And the rains lifted…

Awoke to a downpour this morning and sent the email out – “Do not despair! I will be there!”. As it happened, the rains lifted (after a last-roar-thunderstorm at 4:30pm) and we had sun, damp footing (no dust!) and four horses in the arena. Didn’t quite make it there with Maya (hubby had to work a bit late to finish up something) but I was able to play a bit with a couple of the horses, there and help out a few of the people with some suggestions. Hooray!

Tomorrow I get to play with my horse, even if we go help Jai and Prowler – we’ll play up and back and some while we’re there, too.

I managed to trim Jasper’s back feet when I got back from playgroup. Thank goodness for the rains softening those hard little feet up for me!

Another wet ride – but progress!

Another wet ride to and from the grounds for the Perfect Practice Playgroup. The rains let up just long enough for the ride there and  to allow us some time to play in the sodden arena and round pen. Liberty sideways towards!! Wheee! Fun was had, and then Kathleen and I rode home in the rain. Thanks for the company, Kathleen!

The ride out went better than any so far – it keeps improving so that’s a good thing. I decided not to have the driveway battle tonight and ground drove Maya up the road a-ways before mounting. That went quite well. We’ve started a bit of driving fom Zone 4/5. I didn’t have to get off tonight. The spooky spot was pretty easy – less than five minutes all told and the grassy field… she went for it, wouldn’t come out towards the road, so we rode towards the driveway that leads back to the road! That worked. Heheh. Watch out lateral thinking, here I come. When she got “sticky” and didn’t want to continue down 49 creek road at one junction, I started to ask her to go and then whoa right away. A little mini-million transistions LBI style. Go…. now STOP! (before she wanted to stop) it made her want to keep going!! =-)

Today I started working on teaching Maya an “it’s okay to graze now” head-down cue when riding. I think I’ll work on it when there isn’t any grass for a bit, like in the arena! She just dives for it at this point and I want to get our communication around it better. She was ouchy with her front feet on the way there, so I put her boots on for the ride home. They made quite a difference, though she stumbled a bit at the steep part of Kays road near our driveway, so I got off and let her walk home. Sharon Edgar is coming out on Thursday to see her back… hope she can help and give me some advice around it. I wonder if it’s bugging her.

After leaving Kathleen on Turner road, we rode quietly through the woods, grazed a bit at the end of Verigin and then did lots of HQ disengagment to FQ turns all the way home both sides.  We also did lots of transitions to whoa – with lots of backups. Funny how she whoas soooo easily on the way out and not very easily at all on the way home. We’ll get that evened up with time, I’m sure of it.

My one complaint… could we get a little sunny summer kootenay weather, please?

Almost rainy playgroup and freestyle progress.. or regress??

So Monday night playgroup was attended by four horses and six people. I rode Maya to the grounds on the tail of a thundershower – getting soaked from the waist down by all the wet trees and bushes along the way. I really need a slicker!

I had patience, even though we left later than I wanted to I was able to just be with her through the spooky spots – and they weren’t much of a big deal. The big grassy field, however, was another story. She would NOT leave it with me on her back. I got off, she got moved around, a LOT and we went on our way. A few other brief “No way!” spots and we made it to he grounds. I played with her a little online in the arena, getting some nice sideways trot along the fence and some nice slow sideways towards me on the fence and then went to the round pen for some liberty.

She gave me sideways towards at liberty and a flying change of direction at canter! We need to revisit change of direction from left to right – I had to back all the way to the fence to get her to look at me so I could send her in the new direction. Right to let was about five steps back… We’ll play with both of those online at the walk and trot for a while.

Our ride home went well – home is usually easier at this point. Stopped and talked with Phil on Marrello Road about collection and working off the hind end. I don’t really know enough about it, yet – I think I’ll tell him to come audit Fawn’s clinic and ask her about it! I didn’t have to get off at all on the way home, we got some nice forward, soft trot and some easy canters along Turner road. Stopped to talk lawnmowers with Naomi and Rovven and then continued home past the spooky spot. It’s much less of a big deal on the way home – and went fairly smoothly if I recall correctly.

I thought we’d had a big breakthrough and Tuesday would be easier. Boy was I wrong.

Tuesday we spent one and a half hours trying to get out of our DRIVEWAY. She backs into bushes, she goes sideways towards the ponds and ditches. Anything to NOT go forward. Matthew and Murrin were outside and I was feeling like a failure, putting pressure on myself to be “better” than we were – not to mention putting pressure on Maya to be “better”. I wasn’t taking into account her feelings about going for a ride AT ALL. I got off numerous times, frustrated to tears that we weren’t past that (that *I* wasn’t past that), sat down in the driveway and had a good cry. I realized during my cry that I wasn’t at all being there for my horse. She was unconfident – she goes RBI when unconfident and then RBE. So I mounted up again and just sat. Until she could sigh and lower her head. She was still blinking, but her head was up, she wasn’t relaxed. I waited for relaxed and asked her to go forward. I also realized that I wasn’t asking her with the same body energy as I used on the ground. I consciously pointed my hand and raised my energy like I would ask on the ground and she took a few steps! Hmmmm… how interesting.

