In my 2013 post about 2012, I mentioned I was hoping to complete Level 4 of my Parelli journey during the summer of 2013. That didn't happen . . . But here is what did.
Kjarda came home in late April. Because of the previous years' cart wreck, I decided to do things a bit different. Kjarda was definitely different . . . more right brain and hyper alert. I could put her in the right brain extrovert category for most of the summer.
I started off the season with lots of trail rides into areas that she was nervous about and that included water crossings. Water and crossing water became our goal for the early part of the year. We have a Stehekin River Trail that crosses a couple of creeks, goes into dense forest, through marshlands . . . lots of muddy, wild animal smells, lots of shadows and sun spots in different places. This was Kjarda's training ground for many rides. It took us three weeks to get her across the first creek, and she never really got comfortable going through the dark, marshy part of the trail, but she would at least go forward without stopping every other step and hesitating . . . major threshholds. Once she started going across the creek, we continued to where there is a very steep, rocky outcropping on the trail. The trail and narrow and the river flows directly alongside. At the top of the outcropping we are about 10 feet above the river. The first time I tried to take Kjarda over that spot (the previous creek was dry then), she got scared and took off straight uphill. So ever since, I have had to fight a tendency to be nervous about it myself! But she now goes up and over without any hesitation.
I mixed in a few other trails that were not quite as upsetting to her, like the Rainbow Loop Trail, the trail into Coon Lake, and the trail into the Orchard. The Orchard trail has an irrigation ditch that runs alongside the trail and at one point we cross the ditch. Kjarda has never liked the ditch because she cannot tell how deep it is. So this has been an ongoing training ground since she was young. This year, because I was taking the time it takes, she became more comfortable with the ditch to the point of being willing to stand in it. Instead of leaping over it, most of the time she will step over . . .it is only about two feet wide! The Rainbow Loop Trail has several small streams that cross the trail, at least the time of year that we went up there. The smaller the stream, the more nervous Kjarda is about it. She leaps them like they are miles wide. I have not taken the time up there that I should and will still do that one of these days. The other major trail we went on was the Wagon Road Trail and the back way into Coon Lake. There are three or four streams to cross there. Each one was a challenge for Kjarda, but she crossed them all eventually. It will be interesting to see what happens next year after a winter of not crossing streams (they are all frozen!)
There is a road that goes along the pipeline to our hydro power plant. It is uphill for about a half mile, so we went up that a lot for conditioning and also because at the top of the road/trail it narrows to a canyon where the crashing and rumbling of the creek echoes against the sheer rock walls. Kjarda has always been uncomfortable in that environment, so I go up there often and will until she stops being nervous about it. I'm thinking of taking grain with me and letting her eat when we get to the end of the trail to see if that helps.
I started mixing in more Parelli patterns and looking at what I needed to do to get through Level 4. We are pretty much there with Freestyle, though I would have to practice a routine before I video. Online and Liberty are our nemesis because of Kjarda's difficult to read horsenalities and her intelligence level. She constantly challenges my patience and savvy. I think we made progress there, mostly thanks to David Lichman. Finess is coming along nice and I believe we will do well for our Level 4 video.
I had the privilege of participating in a David Lichman clinic in August. I sure wish I could do that more often . . . it is such a big help! He gave us more arrows for our quiver . . . close-in circles, two-eyes, changing gait within gaits by riding to music . . . and much more. I came home with more enthusiasm and understanding of where Kjarda and I are in our relationship. I am drilling less and rewarding more often. I am hoping to see the fruit of that when I prepare for my Level 4 videos.
Probably the most fun thing we accomplished this summer was flying lead changes. I read an article about lead changes and one tip made all the difference! I needed to change leads before I changed directions!!! I was not doing that! As soon as I focused on changing my body to a new lead instead of trying to change Kjarda's body first, it started to click. We don't get it all the time yet, but that is probably because I am still not clear enough with my body cues. I have my own "suppleness" issues, too!
We continued working on the Game of Contact and Kjarda has been developing nicely. When I get it right, her head and neck are carried higher because she is getting lighter in front. It still doesn't happen all the time, but it is happening more often and Kjarda is learning that it is easier to go forward when she uses her hindquarters. While in contact, we are working on all the lateral moves and my goal for next summer is canter half pass. Kjarda is still a bit tight at the trot, so I continue to practice the half pass at the walk and trot. I'm sure some of her problem is me! I am hoping to get a little assistance regarding body position at some point this winter so I can help her get it, too.
As the summer came to a close, my husband and I started thinking about winter. I had two options for boarding for the winter. For whatever reason, both options did not pan out so we decided to keep Kjarda for the winter . . . a first! Fortunately for us, this has been a mild winter with hardly any snow. We have had rain and freezing, so things are icy, but I am still able to get Kjarda out for rides and continue to work on lateral moves and refresh the lead changes. I try to get out at least twice a week and more if the weather permits.
