'm ready).

Why the hiatus? Well, there is always a break for winter; though ours was mild for Ohio. OK, the honest truth is, money. Money owed, money spent, money I couldn't put in the gas tank, then during the few months money was being made again, the issue reverted from money to time. The irony is, I feel like one of those "bi-annual horse owners" I used to criticize: they never go out to ride or even see their horse, just to meet the vet on Vax Day or when the horse needs a trim or is in trouble.

I now understand that sometimes, Life Happens.

For me, it has happened too often in the past 10 years. I seem to be gung-ho with my horsemanship for a couple years, closing in on my goals, then just as I'm about to ascend to the next Parelli Level or take a major step (like doing the six-week intensive that I'd scheduled for January 2006 in Ocala—delayed indefinitely), Life Happens, and I go on hiatus.

As it happens, I've been on the verge of delving into Level Three and amping up my professional goals again, once I've passed L2 Freestyle, so of course. Is it coincidence... or fear?

Not sure.

But I finally got out there and remembered how to be a horsewoman again and it was FANTASTIC.

Fine. I'll admit it. The reason I went out, despite warily eyeballing my bank account (during yet another "hiatus" from working, thank you Temp Agencies) and my gas tank, was because I've been leasing out Cheerios during my hiatus. But the gal who'd been leasing him had two things happen (got her horse back, then fell off and broke ribs) so she's no longer leasing him. Another girl was half-leasing and wanted to discuss the possibility of moving him to another barn next door to her home.

Now, I knew the other lady already, so there were no qualms about the lease. This other girl, I've never even met—the barn manager hooked us up. I figured I'd best go meet her before agreeing to something that quite frankly raised about 100 red flags.

The outcome of that? No details necessary. She's a perfectly nice girl, seems to ride well, seems somewhat in line with a method of horsemanship similar to mine. But no decision has been made due to Life Happening on her end, so I get a hiatus (there's that word again) from worrying about visiting the "new" barn and meeting the barn owner, and having to consider the ramifications of leasing my Parelli Partner to someone who wants to "train" him to do contesting. (Not real keen on that; the ONLY reason it was up for consideration was, again, for financial reasons.)

So that's a non-issue at the moment. What I did get to do was play with Cheerios a bit (since it's been so long, I tested the seven games the way Linda did on the Savvy Club DVD) then I actually got on and rode him. Bareback. Trotting.

Why is this significant? Well, as you recall, I'm still getting used to riding him bareback, let alone at the trot. In addition...

I didn't even RIDE last summer. I saddled him up once, but he was so irritated by the saddle that I didn't even ride. I spent the summer doing groundwork and liberty, and playing with other horses at the barn (training in exchange for board decrease). Because his saddle no longer seems to fit him and he'd laid down during the last Carol Coppinger clinic (oh, hello fear—forgot you existed), I felt leery about riding.

Yes. It's been that long. What is WRONG with me.

But it felt so natural yesterday, and he was in such a calm, quiet mood I knew he was rideable. It was amazing. I didn't really DO much beyond getting reacquainted, but it was so good just to do that.

Then I helped with barn chores, feeding, turn in/turn back out, and then the barn manager asked if I felt like playing with one of her new horses.

I said "sure", even though the sun was halfway set and it was getting darker. (There is a little light from exteriors on the barn but not much.) 

And so I played with the Yellow Mare. Of course she has a story (they all do). The important point is that she was shown in halter classes, then ignored and left to live in a stall 24/7 for a couple years until the owner had to sell and the barn manager bought her for a brood mare. Pretty but really skinny Palomino with a blaze and a ligament issue up front.

It would seem nobody taught her much more than how to lead and stand still, and she didn't even know how to live outside. 

My first guess would be RBI, based on her wariness at our approach and her stance. However, I'm reserving judgment on that. She's very calm. She leads well. She knows what she's supposed to do and she's very polite and quiet about it. You might think LBI just from that. But she has her ears back in a worried position, though her breathing is regular. Still reserving judgment. Her demeanor suggests she's a bit concerned, but she doesn't seem spring-loaded.

Took her to the round pen, ran the quick seven game test. She was unresponsive. Period. If she wasn't breathing, I'd say she was dead. 

Friendly game: not bothered by the helicopter, rope slap on the ground, savvy string around her neck, legs. Not catatonic, just not even paying attention. Not upset. No ears back. (Maybe they "sacked her out" well.)

Porcupine: no response. Didn't move, didn't even acknowledge me. I mean I went to Phase 4, and I went slowly. It's like her hide is made of Teflon.

Driving: turned toward the source of it when I used rhythmic pressure. I've yet to have a horse do that and I can't recall ever seeing any horse on the Parelli DVDs doing that. Puzzled by that one.

Yo-yo: no response. Will come toward, but no back up.

Circling: obviously she'd been longed, because she understood that. The send sucked. The bring back sucked. The allow was okay.

Sideways: wasn't even worth trying, because she didn't comprehend or pay attention to driving OR porcupine. (I tried. It wasn't worth it.)

Squeeze: she did that okay, between me and the fence on a Phase Two. 

Hmmm.

Still not sure if she's RBI, LBI, or what she is. Calm and willing usually indicates LB, but as Linda says, "don't let 'quiet' fool you—an RBI can be calm on the outside but inside, ho-ho..." I decided since she seems wary of people but "trained", I'd assume RBI so as not to cause her to implode. Strategies can always change mid-stream.

I started with Porcupine on the nose. Following Linda's pattern/goal, which was to release when her head was in the position best for backing (so release when she brings it up slightly, even if her nose touches the ground; release only when her nose is straight; following her nose when she turns away and rubbing until it's pointed straight, etc), I was surprised at how quickly Yellow Mare grasped the concept of holding her head in the best position and backing up from a light Phase 2. Her expression (from what I could tell) was a little less worried, but still not sure.

I didn't want to stress her by pushing too hard, so when I got a couple of nice Phase 2 back up steps, which took only a few minutes, I moved on after giving her a good long think.

Yep. Took a long time for her to lick, and she kept her mouth clamped shut. That's RBI. But I'm still not labeling her AS just yet.

Tried the rope around the front leg. Good thing I'm patient. Took ages to get the slightest loosening of her kneecap that said she was thinking about releasing. I moved on. Briefly showed her how to yield FQ and HQ. From the speed at which she picked it up, and because she didn't seem bothered by moving through things rather than repeating them, I'm now thinking, maybe she's LBI, just wary. Still reserving judgment.

It was getting dark enough that I was glad she was a light-colored horse. Before I ended, I wanted to see if there was a bond yet. So far, she hadn't seemed motivated to leave, but she wasn't motivated to respond, either. Is that LB? Still confused.

I unhooked the lead line and walked off, checking to see if she was following. She immediately turned and ambled in another direction. Ah. So she was just being obedient because she was imprisoned on a leash, not responding or bonding. Time for a strategy change.

Let's play the Catching Game.

I must say, this was the slowest version of it I've ever played. Usually, the minute I slap the string hard on the ground once, they've wheeled out of there.

Not this mare. Three slaps, and a tag on the rear, and she wandered off around the circle in a slow trot like she'd done this a thousand times. She slowed to an amble, went about halfway, then stopped.  Didn't look at me. Just stood there. Her expression: tuned out, unconfident. Not catatonic, not wild-eyed, just... not present. Awake, but not present.

I did the thing where I arc around toward her then swoop in.

Wow. NO RESPONSE.

I tagged her.

NO RESPONSE.

