After learning that my sweet Willow is not a ride-able horse, due to her past, we have begun our new journey together doing only online (with halter and lead-line on) and liberty (without halter or lead-line on). I have not done much Liberty work with Willow because I have been so focused on helping her find calmness in riding. Liberty is the true test of partnership because without anything te...thering her to me, she has the choice to stay with me and follow my leadership, ..or... to just leave. Yesterday we did our first 'real' Liberty session and it was AMAZING! at first we just moseyed around together making small turns towards and away from me to be sure I had a connection... we then went to a close range "touch-it" game and I sent her around about 5-8 feet away from me to stop at and touch objects around the arena. A couple times she got 'lost' and began to wander away from my direction, I softly disengaged her hindquarters and brought her back to me, then progressed to try again.... after she touched 3-4 objects close range, we moseyed together back to a barrel and just hung out together for a few min. and I put the lead rope back on. We then went out to graze and play outside the arena with some 'read my energy' games and 'follow my focus' to grassy places to eat. ...... Then we went back in to try Liberty again.... this time I tried the "touch it" game from a 10-12 foot distance and she stayed connected the whole time..... she kept checking back in with me if she was unsure and sighed and liked/chewed as she found each 'destination'. I decided to be brave (and a bit show-offy cuz my husband was watching) and tried to do a figure 8 around the barrels at liberty..... slowly I backed her up through the barrels.... softly sent her around the barrel on the left.....drew back.....she turned in.... re-directed to the right and she went around the barrel on the right.....drew back.... she turned in....redirected... through and around the barrel on the left!!! a WHOLE figure 8 at LIBERTY!!! yes, I was grinning from ear to ear..... I drew back again as she came around the left side and as she turned in to me I 'trotted' backwards as she trotted to me and we stopped and just reveled in the amazing heart pounding glory that is LIBERTY!!
Monday 12 May 2014
Sunday 11 May 2014
Growing Pains = Forward Change .. Part 1
The 3 day Parelli Clinic with 3 * Instructor Susan Nelson evoked almost every emotion in both me and Willow as we leap forward into a much deeper understanding of each other, the Horsenality/Huamanality dynamic and what true partnership means as a whole. Day's 1 and 2 were an introduction for the participants to Parelli and the 7 games. I thought it would be slow for me as I have "been there, done that", but as it is all about never ending self improvement... It was so much more than I ever could have expected. Revisiting Level 1, from a level 4-5 viewpoint makes it a whole new deal indeed! As Susan introduced each game to the group and we taught them to our horses, I found myself intrigued by the holes, however minute, in some of the basics that needed to be improved. Susan gave me tasks to progress on each game and insight on noticing how I could make my phases almost invisible, more understandable, and with greater direction and flow in harmony with Willow's movements. Games 1-4 were beginning to flow, like a dance as we moved around the paddock playing "seek the obstacle" and "stick to me" in a way that had meaning and softness, ahhh, this is what the opposite of direct line thinking feels like! You don't notice how direct line you are being in your games until.... you're not... interesting concept, but as you progress in your understanding of the games (through the levels) you will feel what I mean....and so will your horse!
Games 5-7 Were even more interesting, as continued movement is required, it can bring up lots of emotion and opinions in you and your horse. We started these games as simulations, meaning that we, the humans, acted like the horse, we took turns being the different zones of the horse (parts of the body) we also took turns being the human leading the horse. It was interesting to see how everyone's energy differed and how it must feel for the horse to communicate with different humans. We experienced clear as well as confusing body language and also how directing energy to the incorrect zone at the incorrect or correct time can make your communication very unclear and scattered, leading to miscommunication and frustration.
When we took games 5-7 to the horses, the interesting just continued to grow..... We had LBI's, RBI's and an extreme LBE. We tried and watched as each game was played in a different way with each horse. The RBI's and LBI's had to find the answer to what was being asked with slow meaningful direction, accepting however slow the feet needed to move while the brain figured out the correct direction being asked. The LBE had to find the answer by first finding all the wrong answers while quickly moving his feet all around until his brain could kick in and he could begin to think about the right answer. Hmmmm how interesting, if we had played the games with the Introverted horses the way we played with the Extroverted horse, they would have shut down completely, refusing to move, the right brain out of fear an the left brain out of defiance. If we had played the games with the Extroverted horse the way we had to play with the Introverts, he would have 'checked-out' and decided we weren't acting like interesting/focused leaders and would find his own things to do. What a lesson in, as Pat Parelli says "Playing with the horse that shows up" and "being passively persistent in the proper position"!
Needless to say, after the first 2 days of the clinic, revisiting levels 1 and 2.... there was a LOT of licking, chewing, yawning (all signs of adrenaline release and learning) and puzzle solving had by all!
Games 5-7 Were even more interesting, as continued movement is required, it can bring up lots of emotion and opinions in you and your horse. We started these games as simulations, meaning that we, the humans, acted like the horse, we took turns being the different zones of the horse (parts of the body) we also took turns being the human leading the horse. It was interesting to see how everyone's energy differed and how it must feel for the horse to communicate with different humans. We experienced clear as well as confusing body language and also how directing energy to the incorrect zone at the incorrect or correct time can make your communication very unclear and scattered, leading to miscommunication and frustration.
When we took games 5-7 to the horses, the interesting just continued to grow..... We had LBI's, RBI's and an extreme LBE. We tried and watched as each game was played in a different way with each horse. The RBI's and LBI's had to find the answer to what was being asked with slow meaningful direction, accepting however slow the feet needed to move while the brain figured out the correct direction being asked. The LBE had to find the answer by first finding all the wrong answers while quickly moving his feet all around until his brain could kick in and he could begin to think about the right answer. Hmmmm how interesting, if we had played the games with the Introverted horses the way we played with the Extroverted horse, they would have shut down completely, refusing to move, the right brain out of fear an the left brain out of defiance. If we had played the games with the Extroverted horse the way we had to play with the Introverts, he would have 'checked-out' and decided we weren't acting like interesting/focused leaders and would find his own things to do. What a lesson in, as Pat Parelli says "Playing with the horse that shows up" and "being passively persistent in the proper position"!
Needless to say, after the first 2 days of the clinic, revisiting levels 1 and 2.... there was a LOT of licking, chewing, yawning (all signs of adrenaline release and learning) and puzzle solving had by all!
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