I am also hoping for a few feet of snow so I can do more to rehabilitate Kjarda for driving. So far I have done small things like dragging items (plastic sleds, sticks) around her until she accepts the noise in all five zones. Eventually, I will do some ground driving again in harness, together with the noises and continue on from there. When we get a good snowfall, I will hook her to something heavy (haven't figured out what yet) and see what happens. But not until I have practiced with lots of sounds and obstacles.
I'll try to post again before next year!!!
Gambler's Choice
Kjarda loves driving cones.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Friday, March 1, 2013
Maybe I should call this the once a year blog! It is March 1, 2013. A whole year plus since my last post. What has changed? A lot and not all good.
I didn't do any shows last summer which made the summer so much more relaxing and less pressure. Kjarda and I just spent a lot of time working on the Game of Collection, flying changes, refining bridleless, continuing to build on and develop our on-line and liberty savvys. We had the pleasure of Meredith Reinhard and Mark McLean's company for two weeks. Meredith challenged me to ride more bridleless out of the arena. I certainly need to be more trusting of Kjarda. She did really nicely going down the road and to the airstrip. But I got nervous once we were out on the open at the airstrip, so I put her bridle back on and practiced changes of lead. We spent over 100 hours working in all four savvys. Amazing how much time something can take. We had good summer.
However . . .
On the final cart ride of the season, October 8, I let a friend drive Kjarda and the cart. She was a knowledgeable horsewoman, but had never driven. We went into the large arena so I could show her some fun stuff like doing the weave with the cart. There was one barrel lying on its side at one end of the weave and I knew when we first drove into the arena that I should pick it up, but I didn't. I let my friend try the weave and Kjarda got into a very forward trot. I saw us coming close to the barrel, but thought it would just spin around as we went by. It didn't. It worked its way under the axle of the cart in such a way that it actually leverage the cart and tipped it over as we started on the straightaway. It happened so fast and I couldn't believe it was happening . . . I didn't say slow down or whoa or anything. My brain froze! The driver and I just rolled out of the cart and neither of us were hurt. But with the cart tipped over, Kjarda panicked and took off. She went halfway around the arena (amazingly stayed within the temporary tape fencing) then stopped and kicked herself free. The harness was broken and the cart was bent; both of those are now fixed. But Kjarda now has a trigger to bolt that I am challenged to eradicate.
It was not a fun way to end our season. I spent the rest of the month working on bringing her back from that trauma, as well as continuing to ride her, which she was very happy and willing to do. I had her pulling small logs in our corral at home. She was tense, but did it. I should have done it more often. But I thought she could handle more and took her to the large riding arena where the accident happened. This was October 23. The dates are imprinted quite strongly . . . this for someone who cannot usually remember what they do the previous day.
I put on her harness . . . can't remember if I used the blinders or not. I ground drove her around the arena for a little bit and made noises behind her, etc. She seemed relaxed and was very obedient. Finally, I hooked her up to one of the 14 foot logs I have there for jumping/trotting/side passing over. I was ready for her to go to the right, but did not really have much tension on the line. I cued her to move forward and boy, howdy, did she move!! She took off like a race horse out of the gate as soon as she felt the pressure on her chest from the weight of the log. Unfortunately, she took off to the left. Guess what the log did? It swiped me off my feet! Okay, quite a surprise, so not so bad, really, right? I got back up, brushed myself off and walked over to where Kjarda had come to a calm standstill on her own. She had taken a couple of turns around the arena (with the log pulling up fence posts as it went!) and finally transitioned down to a trot and then a walk and finally calmly stopped perpendicular to a part of the fence still standing. I calmly walked over to her like that was exactly what I wanted her to do, unhooked the lines (which were twisted around the log) and detached the log from the single tree, then walked her over to a tree so I could tie her up and go back and fix the mess she made of the fence. After the arena was back in place and the lines were unwrapped from the log, I did some more ground driving until Kjarda relaxed and was calm with what I asked her to do, still in harness. I unharnessed her, saddled her up and did some riding. So, that was a second wreck in two weeks. I had one more week to spend with her before she went downlake. The weather did not cooperate very much, but I got two more good desensitizing, ground driving sessions done in spite of rain. And then she was gone for the winter.
Through all this after the accident, I kept riding and doing the four savvys at different times. Kjarda was so good with everything. I noticed she was a lot more forward and seemed more free. Almost like kicking herself out of the harness gave her a back realignment or something. She just seemed to have more energy and moved out better. I guess that was a nice side benefit.