It's like she was a robot, and she'd hit the off switch. What happened next was that we played at this for a good hour or so in almost complete darkness, with only the light from around the corner illuminating one third of the pen.

Well, I couldn't just stop, could I? I was invested. I'd committed to this game, I had to see it through until I got SOME kind of response.

The barn manager was sitting alongside the pen watching wordlessly (except to say "I tried doing a lot of this type of stuff with her, too, [catching game/chase her around the pen until she "joins up"] and got nowhere"). I wonder if she was about bored to death watching the paint dry?

Not me. I was absolutely fascinated. Riveted by this mare. She's such a puzzle. Somehow we got maneuvered over to the "light" side of the pen, where I could just make out her silhouette and the slight suggestion of her features.

This is where it got REALLY interesting for me, because I couldn't SEE her well enough to look for the small signs—I had to SENSE them.

Everything inside of me shut off. All my thoughts. Everything. I was just hooked into this line of energy connecting me with this horse, feeling for her, reaching out to her, trying to make the connection jumpstart something in her.

It was down to the most minute little shifts. Where she angles her head about one degree toward me, and I retreat one degree away; then she angles away two degrees, I approach two degrees. A silent, slow, almost imperceptible dance of fractions of space and time.

I'm standing still, watching her head. It's... twitching. She's like a bobblehead. It seems to me like she's trying to get the neurons to rewire, debating whether to acknowledge this odd reality. She didn't seem to know how to process the concept of having a human/predator try to bond with her. I watched her head twitch up and down a few times, then side to side. I had the sense that I should just wait and see what happens next.

Then... she blew out.

Not a big huge one. It was like she'd never let out the tension before, and when it came out, it surprised her and she tried to suppress it. 

I removed pressure and arc'd away. I noticed when she looked at me. Her expression had changed. She was more present! She had two ears and two eyes.

Wow.

I kept up this dance, with more of her head turning toward me each time I arc'd around, and my retreating more obviously when she did look at me. I could make out her features enough to see that when I backed off, her expression returned (she became present) and when I approached or put pressure on (even casually), she pulled inward and began to shut down.

I backed off and waited.

And waited.

Cue theme from Jeopardy.

And waited some more.

And wai—

Oh, FINALLY.

She shifted her weight and cocked her leg. Her entire body let go of muscle tension.

I couldn't SEE this, other than the silhouette shifting, but I FELT it.

So I pivoted away from her a quarter turn. I looked back. She was looking at me, alert. Curious. I reached out my hand to invite her along, took a step forward, and waited a moment. I took one more step, and...

She turned. I took a few slow but deliberate steps, intending she'd follow, accepting if she didn't. I got about five steps further away, and I heard her trudging behind me. I stopped at the other end of the pen.

She stopped right beside me. Well, three feet away and just out of reach. I heard her lick her lips.

Most people at this point would run up and pat her now.

I didn't. I extended my hand. I wanted HER to reach for ME. I didn't want to grab for her.

Took a long time.

I'm patient.

Played that dance, you angle your nose toward my hand one iota, I pull it back one iota; you angle away, I move closer; repeat.

And then... she reached for me. She made contact.

JOY.

Her expression had completely changed. In the moonlight, I could see she was relaxed. Not quite ready to be all over me, but confident about letting me be just out of grabbing distance, but most of all... she was PRESENT. And she stayed present.

A brief game of stick-to-me, just to confirm she was really "with" me, not just coming because she's supposed to. She mirrored my every move at just-out-of-reach three feet away, and I knew I'd had an impact. We ended there after a little love session. I pet her softly. She moved toward me, and put her head into my hands as I stroked her chin.

No fireworks, no big wahoo moments, no excitement. Sad to think how many people would have been so bored to come see a "horse trainer" at work, and wind up seeing "nothing happening", when EVERYTHING was happening.

Everything.

I don't know if I always do it right—but I do my best. I'm still holding out judgment on her horsenality. But I'm still utterly fascinated by what transpired, and I know I made a friend... and I know I changed something in that horse. Something small but significant—and I can't wait to get back out there and do more.

I wish I understood why I keep going on hiatus and avoiding the barn, when it's clear to me that THIS is what I want to do with my life, for the rest of my life, even if it's crazy, unconventional, no guarantees, and a huge risk. It's what I LOVE. It's what fascinates me to the point that my entire train of THOUGHT stops. THIS IS MY PASSION. What must I do to PROVE it to the Universe, so it'll unblock the obstacles that put me on hiatus, and let me DO this?

Even though I woke up sore as hell from the hips down, after a restless night with feet that threatened to cramp every two seconds and an ache that went from my big toe up my leg to my back; even though I was utterly worn out today; I STILL WANT TO DO THIS.

I've nothing else left in my life with my parents gone—AT LEAST LET ME HAVE THIS.

 

HOW ABOUT THE LESSER OF NO EVILS?

Huge epiphany brought to me today by Parelli. Ever hear the expression about "the lesser of two evils"? Culturally, everyone pretty much thinks that it's true:

There are downsides to every situation,
nothing you can do about it,
just choose the more tolerable option and live with it.

This is a belief I've carried, that you basically go with:

• EITHER the option that has the least amount of downsides
• OR the option that has a few more downsides but ones that are more tolerable

Like with horses. You have two horse owners, and each one has a horse that's essentially great, but with a few downsides. (The typical pronouncement heard by Parelli Event attendees is, "My horse is perfect, BUT he _______. How do I fix that so he stops _______?" We all just smile and sigh, because we know it takes more than a quick fix to one issue.)

Anyway. Back to the story of the two horses.

One is prone to bucking and bolting on the trail; the other won't go no matter how hard you kick him but he doesn't buck. Bucky's owner would rather have the frustration of bucking than not moving (well, at least he goes when I ask, most of the time, and I'm a good rider, so I can hang on when he has a tantrum). Pokey's owner is a timid rider, and would rather have the frustration of a horse that won't go rather than one who goes too fast and too unpredictably (well, at least he doesn't buck or bolt, he's "safe", I'm not gonna fall off and die).

Both are choosing which set of evils they're willing to tolerate.

The Parelli program challenges this belief (one reason it's so controversial and people can't wrap their heads around it at first).

Parelli said,
"Why? Why put up with any evils at all, when you don't have to?"

("What? What do you mean, you don't have to put up with any evils? Huh?!? Isn't that just how horses 'are'?")

The Parelli Program has shown me that there's a third option—no evils. It taught me that I could have a relationship with my horse that is SO GOOD that it eliminates 85% of the "evil" entirely, and transforms the remaining evils from bane into benefit by redirecting the negative behaviors and energy in positive directions.

How? By changing my mindset about horses.

Of course, the first thing that had to change was... ME. Once my mindset shifted, I shifted, and when I shifted, everything else shifted into place.

I've had this head-scratcher of a thought ever since I got into horses: how come it's so easy to attract stuff related to horses and horsemanship, but it doesn't work elsewhere? This is why! Mindset! I've shifted my mindset successfully (I do not have to accept the lesser of two evils, I have a third option, I can eliminate entirely and/or transform evils into blessings) with relation to the area of horses—but I have not yet applied it to any of the OTHER areas of my life.

It was easier for me to do this with horses because the area was new to me, not a lot of mental baggage and beliefs to eradicate first, no big blocks in the way.

The point is, this "lesser evil" belief has permeated every area of my life, and it MANIFESTED. (We don't need to illustrate here all the many, many ways it has done so.)

