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!!!