The day I took Kjarda down on the barge, Monday, Oct 29, I got her to her winter home and settled her in. I had to stay downlake for a couple of nights because of the boat schedule. So on Tuesday, I went back up to Kjarda's winter home to see her and just hang out. Barge day is always stressful for her and I had no intention of asking her to do anything. She was happy and content hanging out with her winter buddies that she has been with for about five winters. I met up with Donna and China, excellent teamsters who have done CDE's and driven dressage. I told them about the wreck and they offered to help see if Kjarda could be recovered as a driving horse. I didn't stay around long after that . . . my leg was hurting, but went into Chelan to do some apple picking and visiting with my friend, Bonnie, who I was staying with.
Did I mention that my leg had gotten extremely bruised in the week since the log wiped me off my feet? Did I mention that the swelling was pretty impressive? I was convinced it was just a very bad bruise considering how hard the leg was hit. That Tuesday, while I was walking around Chelan, I experienced an increase in the pain, but brushed it off as just the nerves waking up as the swelling went down. To make a long story short, a few days later back in Stehekin, I had a shock response to the whole thing and had to be boated out and taken to ER. I had broken the leg. Good grief! Thankfully it was just the fibula . . . the small bone that is not a weight-bearing bone, which is why I could walk! So, six weeks in a walking cast and at just the right time of the year . . . no horse to take care of and before the snow came.
That is how my 2012 ended. I finally was able to go visit my lovely mare on February 8 and 9. She was fuzzy and happy and ambled over to see me when I got there. She was happy to have treats and get brushed, and it felt so good to be with her. I repeated the visit the following weekend. Now I have to wait until the first week in April to get her home.
But then will begin some real lessons in patience and waiting as I restore her level of confidence in all circumstances. I am hoping to bring her back to a place with more confidence than she had before the accidents. I am hoping the Parelli plan can accomplish this. I am praying. Lord, help me!
I also still am aiming for Level 4 assessments this summer if I can find a videographer. I'm pretty sure we will make it based on what I have to start with this spring. I've been staring at pictures of Kjarda and I driving the cart. She is a beautiful mare. She drove for 9 years prior to all this happening. I believe she can come back.
I didn't do any shows last summer which made the summer so much more relaxing and less pressure. Kjarda and I just spent a lot of time working on the Game of Collection, flying changes, refining bridleless, continuing to build on and develop our on-line and liberty savvys. We had the pleasure of Meredith Reinhard and Mark McLean's company for two weeks. Meredith challenged me to ride more bridleless out of the arena. I certainly need to be more trusting of Kjarda. She did really nicely going down the road and to the airstrip. But I got nervous once we were out on the open at the airstrip, so I put her bridle back on and practiced changes of lead. We spent over 100 hours working in all four savvys. Amazing how much time something can take. We had good summer.
However . . .
On the final cart ride of the season, October 8, I let a friend drive Kjarda and the cart. She was a knowledgeable horsewoman, but had never driven. We went into the large arena so I could show her some fun stuff like doing the weave with the cart. There was one barrel lying on its side at one end of the weave and I knew when we first drove into the arena that I should pick it up, but I didn't. I let my friend try the weave and Kjarda got into a very forward trot. I saw us coming close to the barrel, but thought it would just spin around as we went by. It didn't. It worked its way under the axle of the cart in such a way that it actually leverage the cart and tipped it over as we started on the straightaway. It happened so fast and I couldn't believe it was happening . . . I didn't say slow down or whoa or anything. My brain froze! The driver and I just rolled out of the cart and neither of us were hurt. But with the cart tipped over, Kjarda panicked and took off. She went halfway around the arena (amazingly stayed within the temporary tape fencing) then stopped and kicked herself free. The harness was broken and the cart was bent; both of those are now fixed. But Kjarda now has a trigger to bolt that I am challenged to eradicate.
It was not a fun way to end our season. I spent the rest of the month working on bringing her back from that trauma, as well as continuing to ride her, which she was very happy and willing to do. I had her pulling small logs in our corral at home. She was tense, but did it. I should have done it more often. But I thought she could handle more and took her to the large riding arena where the accident happened. This was October 23. The dates are imprinted quite strongly . . . this for someone who cannot usually remember what they do the previous day.
I put on her harness . . . can't remember if I used the blinders or not. I ground drove her around the arena for a little bit and made noises behind her, etc. She seemed relaxed and was very obedient. Finally, I hooked her up to one of the 14 foot logs I have there for jumping/trotting/side passing over. I was ready for her to go to the right, but did not really have much tension on the line. I cued her to move forward and boy, howdy, did she move!! She took off like a race horse out of the gate as soon as she felt the pressure on her chest from the weight of the log. Unfortunately, she took off to the left. Guess what the log did? It swiped me off my feet! Okay, quite a surprise, so not so bad, really, right? I got back up, brushed myself off and walked over to where Kjarda had come to a calm standstill on her own. She had taken a couple of turns around the arena (with the log pulling up fence posts as it went!) and finally transitioned down to a trot and then a walk and finally calmly stopped perpendicular to a part of the fence still standing. I calmly walked over to her like that was exactly what I wanted her to do, unhooked the lines (which were twisted around the log) and detached the log from the single tree, then walked her over to a tree so I could tie her up and go back and fix the mess she made of the fence. After the arena was back in place and the lines were unwrapped from the log, I did some more ground driving until Kjarda relaxed and was calm with what I asked her to do, still in harness. I unharnessed her, saddled her up and did some riding. So, that was a second wreck in two weeks. I had one more week to spend with her before she went downlake. The weather did not cooperate very much, but I got two more good desensitizing, ground driving sessions done in spite of rain. And then she was gone for the winter.