Now that my eyes are wide open, I'm seeing things in a whole new light, seeing with sharp clarity how every situation I'm experiencing is a crystal clear manifestation of this old belief.

Parelli. WAY more than riding. Or horse training.

All Still Alive

Wow. Really? Almost a year since my last post. I'll be brief. It's all good. Shaveya has found a new owner, bonus is that she didn't even have to change barns. She's being bred and there should be a Paint foal skittering around the barn next Spring.

Cheerios is absolutely fine, and still my partner, though I've been lax with my studies. Not giving up on PNH, just not as active. Life is happening. Temp jobs, estate closing, dealing with life in general.

I did take Cheerios to a Carol Coppinger Level 2/3 clinic last summer, that was interesting (did I post about that?)... Carol is always awesome. Cheerios was quite the character, though. And it was hot. OMG was it hot. Blazing sun, humidity—I thought I was gonna die, and apparently Cheerios did too, because he decided to lay down while I was on him.

One thing I've learned, clinics are not to be taken lightly. If you are planning to attend one, make sure you AND your horse are in shape for it. Oh, if it's a Level One clinic and you haven't done much with your horse prior to it, you'll probably be all right. But for upper level clinics? Make sure you've been out there playing with your horse steadily and getting BOTH of you some form of moderate, consistent aerobic exercise for at least six weeks beforehand. Make sure YOU are in decent shape. You don't have to be skinny, just have endurance and be as fit as you can because it is WORK. It's fun, but it is hard, sweaty, physically-demanding work, even if you spend the day in the saddle rather than on your feet.

Think of it this way: would you dare to run the Boston Marathon if you'd only started jogging around the block last week? I think not.

Lesson learned.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

I'm still here! How do you like the new blog look?

So. Here's the update:

• My beloved farrier Kelly went on hiatus due to impending birth. (Her daughter was born June 13th—congrats!)
• I found a new farrier, AANHCP-friendly but not certified, who lives a mere 25 minutes from the barn
• She also has an IR horse
• Shaveya has gone to live with her and her IR horse on a small, private farm to be in a very controlled, IR-friendly environment where everything that might affect an IR horse is carefully monitored
• Shaveya has been witnessed cantering in for food (so it's working!)
• Cheerios and I rode in Carol Coppinger's L2/L3 course in nearby Port Clinton a month ago. It was fantastic.
• We're working on learning the spin, perfecting our short range circling, and gearing up to finally tape that darned L2 FreeStyle Audition
• I've been working intermittently for a phone survey company while seeking alternative sources of income
• I changed the look of the blog

That's about all for now. This time, I wrote detailed clinic notes while it was still fresh. I'll post next time. Adios!

All Things In Moderation
I'm referring to the comments, which are now being moderated due to sp@mmers. As this is a family-friendly horsemanship blog, we do not welcome offers from well-end*wed females looking for l*ve, nor does my horse require any sort of products to extend him in any way. Those who leave a comment to this effect on this blog will be given a Phase 4 they won't soon forget. Thank you, though, for reading, and for caring enough to make us aware of your presence.

The horse and I are on vacay until next year. Have a Merry and a Happy, and I'll see you in 2010.

NON-PNH FORUM POST
The post I wish I could have written. A bit of background: I've been nosing around online for a used Natural Performer saddle (size Large 17", medium fenders, chestnut or medium oil is my dream) for an affordable price. In the process, I came across several postings on other forums about Parelli.

One of them almost made me lose my Emotional Fitness.

I just really get frustrated sometimes with the ignorance that abounds, and it irks me when people speak authoritatively about Parelli when they actually (as evidenced by their misinformation) know nothing about Parelli or the program! These are the people responsible for the spreading of misinformation and the bad press that sometimes follows us Parelli folks around (not to mention the Parelli-trained horses that some people think need to be "fixed" and "un-Parellied" because they don't understand that it's not the horse, it's the PERSON who isn't responding correctly).

If it upsets me this much, I can't imagine what it must be like to actually BE Parelli and know what is being said.

Which is why I'm not a Parelli, I'm just a student of theirs. :-) Then again, their EF must be well-developed by now.

Anyway. The forum thread I was reading had to do with a girl who had just bought a horse from someone who had Parelli'd it, and it had behaved perfectly for the owner, but now she had it home with her and was having problems. So she came to a random horse forum seeking help from a Parelli person because she can't afford the DVDs.

Of course, she unwittingly started the typical "natural vs normal" war that seems to occur on these forums, and generated several pro-Parelli endorsements along with the usual venomous anti-NP trashing and Parelli-bashing. I was happy to read the Parelli respondees and their patient polite responses, but I blew a gasket when I saw a post that lumped Parelli in with the other NP trainers, calling it a generic training method that only works with some horses but would never work for an Arab, and saying Parelli and Clinton Anderson are pretty much the same if you can just ignore the philosophy stuff.

(Why, I ask, would you want to ignore the philosophy?)

This is what I wish I could have posted, had I wanted to bother to join a forum so obviously out of alignment with my own principles (and I might have a bit of my own data about Horsenalities wrong--it was written in passion; were I to post it, I'd research to make sure I had it right!):

Responding to the comment that CA and PP are generic:

Please exclude Parelli from this list, as Parelli is not generic. A huge part of the Parelli method involves isolating the individual horsenalities to help the student understand how to teach the horse. This is in reference to the comment that "Parelli won't work for some horses"—meaning the spookier ones or the ones with more energy like Arabs. This is not true. The other natural methods may be less effective than Parelli only because they tend to use one technique for every horse, whereas Parelli insists on determining the horsenality first—RBI, RBE, LBI, LBE—then adjusting the techniques accordingly in order to be as effective as possible.

For example, an LBI is motivated by food and "what's in it for me". Treats used as incentives—NOT BRIBES and there is a difference—will work with an LBI and encourage him to respond. The use of subtlety in cues, raising the horse's curiosity, and keeping him on his toes with a lot of variety will engage the horse's brain and keep him focused on and interested in you. They need quickness in the questions we ask of them, and they get bored easily. When they get bored, they act up. They can be a challenge because the human must be thinking one step ahead and have a plan in place, otherwise the horse will take over and recreate a new plan.

An RBE, however, is an entirely different animal. This is a high-energy horse very geared towards a flight response. This horse seeks safety and strong leadership. The human must match the horse's energy and go four ounces further. RBI's, on the other hand, need gentleness, softness, slower requests and a LOT of time to dwell in between. Patience is paramount with these horses, because they have serious trust issues and a lot of fear. I've worked with an RBE Arab who would be completely focused on me for quite awhile, then suddenly just lose focus. The moment she lost focus, she was a mess again.

All of this is found in the very in-depth Liberty & Horse Behavior study materials.

The philosophy and psychology Parelli's methods teach are what makes the program so effective! Until you understand WHY pressure motivates and release teaches, or WHY a RBI will react differently to a scary situation than an LBI (for example), you cannot fully understand the horse. Until one understands the horse, one will not be effective with him. No matter how well the person can keep their balance in the saddle, or how many Olympic/Rolex jumps and obstacles the person can get the horse over.

There was a post I saw on a blog today that claimed 90% of Parelli followers only do groundwork and never get in the saddle, and wondered why. I did respond to that one.

FOURTH RIDE
I did the honors today of giving Mona her fourth ride. This is a BIG bay Arabian two-year-old filly—she's probably already 15.1 hh with legs for miles. She's a beautiful horse with a lot of exuberance, and a sweet personality. It's hard not to fall for her.

But as she is not mine, and will be going home as soon as she is "ready", I have to keep some perspective.

