This is part of something Pat says all the time. "Our job {referring to himself and Linda} is information and inspiration. Your job {the students} is dedication and perspiration." I watched my January Savvy Club DVD last night which gave me alot of both. It was an hour and a half of highlights from the Performance Summit that was held this past September in Pagosa. The same amazing campus that I'll be heading to in just a few months (!!!). Pat and several of his top students and/or proteges showed how you can make Patterns provocative whether riding Western or English. During this, he talked about a couple of Patterns that are underdone by students: Follow the Rail and Circles. "Everyday for a week I had a group of 8 riders Follow the Rail, and thats it... at the end of the week they said, 'we're going back to New Zealand, Australia, etc. and our students will do this. We get it.' " And about circles, "my horses do 40 laps... at a canter... with me at neutral, not doing anything, whether On Line or at Liberty." WHOA! Hearing that and watching not only what is possible with Patterns but that Pat expects a certain level of competence when students ride with him got a fire under my butt to really get going, and being consistent with them 7 days in a row. "Consistency is a great teacher, but variety is the spice of life."
So today I went out and had the plan to Follow the Rail for an hour. Not be out there for around an hour and kinda mosey through it, but to really be particular with Maliki. I noticed that our Liberty is getting much better than it was a couple weeks ago and he acted like a partner when I needed to get on him.
I set my alarm and we were off. At a walk. 'High in the corners, turn with all my "eyes", only use the rein when he comes off- make it a game of "don't make me use my rein" and add some variety (direction, speed, stops)'. All that was going through my head while riding in the small pasture. As well as the thought that I need to chop off half of a sticker bush that I kept getting caught on. Something I figured too, is that I've kinda left Maliki off easy lately. I've not really pushed him to be better or do more, like I know he can. Hmmm, sounds kinda like how my parents, or God, treat me sometimes... So I wasn't about to let him outmaneuver me when he thought he was "done". The first day of doing this Pattern seriously didn't go great, but it wasn't awful either. 1 day down, 6 more to go. Then I'll be on to the other ones; slowly adding til he knows em all. After that I can mix em up and keep him guessing and adding more Finesse or detail to them.
I did find out that we'll need to work on his confidence with gates and that if something is found to be out of order, fix it! Leave the task, Pattern, whatever, and fix the game. His issue was with the Porcupine. He wasn't following a light phase and then when I got firmer he became less confident, so I backed him of the rail and played with pushing his fore and hind end over and going sideways til his confidence was back and he easily understood. I had him walk over to a wood flat, the kind sod are stacked on, and asked him to stand it with his hind feet. Still working of all 4 feet at the same time, but he did do front and back. Then with him standing at the fence I took the halter off from his back and undid the bareback pad while up there too. I can't wait for the day I can do that and then ride with him free like that. *Insert daydream sigh here.* ;)
So I have alot more perspiring to do, but "success is 90% perspiration and 10% luck, spelled w-o-r-k."
January 24, 2011
January 22, 2011
Enjoy the Ride
The past few weeks, months maybe, I've been thinking... Ok, worrying or frustratedly considering the level of communication Maliki and I have while I'm riding him. Now, I know perfectly well that we're not Grand Prix (dressage) level or even amateur reining (western) level. I am perfectly ok with that. For now. I do aspire to one day cut cows, do piaffe & passage (fancy English maneuvers) and run barrels bareback and bridless with a slide stop after I cross the time tape. I know those things are a ways off but I also know they're attainable :)
Anyways, I know that to get to those I have to be good at the small things, the building blocks, first. And honestly, that's what has bugged me over the past few months. After riding horses, or a horse I should say, that knows what she's doing it's kind of discouraging to come back and ride a horse who knows how to walk/trot around a 4.5 acre pasture. Well, I shouldn't put him down, he really has made alot progress. I'm just one who wants better since I know how cool it feels. So I know I have alot to teach him to get him up to the level I am, and the level I want us to be at.
I went out yesterday with the plan of playing OnLine and Freestyle (riding with little or no rein contact). He met me at the fence, something I've been working on, and followed me for a little while I worked on the water troughs. I tried to have him stick to me walking to where I'd put the gear. He did, up to a point. He left me and walked into a spot between the fence and a tree. Now, the thing about this tree is that there is a large limb almost 5' high, the bottom reaches below his withers and the top is above them. I thought, "He's not going anywhere with in front of him" and tried to back him out. As if to prove me wrong he looked back at me, walked right under it (bent his legs and bowed his back to get under) and turned around to face me. WOW. That was something I was not expecting, but it was kinda cool to see.