Through all this after the accident, I kept riding and doing the four savvys at different times. Kjarda was so good with everything. I noticed she was a lot more forward and seemed more free. Almost like kicking herself out of the harness gave her a back realignment or something. She just seemed to have more energy and moved out better. I guess that was a nice side benefit.
The day I took Kjarda down on the barge, Monday, Oct 29, I got her to her winter home and settled her in. I had to stay downlake for a couple of nights because of the boat schedule. So on Tuesday, I went back up to Kjarda's winter home to see her and just hang out. Barge day is always stressful for her and I had no intention of asking her to do anything. She was happy and content hanging out with her winter buddies that she has been with for about five winters. I met up with Donna and China, excellent teamsters who have done CDE's and driven dressage. I told them about the wreck and they offered to help see if Kjarda could be recovered as a driving horse. I didn't stay around long after that . . . my leg was hurting, but went into Chelan to do some apple picking and visiting with my friend, Bonnie, who I was staying with.
Did I mention that my leg had gotten extremely bruised in the week since the log wiped me off my feet? Did I mention that the swelling was pretty impressive? I was convinced it was just a very bad bruise considering how hard the leg was hit. That Tuesday, while I was walking around Chelan, I experienced an increase in the pain, but brushed it off as just the nerves waking up as the swelling went down. To make a long story short, a few days later back in Stehekin, I had a shock response to the whole thing and had to be boated out and taken to ER. I had broken the leg. Good grief! Thankfully it was just the fibula . . . the small bone that is not a weight-bearing bone, which is why I could walk! So, six weeks in a walking cast and at just the right time of the year . . . no horse to take care of and before the snow came.
That is how my 2012 ended. I finally was able to go visit my lovely mare on February 8 and 9. She was fuzzy and happy and ambled over to see me when I got there. She was happy to have treats and get brushed, and it felt so good to be with her. I repeated the visit the following weekend. Now I have to wait until the first week in April to get her home.
But then will begin some real lessons in patience and waiting as I restore her level of confidence in all circumstances. I am hoping to bring her back to a place with more confidence than she had before the accidents. I am hoping the Parelli plan can accomplish this. I am praying. Lord, help me!
I also still am aiming for Level 4 assessments this summer if I can find a videographer. I'm pretty sure we will make it based on what I have to start with this spring. I've been staring at pictures of Kjarda and I driving the cart. She is a beautiful mare. She drove for 9 years prior to all this happening. I believe she can come back.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Where Have I Been??
I decided to come back to this blog. I left it last May when I started posting all my progress with Kjarda to the Parelli Connect website. That has been a great way to log my hours and progress in the Parelli journey. But it doesn't really allow for the full meal deal of thought and process. I'll do both this year.
As I was reading back on my previous posts, I saw a consistent thread and it is still a consistent thread, because I haven't completely learned it yet. How to WAIT! I am still dealing with WAITing for Kjarda to think, to relax, to move without pushing her. So . . . this year, I will continue on that journey and hope I can get off the plateau and climb the mountain of progress!
We did make some progress last summer in spite of myself. Kjarda is so patient with me and so willing to please. We are riding bridleless now, and working in Level 4 of Finesse. However, though I have gone through all the patterns and almost all the tasks for Level 4 On-line and Liberty, we are not consistent. And there is where the problem with waiting (or not waiting) shows up the most. First, I need to be willing to go back on-line when Kjarda leaves; second I need to wait for her to absorb on-line before I go back to liberty.
Last summer I had the pleasure of attending a Norwegian Fjord breed show. Kjarda and I won the Senior High Point Award! We did good. And we were only two points away from winning the versatility award. Why did we not get those two points? Because I was unwilling to wait for Kjarda during the natural horsemanship trail course, and I pushed her through several moments that if I had waited, or slowed down, we would have earned those needed points. I learned a huge lesson there. I also performed two demonstrations . . . one was a bridleless riding demonstration which went really well. Kjarda did almost everything I asked her and when she didn't I tried to make it look like she did! We also did a liberty demo. It was the first time we had ever performed at liberty and had never been in such a large arena. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience and did not go really well. We had some good moments and she never completely ran off and left me . . I always got her attention back and she stuck with me. But we have a long way to go before I will try that again. And if I do, it will begin in a round pen where there are definite boundaries. My goal is to be able to eventually play at liberty in a large arena with complete connection and relationship. Again . . . I have a long way to go.