Today, we learned that blue tarps blowing in the wind are nothing to worry about. We also learned that if a wagon goes by with a flat tire, it sounds like fluggedy flump, fluggedy flump, fluggedy flump, and even though it sounds scary, it isn't. We learned to pay attention to the leader during (un)controlled catastrophes. (Any "old-timers" remember that task from the earlier Level One assessment?)

I did the usual warm up, with emphasis on the Extreme Friendly Game (Lite version). Because of the wind and everything flapping around us, I wanted to be sure flappy flying things didn't bother her before I got on.

Nothing of note to report. Accepted the saddle like an old pro. I rode in my own Circle Y today with one shim because she is narrow in the withers and a bit downhill. It fit her quite well and solved the slippage issue I'd had with the BM's saddle. (The scary thing is, the Circle Y is the saddle I've been riding Cheerios in, and he's much wider—as soon as my inheritance comes through and I find one slightly used, I'm buying a Parelli Natural Performer or the earlier version; perhaps this is why he has trouble cantering?).

I played with her mouth a lot to prepare her for bridling. She's been bitted once. Not by me. The girl who did first ride tromped up to her, shoved the bit into her mouth, THEN asked me if she'd ever worn a bridle. When I went to bridle her the other day, she wasn't having any of it. So, I worked on trust, touching her tongue, rubbing her gums, rubbing the noseband of the hackamore on her mouth, and holding the hackamore like I'd hold the bridle so she gets used to the method.

I waited until the BM was done giving a lesson before mounting, and had the BM nearby to help. Like before, I had the BM lead Mona while I did a passenger lesson. Youngsters are so wobbly! They don't know how to balance a rider yet, and it's disconcerting. But she did well. We walked and trotted. Once she learns how to carry me, she'll have a beautiful trot with those long legs.

Then I tested rein positions, and I was IMPRESSED. She picked up Direct, Indirect and Lateral Flexion LIKE THAT. With NO encouragement from the BM on the ground! She also figured out Back Up pretty fast. Just a step or two was all I asked. She's getting it.

I think what surprises me is that I'm really good enough to teach her that, and have her respond to my focus, my leg/body, and my soft rein guidance.

You mean... maybe I really can do this?

MORE YOUNG HORSES
KAT
My apologies in the post delay; busy lately! Lots of barn visits; lots of phone calls to settle the last bits of Mom's Estate; and I got a part-time job FINALLY. It starts tomorrow. Evenings, telephone research. Plenty of daylight horse hours left wide open for me. It's a start, and I'm thankful for it.

So the update. Kat had a third saddle desensitization session only I went back to the BB pad because I wanted to begin preparing her to have me in Zone 3 above her eye, and see if she was ready to accept my weight. I don't ride English, I ride Western, so I'm doing it all bareback at first. (Just like Pat and Jake did on the SC DVD.)

Not much to say about it. Same stuff, different day. Although it took a LOT less time for her to allow me to blanket and pad her—minutes rather than hours. That is progress. We were done with the games/warm-up and ready to get tacked up when another rider wanted to borrow the round pen. It was a good time for a break, so I allowed it. I let Kat graze, hung out with her, bonded; then I decided to test out her Sideways down the fenceline. And this is where I learned the real reason why I "bother" doing Parelli.

She went Sideways beautifully then began to go very RB. Then I realized my foot was snagged.

Then I realized that one of the electric fence wires (the grey kind) was down, and had been curled up beside the fence—hidden in the grass, neither of us saw it, and I unwittingly sent my horse right into it!!!

Kat wasn't caught, but she thought she was. Basically she'd snagged a bit of it, dragged it sideways with her, and pulled out the coils into a big mess, which I'd gotten my own foot tangled in.

I took leadership, and she turned and faced. She was breathing hard, but waiting. I looked carefully at the wire, assessed the situation. Kat just waited. I calmly detached the wire from around my leg, then told her I was going to pull the wire out from under her, just stand still and you'll be fine.

I extracted the wire, moved her back a step off of a piece of it, and then got rid of all of it. We both heaved a huge sigh of relief. It could have been a disaster. But it wasn't—because thanks to PNH, I had a young RB horse who LISTENED and overrode her instincts, and I knew what to do.

I've also learned that just because the ground was clear during the past 364 days, it doesn't mean it's clear on day 365—always check to make sure it's clear before sending your horse that way (or yourself).

After distracting her with a few more games, I took her back to the round pen and although the other rider was still riding, I just went ahead and did my blanket/pad anyway. Yep. Outside of the pen, without a net. Then, tacked up, I let Kat graze until the rider was done.

Then I got the mounting stool and just did approach and retreat in Zone 3 on both sides, stepping up and down and rubbing her until she figured it out. The last thing I did was rest my upper body on her back and rub her thoroughly. She handled it well and let out a huge sigh. End of session.

MONA
Mona had her first ride with another rider. Then she had an unscheduled vacation while other horses were played with. It was suggested I have a different girl ride her, with me assisting. Since I'm doing this for the BM, I have tended to let her decide the procedures, figuring she knows her boarders' riding and training abilities better than I do.

That's about to change. I've learned something valuable. While one girl has been a working student with a prominent cross-country eventer (who has won the Rolex and a World Championship before) and spent the summer breaking two-year-olds, the riding ability is there, but the actual horsemanship is lacking. (I was told by her that the Eventer, who shall remain nameless, gives all the youngsters Ace before they are saddled the first time. I'm sorry. To me, that is the equivalent of giving them a roofie and date raping them. I am thoroughly unimpressed, and if it were me, I would not want to listen to a single thing the man said. Ribbons and championships aside).

Another girl has been riding for 11 years, but knows very little about how to teach a horse new things. Yet another spent two years in a very prestigious Equine program near here, but changed majors because the program directors not only belittled Parelli, but after inviting another well-known NH trainer to give a demonstration, they laughed at HIM. While he was demo-ing to their students!

These girls all have paper credentials and associated prestige; so they should know their manure, you'd think.

Well, this is what I've learned. Their horsemanship will tell you a lot more about their true knowledge than their mouths will.

And that's true for me, as well. I'm not saying I'm exempt. Or perfect. But I know my horsemanship, even in its growing stages, speaks for itself. And the funny thing is, the others are starting to look to ME for information. (Except for Ms Rolex Student. But her goals are different from mine.)

On Sunday, the 11-year rider (J) and I were to work with Mona on riding. I collected Mona in my usual manner. I played with her in the pen to see where she was mentally and emotionally. J watched, asked intelligent questions about why I was doing what I was doing, which I answered. Mona got to the ready point, and we proceeded to saddle her English. I circled her a bit, following PNH procedure.

Because she'd been bridled before by Ms. Rolex, I thought to test and see if Rolex had done the job well.

Nope. Mona didn't want anything to do with the bridle. I realized that bridling would have to be a separate session and left her in the halter. I tied up the 12-foot into reins, attached the 22, and J mounted up. It went fine. I held the end of the lead line as a safety net, and to help Mona find the answers when J asked her to respond to rein guidance. She rode Mona around a little bit, then we found a good stopping place.

The next day, J and I repeated the procedure for Mona's third ride.

Instead of bridling her, I opted for the hackamore instead. It makes sense: she's used to the Parelli halter and lead rope—it's the same thing with reins added. J mounted up, and we walked and trotted. Well, they walked and trotted—I stood in the center at neutral holding the popper. After a bit, J felt confident enough to take her around without my holding on. Mona was OK with that, but wasn't really responding to J's attempts to get her to go or turn.