Afterwords I got him haltered and the bareback pad on, and went into the smaller corral. I found, for whatever reason, that if I keep them out of that pasture Maliki has a much better reaction to playing in there. We played at Circles, Figure 8 and Sideways for the most part. His send is much better than it was a few months ago and after a couple laps he went over and jumped the barrels with a "lemme at em" attitude. This being the same horse who a week and a half ago would take the lazy way out and just put his hoof on them.
I found a good place to quit and tied the line into reins. It took me a couple tries but I finally swung up, yes, without stirrups or a fence :) Maliki just stood there and didn't bat an eye as pulled on his mane, and probably stuck him by accident with my spur, getting up there. He doesn't seem to "get" the game of Figure 8 yet, but he does turn on his haunches and not like a barrel racer. I could tell he was getting bored after I minute so I changed my focus to a tire that I use as a pedestal. He stood up there, no problem. Now, the hard part, getting him to stand with hind feet on it... After some "passive persistence in the proper position" he got really close so I left him alone as a first try. 2 seconds, I swear, and he put his feet up there by himself. Thats how it felt to me anyways. With everything going so well there was one more thing I wanted to play at... Million Transitions. This is one Pattern that has gotten under my skin. Not sure why but I would get very frustrated and unable to maintain an "attitude of justice" in a way. I guess I just didn't feel like I was seeing results. Well, with everything going so well I figured might as well try it. And what do you know?... He listened! He got every cue. 'Stop riding at the corner...' he stopped; 'walk to the next corner...' the barrels were in between the two, so he asked what I wanted (!!) I answered with "we'll go sideways around em". "Yes, ma'am." Even when I asked for a trot and then 'walked' in my body- he slowed and walked too.
Things might not always go as you planned but being flexible, and emotionally fit, means changing plans can help the relationship and hopefully make things better for next time :)
Anyways, I know that to get to those I have to be good at the small things, the building blocks, first. And honestly, that's what has bugged me over the past few months. After riding horses, or a horse I should say, that knows what she's doing it's kind of discouraging to come back and ride a horse who knows how to walk/trot around a 4.5 acre pasture. Well, I shouldn't put him down, he really has made alot progress. I'm just one who wants better since I know how cool it feels. So I know I have alot to teach him to get him up to the level I am, and the level I want us to be at.
I went out yesterday with the plan of playing OnLine and Freestyle (riding with little or no rein contact). He met me at the fence, something I've been working on, and followed me for a little while I worked on the water troughs. I tried to have him stick to me walking to where I'd put the gear. He did, up to a point. He left me and walked into a spot between the fence and a tree. Now, the thing about this tree is that there is a large limb almost 5' high, the bottom reaches below his withers and the top is above them. I thought, "He's not going anywhere with in front of him" and tried to back him out. As if to prove me wrong he looked back at me, walked right under it (bent his legs and bowed his back to get under) and turned around to face me. WOW. That was something I was not expecting, but it was kinda cool to see.
Afterwords I got him haltered and the bareback pad on, and went into the smaller corral. I found, for whatever reason, that if I keep them out of that pasture Maliki has a much better reaction to playing in there. We played at Circles, Figure 8 and Sideways for the most part. His send is much better than it was a few months ago and after a couple laps he went over and jumped the barrels with a "lemme at em" attitude. This being the same horse who a week and a half ago would take the lazy way out and just put his hoof on them.
I found a good place to quit and tied the line into reins. It took me a couple tries but I finally swung up, yes, without stirrups or a fence :) Maliki just stood there and didn't bat an eye as pulled on his mane, and probably stuck him by accident with my spur, getting up there. He doesn't seem to "get" the game of Figure 8 yet, but he does turn on his haunches and not like a barrel racer. I could tell he was getting bored after I minute so I changed my focus to a tire that I use as a pedestal. He stood up there, no problem. Now, the hard part, getting him to stand with hind feet on it... After some "passive persistence in the proper position" he got really close so I left him alone as a first try. 2 seconds, I swear, and he put his feet up there by himself. Thats how it felt to me anyways. With everything going so well there was one more thing I wanted to play at... Million Transitions. This is one Pattern that has gotten under my skin. Not sure why but I would get very frustrated and unable to maintain an "attitude of justice" in a way. I guess I just didn't feel like I was seeing results. Well, with everything going so well I figured might as well try it. And what do you know?... He listened! He got every cue. 'Stop riding at the corner...' he stopped; 'walk to the next corner...' the barrels were in between the two, so he asked what I wanted (!!) I answered with "we'll go sideways around em". "Yes, ma'am." Even when I asked for a trot and then 'walked' in my body- he slowed and walked too.