What now? I have been doing more studying this winter . . . watching the Success Series, the Walter Zettl "A Matter of Trust" DVD series, reading. It is only February. I have a couple more months before Kjarda is home. Lots of prayer, contemplation, study, learning to wait . . .
My goal this summer? Officially pass Level 4 in all four savvys. Lots of prayer . . .
As I was reading back on my previous posts, I saw a consistent thread and it is still a consistent thread, because I haven't completely learned it yet. How to WAIT! I am still dealing with WAITing for Kjarda to think, to relax, to move without pushing her. So . . . this year, I will continue on that journey and hope I can get off the plateau and climb the mountain of progress!
We did make some progress last summer in spite of myself. Kjarda is so patient with me and so willing to please. We are riding bridleless now, and working in Level 4 of Finesse. However, though I have gone through all the patterns and almost all the tasks for Level 4 On-line and Liberty, we are not consistent. And there is where the problem with waiting (or not waiting) shows up the most. First, I need to be willing to go back on-line when Kjarda leaves; second I need to wait for her to absorb on-line before I go back to liberty.
Last summer I had the pleasure of attending a Norwegian Fjord breed show. Kjarda and I won the Senior High Point Award! We did good. And we were only two points away from winning the versatility award. Why did we not get those two points? Because I was unwilling to wait for Kjarda during the natural horsemanship trail course, and I pushed her through several moments that if I had waited, or slowed down, we would have earned those needed points. I learned a huge lesson there. I also performed two demonstrations . . . one was a bridleless riding demonstration which went really well. Kjarda did almost everything I asked her and when she didn't I tried to make it look like she did! We also did a liberty demo. It was the first time we had ever performed at liberty and had never been in such a large arena. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience and did not go really well. We had some good moments and she never completely ran off and left me . . I always got her attention back and she stuck with me. But we have a long way to go before I will try that again. And if I do, it will begin in a round pen where there are definite boundaries. My goal is to be able to eventually play at liberty in a large arena with complete connection and relationship. Again . . . I have a long way to go.
What now? I have been doing more studying this winter . . . watching the Success Series, the Walter Zettl "A Matter of Trust" DVD series, reading. It is only February. I have a couple more months before Kjarda is home. Lots of prayer, contemplation, study, learning to wait . . .
My goal this summer? Officially pass Level 4 in all four savvys. Lots of prayer . . .
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Kjarda is Home!!
It has been a long-awaited spring. Kjarda finally was able to come home to Stehekin on May 9.
I had studied throughout the winter to work on my mental fitness so I could be a better partner for Kjarda. I wanted to be more patient . . . less direct-line . . . have a more playful attitude . . . gain more understanding and add to my arrows. I read a book this winter that reinforced the Parelli 10 principles of a natural horseman and it was an eye-opener, because it was written by a couple from France who had never heard of the Parellis while they were gaining their experience with horses. They became the creators of Cavalia, a horse extravaganza. The book is called "Gallop to Freedom". What they ended up doing with their talents and knowledge, however, is less important than how they got there. The love, language and leadership was so evident in their training . . . letting the horse's idea be your idea, and helping your idea become the horse's idea . . . never putting the horse in a position of stress while learning . . . the attitude of justice was very evident in their process . . . giving the horse responsibilities and being a responsible human in return . . . mutual learning of horse and human . . . and most importantly that horsemanship is natural.
I say all that to say this: What the Parellis teach is spot-on. I am just learning, however, that it is really important to listen to the mental part of the process and not get hung up in the tasks and passing the levels because it will only be possible to accomplish the tasks and pass the levels if we are putting the horse first and our ambitions last. Unfortunately, I had been hung up on completing tasks and passing levels.
After I read the book "Gallop to Freedom", I watched the Parelli videos with a clearer understanding and a different focus and when I next saw Kjarda in February, I sensed more softness in myself and my approach. The wonderful thing is that Kjarda noticed it too. She was surprised that I did not respond to her the same as I always had and she started to look at me differently. I realized that she had always wanted to be my partner and trust me, but I always was doing things that ruined that trust . . . pushing too hard . . . getting angry . . . not taking the time it takes. I can think back on times she would look at me with a "look" that now I understand was saying, "I want to come to you, but I can't. You are in the way."
My last session with Kjarda in the spring before she came home was over a two day period in April. Our on-line work seemed to be more lively and she was more responsive. I was able to introduce a new game in the round pen at liberty (canter-whoa-back-canter) and not overdo it or get frustrated because it didn't go perfectly the first time. I introduced it, got a beginning of understanding from Kjarda, though she does not like the backing part, and left it. I know that with time this summer, we will do well with that game, because I am not going to push her beyond her understanding or desire.