I had one of those moments: you watch, you suggest, and you stand there getting antsy because you're just SURE if it were you up there, you'd be able to get her to do it.

So we switched. We swapped out English for Western. Mona saddled like an old pro. And I got on.

And yes, Virginia, I was right. Kicking her wasn't working (of course not). I did the PNH procedure. Sit up, energy up, squeeze gently but with increasing pressure, cluck, swing rope around myself... Mona leaned forward, I released and rubbed. Repeat: Mona leans forward, lifts leg, release and rub. Within about four of these, Mona understood to walk off when I did that. And we're walkin'...

Next, I tested Direct Rein. Of course, I used focus with the eyes, then my body, and reins last.

Mona TURNED. A little wobbly, but she did it. Pretty soon, I had her doing slow, wobbly S-curves across the round pen.

J watched the whole time. Suddenly she's full of questions for me. (I like that.)

We found a good stopping point when Mona sighed. I dismounted, and stood there with Mona resting her chin on my shoulder as I softly scratched her. I wish this was my horse. I wish they were ALL my horses, because I truly love them all.

I've realized that 11 years of being able to ride doesn't mean you know how to use your body to ride. Like most, J adopts The Position, and expects the horse to know what to do, or to be able to steer with the reins or legs while staring forward. The concept of looking where you want to go, not just with your eyes but your whole body, is new to her.

Parelli is amazing. From it, I have learned more about horses, horsemanship, riding, and myself (and other people) than I ever thought I could from a "video-driven horse training method".

J told me she'd been Googling horse methods, but there were so many out there, she was confused, it was hard to know which ones worked. I admitted that when I first heard of Parelli, I was skeptical—I thought it was a pyramid scheme, or one of those things that promised more than it delivered. Thankfully, my skepticism was quickly dismissed; seven years of being an obsessed PNH student proves it's not a pyramid scheme, it's a Godsend.

Perhaps we have a new convert in J? I can only hope.

CHEERIOS
Rode him and worked on everything. My main objective was to get us to L3 standard—we've been lazy. I've been letting him get away with being sloppy, with easing into a trot, easing out of it. I want smooth transitions and snappy departures. I want him to RESPOND when I ask for Sideways. I mean, snap to attention, Yes Ma'am, and go Sideways, straight and smooth, and don't stop until I ask.

It's been more like "Sigh...." one reluctant step or two Sideways, then angle out so he's walking at a diagonal.

I fixed that.

He was a bit miffed because I actually dared to get firm with him. He got firm with me and ran my knee into the electric wire and fence post on the way out the gate. The bruise is pretty huge and ugly, but it missed my knee cap.

He's used to being in charge. He's LBI. He's not used to me taking leadership. But we tightened up a lot of things in that session.

So the next session I played at Liberty with him, and taught small new things. Like lead from the mane, tail, lip, ear. Just the beginnings. I switched gears. Nothing huge to report—it's all preliminary right now. But I think, pending the next week, we'll be taping on the 30th.

KAT X 2
The last three sessions with Kat have been focused on saddling. During the first session, the barn manager started out working with her. I observed. I kept track of the many things I might have approached differently and made mental notes. When she got to the saddling part, I watched some more. I could see that the BM was becoming frustrated, because Kat moved away when the saddle approached.

So I stepped in to assist.

The first thing to change was the saddle approach. My BM is a believer of natural ways and resistance-free training; however, she hasn't had the benefit yet of the details the Parelli program has taught me. Such as, a less-threatening way to carry a saddle when approaching a horse, and allowing the horse ample time to investigate it before tossing it on the horse's back. My BM was still in full-on "grizzly bear" approach, and working with a pretty moderate RBE.

I stepped in and did my thing with it. Eventually, we got the saddle ON her. Then we called it a day.

The next two sessions, I worked exclusively with Kat. During the first session, I used the saddle pad and m bareback pad, because it's light, and it has a cinch, so perhaps I could get her used to having something around her without the added weight. During the second session, she "graduated" to a light English saddle. The girth on the lowest holes was two inches too short, so we stopped there. Both sessions took three hours of extreme patience and approach and retreat to get the saddle pad on a calm horse, then the BB pad on a calm horse, then the saddle on a calm horse. (All after playing the seven games with lots of Friendly beforehand.)

Despite the owner's urgency in getting this done, the BM and I both agree that it might take longer for Kat to be ready to ride than Mona.

Because there was nobody around Wednesday evening, I opted to play with my own horse for a change (because I can predict him better than the others). I've had two amazing sessions with him in the past two weeks. During the first one, we rode in the bridle (old PNH kind) for the first time in ages, and worked on Finesse. I was thrilled when he offered a lovely collected half-pass (I think that's the term, trotting forward on the diagonal) with barely a suggestion, and moved sideways easily.

The second session started with a short Liberty session in the round pen. Change of direction is still iffy, need more work online for that. But he went Sideways without a fence!!!! YESSSS!!!!

After Liberty, into the arena we went. I'd planned to try out the 45' line, but there were novice riders in the arena, so change of plans. Ride instead. I warmed him up on the 22' before saddling. Now, this is what I love, and yes I'll admit it's an ego-boost. I dropped the line, and he stood perfectly still while I saddled him in the arena. I was hoping the novices were watching. They are new to having their own horses, and asking me all sorts of questions for advice on how to catch their uncatchable mare, why does the gelding move backwards when I kick him to go, that sort of thing.

I'm hoping that witnessing rather than being instructed will inspire them to want more knowledge. So having Cheerios be all blasé about being saddled, proving you don't need cross-ties or a chokehold when you have a good relationship, well... it makes me proud and it's a good example. He behaved beautifully, and we "showed off" our graceful communication with carrot stick riding, finesse, etc. I hope they watched closely.

I hope they ask LOTS more questions next time.

I think we are just about ready to tape FreeStyle L2 Audition.

BRIEF UPDATE
Had a training session with Mona a week ago; today, I played with my own horse for a change. The barn manager was at work, there was a new horse in the paddock, and Mona and Kat were out with the herd. I need to find out the new logistics before proceeding this week.

Mona's session last week was interesting. She did the first five games pretty well, but then she got scared during Circling, pulled free, and ran off with the 22' line trailing between her legs. If Cheerios had done that, he'd have ignored the rope. It freaked out Mona. So after she cantered all RBE around the paddock a few times bucking at the rope while I prayed silently for her to sloooooow down, she stopped and froze.

Poor thing was terrified. I felt so bad. But it was let go or I would be a nine-finger today. Every time she shifted, the rope touched her legs, and she freaked. It took two bolt and runs before she settled down and let me collect the rope from her legs. The funny thing was, once I had it in my hands, she relaxed.

From there, of course, the plan changed.

Instead of teaching the last three games, the new plan was "desensitize her to the rope" aka LOTS of Friendly Game. I taught her to give to the pressure on her front legs. The rears weren't happening. She kicked out when the rope barely touched her. Probably not in the right mindset at that moment. At first she panicked when she felt the rope, and tried to bolt, but I disengaged her and had her stop.

I know I did the right thing. A bit later, she lost confidence and bolted off with the rope again—but this time, she got about 30 feet away, slammed to a stop, and turned, faced and waited.

WOW.

She needs a lot of work to be less sensitive to that.

Didn't even get to Kat that day.