We made it to Joe’s, and I let her eat to relax while I talked with Joe. I was almost ready to go home, but I knew we hadn’t really had a breakthrough, yet.  Down to the bottom of Joe’s driveway. More “NO!” when I asked her to go up the hill away from home. Backed into ditches, bumped into the pile of tires, went round and round in disengagement until she could stand still facing up the hill. Wait for relaxation. Wait. 5 minutes. She sighs, I ask with my core intention, she walks forward, I keep asking and go to phase three (spank the air) and she begins to trot up the hill and starts blowing and snorting. This is more like a breakthrough. We stop at Jai’s to deliver her laundry soap and chat about the frustrations, tears and time that it took to get to her house as well as get a much needed impromptu massage.

Continuing on, we head towards the “spooky spot” and make it there with little resistance. Then the backing into trees begins. The good part is, I remember my energy and it only lasts about 2 minutes. We are then in the middle of the road for maybe 2 more minutes and we continue on our way. Through the path that cuts the corner on Verigin and we head with intention towards the end of the road. Detour up to the right and stop to graze for 10 minutes. A destination!

On Verigin, I realized that her feet were tender from the ride the day before, so we walk gently home, stopping at Morgan’s to chat with Morgan and Cathy, then at Sean & Jenn’s to chat with Sean, Jen, Matt & Ross. We went right through the “spooky spot” with complete releaxation, even asking for a stop on the other side (we did have to bend and wait for stillness – then we walked on).

Thank goodness for realizations, for soldiering through when my attitude got better (and more natural), and for husbands who say just the right thing at the right time. I love you, Matthew. I love you, Murrin. I love you, Maya. Thank you.

Playgroup fun.

Another amazing night at our new playgroup. People are certainly responding well to it. We have a new person and her lovely horse who has experience playing with Parelli – and we’re glad of it! Almost everyone who has been coming is pre-level 1 aside from three of us… so it’s wonderful to be able to bring people seeking Savvy together to inspire and learn from each other. We also have two young girls with their pony and a dressage horse and my 8 year old nephew with his new pony! One girl playing tonight had never played with horses before – and I couldn’t tell at all (except that she didn’t have any bad habits!) she was a total natural! Amazing releases, firm enough when necessary, soft hands on the rope – wonderful! It must be true what Pat says about kids being totally natural until they turn 12 – and become practicing adults!

It always impresses me how quickly even adults can learn. I feel like it’s taken me forever to get to where I am and I’m only a fraction of the way along this great journey. It’s inspiring to see the progress in everyone and I must remember to try and recognize it in myself, as well. Fascinating.

Speaking of fascinating, I was lucky enough to play with one of our playgroup members horses to try to help her with her fear of the trailer for the trip there and for the trip home. I was able to take a bit more time for the trip home, and she’s a cool little horse, goes from RBE to LBE DOMINANT in a blink. She would race past me in the squeeze, head up, body tense, eyes staring and just as soon as I would yield her HQ in the squeeze game she’d give me a snotty head toss. Hilarious! I helped her some with the trailer to the point that she really didn’t want to come out, but she’s not over it, yet. If only I were Pat, I could help her that much quicker. At any rate, her humans were impressed by the patience and the process and the progress! I think they’re becoming hooked on Parelli, too – yay! I ought to convince her to take the advanced Level 1. I think she’ll be ready for it at this rate.

Jasper is full of beans and feeling frisky – still not completely sound on that hind leg, but enough that she was putting on rodeo shows for everyone until she started thinking! LBEs are FUN. I had her put four feet on the pedestal tonight with confidence – it’s almost like cheating, she’s so small she can just stand on it normally.

But, though I’m tired, I’m happy – and I’ll be replaying that trailer loading over in my head until I fall asleep – what else could I have offered the horse to help her? Did I do the right thing there? What about when she? Did I read that right? How can I be better next time? …. and the analysis begins!

Parelli Perfect Practice Playgroup

Last night was the 2nd weekly Parelli Perfect Practice Playgroup at the NDRC grounds in Blewett. I started this playgroup as a way to help people share and feel supported in their Parelli journey. Turns out we have a few complete newcomers to horses and to Parelli as well as some people who have either had interactions with me and my horse or  who have taken clinics in the past. It’s a group with varied experience in horses and in Parelli.

We had ten people come out last night, most with their horses (or a friends’ horse) and we had fun playing the first three games on each other and then playing them with our horses. I didn’t get much time to play with my horse during the playgroup – because I was loaning her halter to a little girl who brought her absolutely adorable pony with her ( next time I’ll take pictures!)  but I did bring Jasper out towards the end of the playgroup and helped her to become confident putting her feet on Carolyn’s really cool pedestal. Dang, I want one! Jasper’s first reaction was pretty showy – snorting and leaning Waaaaay back while staring at the pedestal with an arched neck and then trotting away from it. We approached and retreated, played touch it with a ball, a tarp, a cone and the pedestal and after about 20 minutes she was standing with her front feet on it, confidently, while I scratched her belly – which she LOVES.  It is so much fun to play with her. I’m looking forward to bringing Bailey to the grounds, too – and focusing on her development. I’ll probably take Jasper home on Friday and then ride Maya up for playgroups once she’s sound again (hopefully soon).

The Nelson & District Riding Club website is www.nelsonridingclub.com There is a Calendar of Events that lists all the playgroup dates (every Monday all season, pretty much) and I try to update each date with what we plan to do the week before so people know what’s going on.

I’m really pleased with the turnout to the group this year. I invited folks last year, but almost always ended up playing alone at the grounds. It’s much more fun with more people and horses! Thanks for showing up, everyone!