Since she got home on May 9, I have only had three days to really play with her due to rain. But already, I feel more freedom in myself, and more energy from her. Right now I am in the process of getting her conditioned for the season. Playing all the games we know on the ground and from the saddle will be a fun way to do it, and we will keep adding to the games and patterns, thanks to the Parelli Patterns, but with a more playful attitude. Now it just has to quit raining . . .
I had studied throughout the winter to work on my mental fitness so I could be a better partner for Kjarda. I wanted to be more patient . . . less direct-line . . . have a more playful attitude . . . gain more understanding and add to my arrows. I read a book this winter that reinforced the Parelli 10 principles of a natural horseman and it was an eye-opener, because it was written by a couple from France who had never heard of the Parellis while they were gaining their experience with horses. They became the creators of Cavalia, a horse extravaganza. The book is called "Gallop to Freedom". What they ended up doing with their talents and knowledge, however, is less important than how they got there. The love, language and leadership was so evident in their training . . . letting the horse's idea be your idea, and helping your idea become the horse's idea . . . never putting the horse in a position of stress while learning . . . the attitude of justice was very evident in their process . . . giving the horse responsibilities and being a responsible human in return . . . mutual learning of horse and human . . . and most importantly that horsemanship is natural.
I say all that to say this: What the Parellis teach is spot-on. I am just learning, however, that it is really important to listen to the mental part of the process and not get hung up in the tasks and passing the levels because it will only be possible to accomplish the tasks and pass the levels if we are putting the horse first and our ambitions last. Unfortunately, I had been hung up on completing tasks and passing levels.
After I read the book "Gallop to Freedom", I watched the Parelli videos with a clearer understanding and a different focus and when I next saw Kjarda in February, I sensed more softness in myself and my approach. The wonderful thing is that Kjarda noticed it too. She was surprised that I did not respond to her the same as I always had and she started to look at me differently. I realized that she had always wanted to be my partner and trust me, but I always was doing things that ruined that trust . . . pushing too hard . . . getting angry . . . not taking the time it takes. I can think back on times she would look at me with a "look" that now I understand was saying, "I want to come to you, but I can't. You are in the way."
My last session with Kjarda in the spring before she came home was over a two day period in April. Our on-line work seemed to be more lively and she was more responsive. I was able to introduce a new game in the round pen at liberty (canter-whoa-back-canter) and not overdo it or get frustrated because it didn't go perfectly the first time. I introduced it, got a beginning of understanding from Kjarda, though she does not like the backing part, and left it. I know that with time this summer, we will do well with that game, because I am not going to push her beyond her understanding or desire.
Since she got home on May 9, I have only had three days to really play with her due to rain. But already, I feel more freedom in myself, and more energy from her. Right now I am in the process of getting her conditioned for the season. Playing all the games we know on the ground and from the saddle will be a fun way to do it, and we will keep adding to the games and patterns, thanks to the Parelli Patterns, but with a more playful attitude. Now it just has to quit raining . . .
Monday, November 15, 2010
You Never Know
I went downlake last week from Nov. 10 through the 13th to play with Kjarda a few more days before winter really hits. When I first got down there on Wednesday, it was way too late to do anything, so I just went and said hello to her, brushed her and gave her some treats. The happy part was she was nickering to me as soon as I got out of the car. Sweet feeling.
In my last blog I said I was going to try the Figure 8 with the technique of doing less to get more. As it turns out . . . we didn't do the Figure 8 even once! Sorry to disappoint you. But you never know what you will be doing the next time you see your horse. And Figure 8 patterns was not something that we were in a mindset to do.
Thursday, because I had not done anything with her for almost three weeks, I started with some leg stretches, neck flexion, tail rotations as taught in Jec Ballou's book about fitness and strengthening exercises for horses. Kjarda loves that stuff. She loosens up, licks and chews, shakes her head . . . good reactions. After that we went into the round pen, which has deep sand in it, and played at liberty until she was breathing decently hard. She gave me some spins, changes of direction, transitions and walked around me in a close circle. It was all really good . . . but she wouldn't trot in a close circle. Before she left Stehekin in October, in a small area like a round pen or her corral, she would trot around me in a close circle. This time when I would ask her to trot, she moved all the way out to the rail. I was disappointed as it appeared we had lost some connection there and I'm not sure why. But we went on to the riding part of the morning and we did some nice walk, trot, shoulder-in, canter warm-ups. By the time we quit, she was nice and sweaty, very responsive and tired. It was a good loosening up day. I walked her out for about 10 minutes, let her graze a little and put her away.
The next day was a stunning fall day. The temperature rose to 50+ degrees. Stacy, Liz and I went on a trail ride up in the hills. I think we could see all the way to Wenatchee and the mountains west of Leavenworth. It was really beautiful. All our horses were mares and they were all very frisky and even a little feisty. Unfortunately, the ground had frozen or had snow on it which melted in the warmth of the day and made the track rather slick, so we couldn't do any cantering. But we got in some trots and worked them out pretty well on the uphill. Of course, they came down much friskier than they went up!!! Kjarda did well loading both coming and going. That was nice.