Things might not always go as you planned but being flexible, and emotionally fit, means changing plans can help the relationship and hopefully make things better for next time :)
January 19, 2011
So I found out yesterday that playing in the same area all the time is B-O-R-I-N-G for Maliki. I went out with the intention to get to the round pen that is a couple blocks down the street. Something I've had drilled into me is try anything new On Line, so I grabbed my 22' line and carrot stick and went to get him. It was harder to get him to come to me than it has been (when striving to further my horsemanship this is something I watch for), but finally got him- with the help of a piece of bailing twine. I brought him over to where I had my tools and haltered him, which, interestingly enough, he partnered in. By that I mean, he put head into the halter and kept it low for me to tie and get in place. We walked over the gate and let him out. It was interesting to see his expression change almost as soon as we were out of the pasture. His ears were pricked, his head up and looking around, he seemed to have more energy, he was just more interested now in what we were going to do. There's a little gully between the pasture and the road that I took him to first in order to make our way down the road. Now, the thing with horses is that the farther they get from their place of safety: barn, stall, pasture, etc, usually the more thresholds they have. "Never say never, don't always say always, usually say usually." I say that because Maliki didn't seem to have a single threshold, or if he did they were very minor and he got over them so quickly I wasn't able to notice. He had alot more energy than usual at first, so we did alot of Change of Directions and Figure 8's with a trash lid and an old bucket (Imagination- 6th Key to Success) and even trotted up the hill. After a bit of that he seemed to click back to his Left Brained self.
*Horse's have "Horsenalities" just like people have "personalities" that are in 4 categories: Right Brain Introvert, Right Brain Extrovert, Left Brain Introvert & Left Brain Extrovert. (Right brain is the reactive side, the survival side, while the Left side is the thinking, learning and partnership side of the brain.) They're based on the horse's innate characteristics, learned behavior, environment & spirit.*
So back to my play date, being in a new area created curiosity and more energy than he normally does. He had no problem trotting several laps on the Circle and constantly seemed to be asking questions. When he finally seemed to want to stay by me and had calmed down some I decided to walk down the road. Being on a corner with cars, trucks and semi's passing he had no problem with vehicles going by. When we finally made it down to the round pen, after several stops for him to graze, I found that it was very muddy. Not muddy like parts of the road was, but all-around muddy with a puddle to one side that was several inches deep. "Oh, well", I thought, "a bit of mud never hurt anybody". I took the line off him since I did not want it getting tracked through all that and sent him out. He walked straight to that puddle and pawed in it, playing. He easily did Figure 8's at Liberty and hardly needed more than a phase 2, there are 4 total and 1 is the lightest possible with 4 being whatever it takes to get the message across, to do anything I asked. I figured that was great for day one and it was time to mosey on back. Almost the entire way back he stayed so close I was able to keep my hand in his mane and he blew several times. When a horse blows or yawns they are releasing adrenalin. When we got close to the gate he took the lead and allowed me to drift back to his back legs and drive him from there.
Now, sure, nothing huge happened that day. No amazing task was accomplished. For us walking down the road is easy. For others it isn't. But this journey isn't about comparing your self, and your horse, to other people. This journey is about seeing where you as a pair want to go and doing your best to get there. The human is charge of the goals, but it's the horse who's in charge of the time line. Dangit! I know, oh so very well, how easy it is to want to pass something quickly. But I'm having to learn and allow myself to go with his time line. Funny, that's kinda the message I've been getting from God- "Don't worry, things'll work out how they're supposed to, but not on your time, mine." It's my job (the human's) to be ok with that.