So today, I focused on my horse, and it was awesome. My feel and timing HAS changed as a result of playing with these other horses. I saddled up and bridled him—first time bridled in ages—and we went out and played a little with Finesse, Carrot Stick riding, point-to-point, and OMG HIS SIDEWAYS IS FINALLY KICKING IN.

In fact... I was so excited. I thought as we were trotting along in a nice, collected little jog, I wonder if I can trot him sideways on a diagonal like all those fancy dressage ponies.

I thought it, I did it in my body, and...

So did he.

WOWWWW. I mean, WOW. My roping horse just did a beautiful little whatever it's called!

Level Three, here we come.

TRAINING LOG 08.06.09
Two horses on the docket today: Mona and Kat. Since these are the horses with deadlines, they get priority sessions. First up was Kat.

My initial challenge was getting her from the pasture with Mona to the round pen on the other side of the barn. Sounds simple, right? Not with a RBE with separation anxiety. A whinny duet commenced, complete with panicked left-behind Arabian tearing around the pasture, and panicked Pintabian trying to run over me.

Oh, yes, I was being very mindful of the thresholds. But for Kat, her threshold is five feet away from Mona on the other side of the fence.

Actually, let me rethink that. It just occurred to me that it's really away from Mona with a human on the end of the line.

I had a plan, though. We'd successfully gotten Mona to the round pen in the same condition the first day; and since our round pen session, she was much better. I think I made a mistake with Kat the previous day, and went in with a new plan.

Instead of being firm, I'd try mirroring her.

It started with her being so upset she was half-rearing at the round pen fence trying to get out. I just ignored that and kept mirroring her behavior like Linda did on the Dec 2004 (I think) SC DVD.

Guess what.

It worked.

Pretty soon she tuned into me, and both stopped whinnying. When it was "safe", I entered the corral and continued mirroring. At some point it changed to becoming leader. I don't know how to describe it. It was more of a knowing. I got her through games 1-4. She is having major trouble with friendly stick and string. This is why I think she might be a difficult horse, not ready to ride in a week or so. She cannot tolerate string on back; how will she tolerate a saddle let alone a rider?

The last thing we did once she'd sighed hugely and put her head in my lap was to work on gate entrances. She rushed the gate. I sent her back and forth until she went in calmly, stopped, waited, and came out calmly. Then I released her to the pasture.

Mona was up next. She whinnied a bit, but was much more manageable on the trip to the pen. I mirrored her, too. They need work to get over the separation thing. Eventually, she forgot about Kat, hooked onto me, and we made it to Circling. She became curious. She was very light and responsive. She got the concept of circling. I hung out with her, even squatted to remove pressure.

She tolerates things better. I think she'll be rideable much sooner than Kat.

That was the day.

TRAINING LOG 08.04.09
Title change from Mustang Chronicles to Training Log, since the Mustang is only one of the nine horses (besides my own) that I'm playing with.

Second day in a row. Started with a long-overdue set of trims for my two, coupled with guidance from my NHCP on how to maintain the trims every four weeks (to offset the costs of trimming for the moment). Learned: the White Line isn't white, it's yellowish, and the Water Line, which is the trimming/rolling guideline, IS white. Confusing? Of course. LOL! Learned about false sole growth. Cheerios had quite a bit. It's bizarre! But now I feel more confident that I can maintain their hooves without fear of hurting them.

After a PB&J break, it was time to go to work. I'll say this: the lesson for the day was what happens when Goals precede Principles.

First up: Kat the Paint.

Kat (LBE) was up for threshhold work. She and Mona both have huge ones about leaving each other and the pasture. Mona got over hers, and now she's my best bud. Kat is another story. Kat and Mona both need to be "rideable" soon, as the owner is putting pressure on the barn manager about getting a saddle on them this week.

I played with Kat for two straight hours. Friendly Game only, with the stick and string. It was more about determining which of us was in control of the situation than having a conversation. When she got too RB and I tried to snap her out of it by yo-yoing, she popped up her FQ and reared. (Oh boy! OK, that didn't work...) She was a sweaty mess by the time we finished, but she did eventually settle down and decide that she wasn't going to die if the string touched her back.

Now. If she won't tolerate a delicate little string lightly caressing her back, what do you suppose she'll do with a blanket? Or a saddle? Or, God forbid, a human?

Right. She'll explode. Which means, right now, she is absolutely un-rideable, and will be until she has moved past the Friendly Game threshold. So let me ask you, Mr. Owner—are you willing to take that risk? Because I'm not. (And you shouldn't be, either.)

I was about to call it a day and go play with my long-forgotten horse, but BM called me over to help with another boarder's horse she is tweaking for the boarder. The boarder just bought her. The horse has been ridden a lot before, but spent the last year or so in the pasture. She needed a "tune-up". BM was attempting to longe her in the next pasture, but gave up in frustration. She asked me to see if there was anything I could do. Key goals: respect, listening, not crowding.

Sounds like an LBI to me. This is Laney. She is a BIG solid paint mare. Built like a tank. Needs to shed a few pounds. I strolled in. She was friendly enough. Tested her boundaries. Not bothered by much of anything.

Also not willing to budge out of my space.

My best Phase Four was met with a blink. Not even a flinch. The more energy I threw at her, the more keyed up she got, until her FQ popped up. Second horse today that I sent into a rear! Coincidence?

I played with her a bit and discovered when she gets confused, she either charges into you or shoulders you hard. Since Phase Four wasn't working and I wound up getting out of her way more than vice versa, I had to come up with another tactic. I decided Yo-Yo was the primary interest. But I had to combine methods. Push back on the rope while tapping.

The lightbulb went off.

OK. Wiggle finger, tap tap tap WHACK.

Another lightbulb went off.

Within minutes, she "said" "Oh. OK. When you do that, it means back up. Got it." and she did it, no questions asked.

Disengagement was faulty. She'd bring her FQ to me instead of pivoting the HQ away. It's the shoulder thing. Her Lateral Flexion was not there, either. Tip her nose, here comes the shoulder. Everything meant shoulder to her.

OK. Strategy: brace my fist against her shoulder, and work it like a clutch and gas pedal. Guide the nose to me, push the shoulder away. Guide, push. Guide, push.

There's another lightbulb. Once she got that on her own, I added the butt. VOILA now we're cookin' with fire.

Pretty soon, she was trotting nicely around the circle, stopping and disengaging, etc.

No problems here. Just, she hears flailing as noise and gets confused, then resorts to her old tricks. I communicated clearly, and she was AWESOME. I'd like to ride her next.

FINALLY I got to ride Cheerios. But I almost didn't. He wasn't all that interested in being saddled, and I admit, I made him do it. Because I haven't done much with him since his feet got too long, and after all these not-mine horses, I needed desperately to play with and ride something familiar. Easy. Hop on and go.

Cheerios' "hop on and go" feature was disabled, unfortunately. Even HE popped up into a rear because he was pissy about cantering on the 22! Wow. What is up with me, I thought? But after playing with the untamed crew, I had more tricks up my sleeve, and quickly quelled any nonsense. He settled into his former LBI self, and he felt rideable.

So we rode. It was fine. He was fine. In fact, it was one of our better sessions with Sideways, rein positions, and focus in general.

Later, I thought about it and realized, the whole day, I'd geared around goals:

• get Kat to the rideable point fast, so disable her threshold issues pronto (never mind the consequences)
• fix the other mare so she'd be usable for her owner's first lesson the next day
• ride my own horse, darn it!
  

In each instance, it must've changed my energy, because I tuned out what I was reading and became focused on making it work. I got lucky with Laney, because she's a good old LBI at heart and merely needed clear instruction, but Kat?