Friday night, because I had been so disappointed about Kjarda not wanting to stay close at the trot, I sat and watched Parelli on-line videos that dealt with left brain introvert horses. I had heard this many times from Linda Parelli, but evidently I needed to hear it several more times . . . with left brain introverted horses, you have to wait. So I went back up to Stacy's on Saturday with that in mind. I was going to work in the round pen on-line and at liberty as needed, but do more waiting for Kjarda to respond in hopes that she would voluntarily, willingly, come to me and trot in a close circle. We played for two hours doing various on-line and liberty exercises . . . transitions, backing, spins, changes of direction, sideways away from and towards. It all went well and Kjarda seemed pretty connected. She did the walk around close just find, but . . .again, when I asked for the trot, she moved away. So I waited. She made ovals, coming close in front or behind, but going away on the sides and sometimes she just stayed away. Finally at the end, she did a few trot steps while looking at me and not entirely having the intention of leaving, so we stopped and I rewarded her with some soak time and then some graze time. I didn't have another chance to play with her, but I believe we left on a good note . . . something for her to build on until I can go back down, which may be almost two months from now, depending on the weather.
Kjarda has always been an aloof horse. She is a challenge, but I believe a lot of it is my high energy, extrovert personality clashing with her lower energy, introvert personality. I get frustrated and I know she knows that, and then I get "all prickly" as Linda once called it. I have to work on that. I will do more studying and watching Linda with Remmer this winter, as he and Kjarda are a lot alike. I am only recently realizing how much so. I'm glad to have that resource . . .
Until next time, thanks for following.
In my last blog I said I was going to try the Figure 8 with the technique of doing less to get more. As it turns out . . . we didn't do the Figure 8 even once! Sorry to disappoint you. But you never know what you will be doing the next time you see your horse. And Figure 8 patterns was not something that we were in a mindset to do.
Thursday, because I had not done anything with her for almost three weeks, I started with some leg stretches, neck flexion, tail rotations as taught in Jec Ballou's book about fitness and strengthening exercises for horses. Kjarda loves that stuff. She loosens up, licks and chews, shakes her head . . . good reactions. After that we went into the round pen, which has deep sand in it, and played at liberty until she was breathing decently hard. She gave me some spins, changes of direction, transitions and walked around me in a close circle. It was all really good . . . but she wouldn't trot in a close circle. Before she left Stehekin in October, in a small area like a round pen or her corral, she would trot around me in a close circle. This time when I would ask her to trot, she moved all the way out to the rail. I was disappointed as it appeared we had lost some connection there and I'm not sure why. But we went on to the riding part of the morning and we did some nice walk, trot, shoulder-in, canter warm-ups. By the time we quit, she was nice and sweaty, very responsive and tired. It was a good loosening up day. I walked her out for about 10 minutes, let her graze a little and put her away.
The next day was a stunning fall day. The temperature rose to 50+ degrees. Stacy, Liz and I went on a trail ride up in the hills. I think we could see all the way to Wenatchee and the mountains west of Leavenworth. It was really beautiful. All our horses were mares and they were all very frisky and even a little feisty. Unfortunately, the ground had frozen or had snow on it which melted in the warmth of the day and made the track rather slick, so we couldn't do any cantering. But we got in some trots and worked them out pretty well on the uphill. Of course, they came down much friskier than they went up!!! Kjarda did well loading both coming and going. That was nice.
Friday night, because I had been so disappointed about Kjarda not wanting to stay close at the trot, I sat and watched Parelli on-line videos that dealt with left brain introvert horses. I had heard this many times from Linda Parelli, but evidently I needed to hear it several more times . . . with left brain introverted horses, you have to wait. So I went back up to Stacy's on Saturday with that in mind. I was going to work in the round pen on-line and at liberty as needed, but do more waiting for Kjarda to respond in hopes that she would voluntarily, willingly, come to me and trot in a close circle. We played for two hours doing various on-line and liberty exercises . . . transitions, backing, spins, changes of direction, sideways away from and towards. It all went well and Kjarda seemed pretty connected. She did the walk around close just find, but . . .again, when I asked for the trot, she moved away. So I waited. She made ovals, coming close in front or behind, but going away on the sides and sometimes she just stayed away. Finally at the end, she did a few trot steps while looking at me and not entirely having the intention of leaving, so we stopped and I rewarded her with some soak time and then some graze time. I didn't have another chance to play with her, but I believe we left on a good note . . . something for her to build on until I can go back down, which may be almost two months from now, depending on the weather.
Kjarda has always been an aloof horse. She is a challenge, but I believe a lot of it is my high energy, extrovert personality clashing with her lower energy, introvert personality. I get frustrated and I know she knows that, and then I get "all prickly" as Linda once called it. I have to work on that. I will do more studying and watching Linda with Remmer this winter, as he and Kjarda are a lot alike. I am only recently realizing how much so. I'm glad to have that resource . . .