*Horse's have "Horsenalities" just like people have "personalities" that are in 4 categories: Right Brain Introvert, Right Brain Extrovert, Left Brain Introvert & Left Brain Extrovert. (Right brain is the reactive side, the survival side, while the Left side is the thinking, learning and partnership side of the brain.) They're based on the horse's innate characteristics, learned behavior, environment & spirit.*
So back to my play date, being in a new area created curiosity and more energy than he normally does. He had no problem trotting several laps on the Circle and constantly seemed to be asking questions. When he finally seemed to want to stay by me and had calmed down some I decided to walk down the road. Being on a corner with cars, trucks and semi's passing he had no problem with vehicles going by. When we finally made it down to the round pen, after several stops for him to graze, I found that it was very muddy. Not muddy like parts of the road was, but all-around muddy with a puddle to one side that was several inches deep. "Oh, well", I thought, "a bit of mud never hurt anybody". I took the line off him since I did not want it getting tracked through all that and sent him out. He walked straight to that puddle and pawed in it, playing. He easily did Figure 8's at Liberty and hardly needed more than a phase 2, there are 4 total and 1 is the lightest possible with 4 being whatever it takes to get the message across, to do anything I asked. I figured that was great for day one and it was time to mosey on back. Almost the entire way back he stayed so close I was able to keep my hand in his mane and he blew several times. When a horse blows or yawns they are releasing adrenalin. When we got close to the gate he took the lead and allowed me to drift back to his back legs and drive him from there.
Now, sure, nothing huge happened that day. No amazing task was accomplished. For us walking down the road is easy. For others it isn't. But this journey isn't about comparing your self, and your horse, to other people. This journey is about seeing where you as a pair want to go and doing your best to get there. The human is charge of the goals, but it's the horse who's in charge of the time line. Dangit! I know, oh so very well, how easy it is to want to pass something quickly. But I'm having to learn and allow myself to go with his time line. Funny, that's kinda the message I've been getting from God- "Don't worry, things'll work out how they're supposed to, but not on your time, mine." It's my job (the human's) to be ok with that.
January 15, 2011
Drive & Draw... Respect & Rapport
A horse has to have both in order to listen, do what you ask (or communicate) and have enthusiasm. If he doesn't respect you he might do what you want but he'll be sticking his tongue out at you or not do it at all, and if he doesn't have a rapport with you he's likely to be scared of you- doesn't feel safe and/or comfortable around you. Horses aren't afraid people are going to hurt them, they're afraid they're (we're) going to kill them. Knowing that, doesn't it make more sense why sometimes a horse's reactions are so extreme, in our eyes?
Anyways, horses' hierarchy of needs goes like this: 1- Safety, 2- Comfort, 3- Play & 4- Food. That's why trying to get a horse in a trailer, stable, vet stall, etc. with cookies doesn't work. He doesn't feel safe. Now, here's where the trouble starts... If they feel safe, comfortable and they have others to play with then motivation to play or want to be with us (in this case, ME) can be nil.
So last night I went out with the plan to just play in some way with Maliki and rasp (a rasp looks like, and is, a giant nail file for horse's) a hoof. In the almost 5 acre pasture where they're kept there's a smaller corral in a corner, maybe 80'x80'. I'd had it closed off for the past few days so when I opened it up all the horses wanted to go in and look around. Horses will be curious when they're confident, and they're confident when those first 2 things are met. Red rolled before following King back out the gate. (Note: for a horse to roll with a person around is huge! They're in very vulnerable position so its the ultimate test of confidence, and in some ways is a compliment.) Maliki saw that the other 2 were out and slowly walked over to me, after having sniffed the barrels that were in there. I had only my stick (4' long and stiff with a 6' string) so I played at Liberty- no strings attached.
Now, I had to explain respect and rapport so that you'd understand "drive and draw". How much your horse respects you equals how well they'll drive away from you, so how much rapport you have equals how well they'll draw (or come) to you. Last night he stuck to me like glue!! It was the coolest feeling :) I asked him to back up- drive- a few steps by simply flicking my fingers and drew him back by stepping back and changing my body language. I played most of the 7 Games with him with him staying with me. For those of you none Parelli students, there are 7 types of games horses play: 1-Friendly, 2-Porcupine (steady pressure), 3- Driving (implied pressure- in the air), 4-Yo-yo (drive & draw), 5-Circle, 6-Sideways and 7-Squeeze.