Geez. I hope I can undo whatever I might have done.

I'm going to have to be frank with the BM so she can pass it on to the owner: do you want this horse to be barely but somewhat rideable by a deadline (and questionable ever after)? Or do you want this to be a good partner for life? Because I can go either way. I can push thresholds, focus on goals instead of the relationship and principles, and force her to tolerate it and comply (and cross my fingers that her next owner has the savvy to manage the negative consequences it'll create). Or, I can take the time it takes, develop her into a solid citizen, and provide you with a partner you'll be proud of and enjoy SAFELY for the rest of her (and your) life.

Your choice.

If you opt with B, it might take a little longer, it might take a lot longer. But really—is your life and safety worth it? Do you really want to ride a boxcar full of TNT while smoking a lit cigarette?

Tomorrow's mission: no goals. Do what is best for whichever horse needs me most.

PERIOD.

MUSTANG ET AL
Let's see if we can make this quick, cuz I'm starved.

Today, I played with four horses. All had major breakthroughs. All are two years old or under. Details follow after the jump.

And here's the jump.

My mission today: get Mona and Kat over their herd sweetness and thresholds going from pasture to round pen. If I could get one into the round pen calmly, great! If all we did was play halfway there, great. I also wanted to take Magic the opposite way—from the round pen where he's living to the arena/pasture to give him room to stretch his legs and see if he's truly catchable yet. Once he is, he can live with the rest of the herd.

Note: Mona and Kat are pastured together. Everyone else is on the big pasture. Except Magic, who lives in the round pen for now.

Mona was more catchable. Played with her a bit in the pasture. Made sure she was listening. Did the threshold thing. Took the time. Let her graze along the way. Approach, retreat. Kat was more bothered being left behind than Mona was. Made it all the way to the round pen, and in. (Yes Magic was in there. He just drifted over to the opposite side.)

Returned. Switched horses. (Mona took about 45-60 minutes). Kat wasn't so easy. Played catching game with both in pasture as BM was preparing boarder's horse in next paddock. Very interesting playing at Liberty with both Mona and Kat. They knew when I was talking to one and not the other.

Finally Kat hooked on. Haltered, played games. Did not get to thresholds. For her, because she was too "up", I sent her sideways first. Whoo! Got her thinking. Then games. Huh. Fuzzy now. Oh. Food aggression. BM put Mona in adjacent paddock after lesson was finished. Then she fed their hay and grain. Worked on having Kat listen to me as leader instead of diving for food. Went pretty well, actually. She has a tendency to rear when asked to back. Is that LBE? Must look that up.

That was another hour done.

Next up: Magic the Mustang. He's easy to catch now. Did not do pasture because of feeding time. Will do tomorrow. Reinforced Seven Games in round pen. He is ONE SMART COOKIE and a fast learner. Had a little bit of a blowup when he got confused when I increased pressure, but it was over and done with and forgotten quickly.

One more hour down.

Collected Aries from the big pasture. Games along the way in. He's more like Cheerios—LBI. Had to get ahold of him, disengage firmly to get his attention. After that, he listened. He needs to learn to maintain responsibility for circling and not stop behind me. Saddled, rode for about 15 minutes, just walk trot. Has NO lateral flexion on right side—stiff as a board. Worked on that. Worked on Direct/Indirect Rein. He is very good at lifting into the trot off of energy, and he follows focus pretty well. A little confused about bend to a stop. But he stood still for mounting this time.

All in all, a great session. Five hours—4:00 PM to 9:20 PM—of just horse play. Sigh. I really COULD do this for a living.

According to Pat, on the SC DVD Sept 06, Colt Starting is just Level One with Excellence. Whew! That means I should be able to do this.

MORE THAN MUSTANGS
The Law of Attraction works.

I'd played with the Mustang twice. It got me thinking, "I cannot wait until I finally pass L3, get through the Parelli Professional Program, and get certification as a licensed PNH Instructor so I can start developing horses!"

Yes, my dream was coming true. When I was six years old, I told my mother, "when I grow up, I'm living on a big farm, and I'm raising and training HORSES!!!" Her first question was, "How are you going to do that? You don't know anything about training horses. You'd have to grow up on a farm to learn that, and we don't live on a farm."

True. And it stumped me for years. Until I found Parelli, and found the program that is indeed teaching me how to "train" a horse (even if this is "self-mastery disguised as horsemanship" and not a horse-training method). Once I found PNH, I knew I could indeed become a horse trainer. Only better.

SOMEDAY. After passing all the home-study courses, of course, and being granted the stamp of approval from the PNH organization that says, "Yes. You qualify. You're licensed. Go forth and train/teach/develop."

The other day, it occurred to me that I might be inadvertently postponing my dream—because of the language of my thought pattern. I kept thinking, "Someday... off in the future... when the stars align... and I'm officially a horse trainer..."

SOMEDAY.

As in, "far off in the future".

Well, what's wrong with that, you ask?

Keep reading and I'll explain.

The future never arrives. That's the problem. It continues to exist out there, somewhere, far far away in the distance.

We only have NOW.

So if my thoughts were focusing on someday far away... then... my dream would CONTINUE to be someday far away. Meaning, it would never begin to occur NOW. Today.

Hmm. How interesting!

I thought about it for a long time, and decided to revise my thought. I decided last week, darn it, there are lots of PNH students out there who were already training horses and giving riding lessons before they found Parelli—they didn't stop what they were doing just because they were in the levels. They kept doing it, but adapted their training/teaching styles to align with their newfound philosophies.

True, I came into horse development through Parelli with no prior knowledge... but... pre-Parelli knowledge of horses isn't necessarily "right", or the best way to do things. Just because someone was doing it before doesn't mean they did it right. Which is worse—doing it "wrong" for a really long time; or being new and learning as you go?

I don't know if that makes much sense. But I couldn't come up with a GOOD reason why I couldn't start developing horses NOW. Most horses out there aren't bad, or dangerous or extreme challenges—they're just misunderstood by their owners and haven't had the right kind of instruction yet. Anyone who watches Savvy Club DVDs knows the range of difficulty amongst student-owned horses is very wide. Yet, somehow, they manage to handle them and pass the Levels with them.

I decided that day that from that moment forward, I am already a horse developer. I'm on the path to becoming a PNH Instructor, but I'm developing horses and teaching riding lessons NOW.

The next day, I was out at the barn to help the BM with the Mustang, as it was his first trim appointment. I wanted to be there to show him support and help in case he got nervous about it. (The farrier wound up postponing due to having been misinformed by a new client about the real number of horses he would be trimming and got stuck at the barn.) While we were still waiting for him, the BM asked if I'd be interested in helping her out with another horse on the property. She explained that there is an Arabian mare, a two-year-old, who has no ground manners, and is extremely "herd sweet" for her buddy (also there for training), to the point where leading her to the round pen (which is out of sight of the paddock where the buddy is) becomes a terrifying nightmare.

In other words, she's a little hard to handle. And she's BIG. Already.

I said, "Sure..."

BM said to all of us to move out of the way and stay very quiet until she got the mare in the round pen.

I'm thinking, "OK. RBE?"

You betcha.

I was a little nervous about it. But... I just followed my instincts, and before long, she was much calmer. Not calm, not completely LB, but manageable. She was trying very hard to listen to me, and she was trying to stay off adrenaline. She'd go in and out a lot. She'd be OK, then realize she couldn't see her buddy and go RB. (Didn't help that a storm was brewing on the horizon.) I played with her until I got her as calm as I could and was able to communicate with her—then I led her back to the pasture, perfect timing before the storm hit.