Until next time, thanks for following.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Issue 53
Today I watched the October 2010 Savvy Club DVD. I was particularly interested in the segment with Linda on the Figure 8. I have been trying to figure out the best way to play that pattern with Kjarda since we started. But with Kjarda, once she has done something well, she doesn't want to be bothered with it. So, I have been wracking my brain to figure out how to get her to want to canter the figure 8 on the 45' line and give me a flying change. As of the end of the summer, I had finally come to the conclusion that starting with less ends up with more. And watching the episode today with Linda was the confirmation that I was on the right track. I'm excited to go downlake next week and see how Kjarda reacts to the "new" me and my approach to this pattern. Stay tuned!
How it Began
Four and a half years ago myself and five of my students went to a Parelli tour stop in Yakima, Washington. By the end of the event, we had all decided to share in the purchase of a Parelli Level 1 pack. That was the spring of 2006. By October of that year, we had all submitted our Level 1 assessment videos to David Lichman. One of my students passed immediately. The rest of us (me included!) had to do a couple of resubmits. But we all passed on the second try.
The Parelli method has proven itself to be the best and most fun training system I have tried. I have always done natural horsemanship, having started with John Lyons' earlier round pen method in 1998. I started quite a few horses that way with great success. But these were all horses that I did not own and was only preparing to be used as trail horses, or sold to others. I purchased my current horse partner in 2000 when she was 18 months old. She had responded well to the round pen work and we likewise did really well together. By the time she was five she had passed her Introductory Driving, Draft, English and Western tests in her breed evaluation with blue ribbons, also earning her Silver Medallion award. It was after that that I learned about Parelli, and even though we had achieve this much, there was something lacking in my attitude and our relationship. So when I started Parelli, I started over at Level 1 with the halter and lead rope. I didn't use a bridle again until the following summer, except when I was driving her. At the age of ten, Kjarda passed her Advanced Driving, Draft and Western tests again with blue ribbon scores and earned her Gold Mediallion award. I think I want to do the Western test again and also do the English test. I know we can get a better score on the western test, even thought we got a blue ribbon. But we didn't have the flying lead change yet, and that will be in place next year. I'm excited. I'm learning that with Kjarda.
I am still learning a lot about myself . . . I am a direct-line thinker, impatient, and get angry . . . I never thought I had a temper, but now I know. Kjarda is teaching me to be humble, to wait, to work through problems, to take more time. Even now, playing in Level 4, I still get impatient . . . but not as often. Kjarda is so patient with me and very forgiving. She is a great partner! I know where I stand with her at all times and I still have a ways to go. Sometimes I think she acts like a left brain introvert when she knows I am hurrying too fast just to get me to relax and take more time. Unfortunately, I tend to get impatient . . . that's one of the areas I still have a ways to go. She acts like a left brain extrovert when I push her too hard to teach me to be more gentle and, again, to wait.
The Parelli method has proven itself to be the best and most fun training system I have tried. I have always done natural horsemanship, having started with John Lyons' earlier round pen method in 1998. I started quite a few horses that way with great success. But these were all horses that I did not own and was only preparing to be used as trail horses, or sold to others. I purchased my current horse partner in 2000 when she was 18 months old. She had responded well to the round pen work and we likewise did really well together. By the time she was five she had passed her Introductory Driving, Draft, English and Western tests in her breed evaluation with blue ribbons, also earning her Silver Medallion award. It was after that that I learned about Parelli, and even though we had achieve this much, there was something lacking in my attitude and our relationship. So when I started Parelli, I started over at Level 1 with the halter and lead rope. I didn't use a bridle again until the following summer, except when I was driving her. At the age of ten, Kjarda passed her Advanced Driving, Draft and Western tests again with blue ribbon scores and earned her Gold Mediallion award. I think I want to do the Western test again and also do the English test. I know we can get a better score on the western test, even thought we got a blue ribbon. But we didn't have the flying lead change yet, and that will be in place next year. I'm excited. I'm learning that with Kjarda.
I am still learning a lot about myself . . . I am a direct-line thinker, impatient, and get angry . . . I never thought I had a temper, but now I know. Kjarda is teaching me to be humble, to wait, to work through problems, to take more time. Even now, playing in Level 4, I still get impatient . . . but not as often. Kjarda is so patient with me and very forgiving. She is a great partner! I know where I stand with her at all times and I still have a ways to go. Sometimes I think she acts like a left brain introvert when she knows I am hurrying too fast just to get me to relax and take more time. Unfortunately, I tend to get impatient . . . that's one of the areas I still have a ways to go. She acts like a left brain extrovert when I push her too hard to teach me to be more gentle and, again, to wait.
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