I asked for a Yo-yo, then drove his hind end toward me, used Porcupine on his tail to pull him towards me and then drew him backwards to me too. When he turned to face me I sent him out on a circle. This is where it got really cool... He trotted off, decidedly not in a circle so I chased him out- using the psychology of "you don't want to be with me? Let me help you go away!" He cantered 2/3rds around the corral then stopped and looked at me. When horses look at you, with both ears and eyes, they're asking a question. I whistled to see if he'd come to me. He did, at a trot. I took a couple steps back and smooched to which he responded to with a toss of his head and broke into a canter and ran almost the whole way across the pen to me!!!! Thats pretty much a first. I had the biggest bug-eatin grin you'd ever seen on my face after that. I gave him a cookie and walked away. I knew he was willing to stay after that, so I trimmed a hoof before leaving him. I still had a gate to get him through, which he squeezed (turn, face and wait) through and stuck to me, even with the other horses around. He walked with me and stayed close enough that I could keep my arm on his neck. Yes, it was a very good day :D
p.s. it is human to have 'just-one-more-itis'... "just one more jump..." "just one more lap..." "just one more game..." your horse just thinks, "nothing I do is good enough... there's no release". So it's a learned thing to find a good, or great, place to stop and remember that if you leave off there tomorrow will be better.
Anyways, horses' hierarchy of needs goes like this: 1- Safety, 2- Comfort, 3- Play & 4- Food. That's why trying to get a horse in a trailer, stable, vet stall, etc. with cookies doesn't work. He doesn't feel safe. Now, here's where the trouble starts... If they feel safe, comfortable and they have others to play with then motivation to play or want to be with us (in this case, ME) can be nil.
So last night I went out with the plan to just play in some way with Maliki and rasp (a rasp looks like, and is, a giant nail file for horse's) a hoof. In the almost 5 acre pasture where they're kept there's a smaller corral in a corner, maybe 80'x80'. I'd had it closed off for the past few days so when I opened it up all the horses wanted to go in and look around. Horses will be curious when they're confident, and they're confident when those first 2 things are met. Red rolled before following King back out the gate. (Note: for a horse to roll with a person around is huge! They're in very vulnerable position so its the ultimate test of confidence, and in some ways is a compliment.) Maliki saw that the other 2 were out and slowly walked over to me, after having sniffed the barrels that were in there. I had only my stick (4' long and stiff with a 6' string) so I played at Liberty- no strings attached.
Now, I had to explain respect and rapport so that you'd understand "drive and draw". How much your horse respects you equals how well they'll drive away from you, so how much rapport you have equals how well they'll draw (or come) to you. Last night he stuck to me like glue!! It was the coolest feeling :) I asked him to back up- drive- a few steps by simply flicking my fingers and drew him back by stepping back and changing my body language. I played most of the 7 Games with him with him staying with me. For those of you none Parelli students, there are 7 types of games horses play: 1-Friendly, 2-Porcupine (steady pressure), 3- Driving (implied pressure- in the air), 4-Yo-yo (drive & draw), 5-Circle, 6-Sideways and 7-Squeeze.
I asked for a Yo-yo, then drove his hind end toward me, used Porcupine on his tail to pull him towards me and then drew him backwards to me too. When he turned to face me I sent him out on a circle. This is where it got really cool... He trotted off, decidedly not in a circle so I chased him out- using the psychology of "you don't want to be with me? Let me help you go away!" He cantered 2/3rds around the corral then stopped and looked at me. When horses look at you, with both ears and eyes, they're asking a question. I whistled to see if he'd come to me. He did, at a trot. I took a couple steps back and smooched to which he responded to with a toss of his head and broke into a canter and ran almost the whole way across the pen to me!!!! Thats pretty much a first. I had the biggest bug-eatin grin you'd ever seen on my face after that. I gave him a cookie and walked away. I knew he was willing to stay after that, so I trimmed a hoof before leaving him. I still had a gate to get him through, which he squeezed (turn, face and wait) through and stuck to me, even with the other horses around. He walked with me and stayed close enough that I could keep my arm on his neck. Yes, it was a very good day :D
p.s. it is human to have 'just-one-more-itis'... "just one more jump..." "just one more lap..." "just one more game..." your horse just thinks, "nothing I do is good enough... there's no release". So it's a learned thing to find a good, or great, place to stop and remember that if you leave off there tomorrow will be better.
January 12, 2011
Hmmm... How Interesting!