She did remarkably well on the way back. She walked beside me and was about as LB as she'd managed to be all day. You can bet one of the first things I taught her was how to back out of my space (Funky chicken) so I wouldn't get run over if she flipped and shot forward as I led her. Good instinct. It came in handy—but she responded instantly and respectfully.

She was calm at turnout, too. Left it on a good note.

My initial instinct after watching her caromb around the round pen was, maybe I should put her on the 22 and play in the paddock with her buddy or the one next to it. (It probably would have gone BETTER had I done that. But it went all right.)

When I later watched one of the SC DVDs where Linda coaches a girl with her RBE horse over the log, Linda said "always play with RBEs in a place they feel safe because of their thresholds". Yup. My instinct HAD been correct. Next time...

The Arab and I had an audience during our session. A lady and her grandkids bought one of the other two-year-olds (Dakota) and it's their first horse. They were watching the progress. I commend them from having the presence of mind to sit about 20 feet away from the pen. Close enough to see, not so close as to put pressure on. Well, when we were done, the lady came up and told me how impressed she was, "nicely done". I was surprised. It was really cool to have demonstrated that this works with any horse. She admitted she wouldn't know what to do in that situation and it was wonderful to watch.

I said, "Well, I learned it all from the Parelli program—and you can learn to do this, too."

She was surprised by that. I hope we have a new convert.

Hee hee hee. Drink the Kool-Aid. Go on. (just kidding)

The BM was impressed, too, I think. Maybe. Doesn't matter if she was or not. What matters is that she said "I have another horse that needs help if you're interested". So... after watching a riding lesson, getting rained on, and finding out the farrier wasn't coming until next week, I collected another two-year-old, played the games with him, then rode him for a few minutes.

Yes. I know. He's two. I personally feel the first ride should wait until they are four, and if it were my horse, I would have waited. But the BM is preparing them to be sold, and unfortunately, that's how it is. So, the best thing I can do is to put my personal feelings at the door, and do my best to make his first rides pleasant.

Oh, don't worry. I didn't get on a never-ridden horse. He'd been ridden about 10 times already, so he had some idea of what saddling and mounting was all about. And maybe the other person who rode him just got on really quickly and went with it. Me, I did it Parelli-style. Colt-start style. SLOWWWWWWWLLLLLY. Testing every step before I did it to make sure he was really OK with it. Making sure he was OK with me above him in Zone 3, that the movement of my leg didn't bug him, that the stirrup was OK, that he was OK with weight in it, etc. Making sure brakes worked, that he understood lateral flexion. Laying across him first in case I had to get off quickly. (I did, a couple times.)

Finally, I got my leg over and he stood still. Somewhere between LB and RB. That's fine. I got on and off a couple times, then we rode a bit.

OMG. I'd forgotten what it was like. When I first got Cheerios, he was four, and basically green broke. He had no idea how to balance my weight, and riding him was like riding a listing ship. And he tipped forward.

Well. Same here with Aries. The saddle felt like it was sitting on his shoulders (and I am the one who put it on so I know it was in the right spot—shims, anyone?). He listed and wobbled around like a drunk for a bit before he got situated (he's a pretty big boy, BTW). I wasn't on very long—just long enough to walk him around a little, trot a little, stop, do Direct/Indirect Rein (which he caught onto REALLY fast), Lateral Flexion—I even got him to go Sideways! ALREADY! Just a few steps. But it was SOLID.

Wow.

Either my 12-year-old is a lot duller than I thought, or... I'm a lot better at this than he lets me know I am. (No, this is not ego talking. It's a sort of realization that maybe I don't suck.) Because it sure seems a lot easier to get every horse BUT mine to do stuff that I have difficulty getting my horse to do.

So today. I get an email from BM. She has a plan, if I'm interested. She has a list of the horses that need some work, and she'll trade board for training. Meaning, I train, I get a lower rate.

I said, "SURE!!!!"

When I got to the barn, she handed me the list of horses needing work.

Basically, all of them. Except mine. LOL!

The overall plan is to bring them all through L1 Online first, then move into L2 Online while delving into L1/L2 Freestyle. The bulk of these are two-year-olds needing their first ride. In other words, I am Colt Starting. Like eight horses. (I only brought five Horsenality™ charts!!!) I'm to take my time, do it the way I'd do it, (except for the waiting until four to ride part) and get them all saddle broke by winter.

ME.

Which means...

I AM A HORSE TRAINER (DEVELOPER).

RIGHT NOW.

There was a great session with the Arab's buddy Cat (the Arab is Mona). Cat is a gorgeous Paint mare and she is also BIG already. As big as Cheerios. And she is only two. I separated her from Mona but they were in adjoining paddocks so they could see one another. Less hassle.

Mona lost interest and went off to try to dominate the rest of the herd over the other fence. I basically played Catching Game in the pasture/paddock/arena. Some would say, why in such a large area? Because it was either go through another Mona experience and have the horse all RB in the round pen, or sacrifice close quarters for a horse I might be able to communicate with. She caught me, eventually. That was the majority of the session, from 6:30 to almost 9:00. I observed her to be very athletic (jumps barrels at liberty by choice), curious (walked up to where the 12-foot was laying on the ground, picked it up, chewed on it, tried to swallow it, dragged it along for about 20 feet before dropping it), and not really RB. But very Extroverted. She wasn't so much panicking as she just didn't want to be with me yet. And she moves.

So here are my initial diagnoses:
Cat=LBE
Mona=RBE but when confident, becomes aggressively LB
Magic (Mustang)=LBI innately; mild RBE when uncertain (he drifts away rather than blasting away, but always returns)
Aries (the one I rode)=LBI so far (BM says he changes day to day, unpredictable, so he might be RBI or it might depend on the circumstances)

The other four I haven't begun to sort out yet. Except from casual observation:
Dakota=LBI like Cheerios (reminds me of him)
Phoenix=RBI
Apollo=LBI (he's older)
Laney=LBE with aggressive dominance (she's brand new, just met her, and she tried to shove me over)

I realize this is A LOT to be doing at this stage of the game (yeah, play with one horse or two if you must until you've passed L3—nobody said anything about playing with NINE), but there's something else I've noticed.

Despite the admonition to take one horse through L3 before playing with others, it seems that the people who become really good really fast and fly through the levels are NOT the ones playing with just one horse. It's the ones who were already training and giving lessons BEFORE finding Parelli, who have had exposure to multiple horses and Horsenalities.

I have already had major breakthroughs just this past week. My patience has deepened. My sensitivity to the horse's needs and mindset has improved dramatically. My focus, feel and timing are picking up pace. I'm getting better at managing my energy, because I have to adjust it depending on the horse I'm with at the time.

I actually think that this is a blessing, and it is accelerating my progress through the Levels already. It's filling in the gaps that Cheerios isn't able to fill. I think that playing with eight other horses and bringing them through L1 and into L2 before delving into the L2 Freestyle Audition or L3 Online with Cheerios is going to cause us to blast into outer space and progress at unheard-of speed. It's not going to delay our progress (because I'm focusing on other horses than my own)—it's going to speed it up.

And if I am going to do this for a living, I'd best get used to adapting to different horses now, rather than waiting until I'm in the 1-Star program.

I still can't quite believe it. :-) And I really wish my Dad was alive, so I could run into the house yelling "Dad! Dad! Guess what?!?" and share with him all the wonderful experiences I'm having.