"What goes up must come down." Gravity, emotions, even play time with our horses. Last night was amazing and I thought (hoped) that today would around the same area. NOPE! Maliki saw me today and took off for the other end of the (4.5 acre) pasture. I tried to follow by mozying towards him and other two horses, but they were having none of it. I swear they were laughing as they ran back up the hill to the opposite fence. I finally got back up and decided to change my plan/ strategy, so I laid down in the snow a few yards away. Oh boy, were they not expecting that. They started trotting around and snorting. Red finally came over and investigated my boots. I had to leave and head to work, but even stopping by after Maliki still wanted nothing to do with me. I took my time to get King and Red by me and decided I'd play with King. That was alot of fun, but King (my aunt's level 3 horse) knows everything. When I could see a good place to quit I let him go. Maliki had been watching the whole time. After playing the Catching Game for a minute or two he finally came over. I rubbed him a bit, gave him a carrot and left. All I could think of was "Hmm... how interesting!" Guess we'll see how tomorrow goes. You know, for all this "trouble" and emotion I'm very glad that horses aren't robots and have a brain of their own cause it makes me use mine.
January 11, 2011
Take the TIme it Takes so it Takes Less Time...
My partner in this journey is a 9 year old, Left Brain Introvert, quarter/paint horse named Maliki.
He doesn't like to exert too much energy and wants to know "what's in it for me?" when I ask him to do anything. Lately he hasn't had a positive look on his face when I get him. For those of you who are thinking, "horses can't get "looks" on their faces..."; believe me, they can; anything from sweet and innocent to thumbing their nose at you.
In readying myself for going to the center I've been watching all the (Parelli) material I have. In one of them Linda, Pat's wife, is talking, "You'll keep hitting a wall: 'can't get my horse to stick to me...', 'my horse won't meet me at the gate...', 'my horse isn't positive around me...'." "You know what that wall will be labeled? 'You didn't take the time.'" Oh boy, and 'Time' is a 'Key to Success' and a 'Quality of a Horseman'. I don't know if any of you reading this have ever had something hit you right between the eyes- it's not the best feeling. Well, hearing her say that hit me like a 2x4. That's exactly what my horse is doing! So that night I resolved to spend undemanding time with my horse for a week. Today was day 2 of that. Now, it hasn't been above freezing for the last couple weeks but I had to do it- despite the cold. (My mom earlier said she couldn't understand how or why I do it. "Love. Thats it. Nothing else could make me.")
Anyways, by the time I got out there today the sun was down and it was getting cold(er) fast. I sat and let them all sniff me for as long as I could (til I started shivering actually). I wanted to play somewhat with him. Now, here's the cool part, he put his head into the halter and kept it down so I could tie it, followed me without resistance, played several "games" with barely any force from me, trotted multiple laps in a circle even offered to circle a foot or so away. He then backed towards me, without any pressure on his tail or the rope, went sideways with me still behind him and finally trotted with me back there!! For him that was amazing! I could barely contain myself :) I stopped there, took his halter off and walked away. When I heard him follow me and come up to walk beside me I knew I'd gotten "it" for that play session. I fed em all and left.
My toes may be frozen and me barely able to speak since my lips are so cold, but knowing that the relationship between us is getting that much better is well worth it. "Take the time is takes so it takes less time." Man, those words never were so true.
He doesn't like to exert too much energy and wants to know "what's in it for me?" when I ask him to do anything. Lately he hasn't had a positive look on his face when I get him. For those of you who are thinking, "horses can't get "looks" on their faces..."; believe me, they can; anything from sweet and innocent to thumbing their nose at you.
In readying myself for going to the center I've been watching all the (Parelli) material I have. In one of them Linda, Pat's wife, is talking, "You'll keep hitting a wall: 'can't get my horse to stick to me...', 'my horse won't meet me at the gate...', 'my horse isn't positive around me...'." "You know what that wall will be labeled? 'You didn't take the time.'" Oh boy, and 'Time' is a 'Key to Success' and a 'Quality of a Horseman'. I don't know if any of you reading this have ever had something hit you right between the eyes- it's not the best feeling. Well, hearing her say that hit me like a 2x4. That's exactly what my horse is doing! So that night I resolved to spend undemanding time with my horse for a week. Today was day 2 of that. Now, it hasn't been above freezing for the last couple weeks but I had to do it- despite the cold. (My mom earlier said she couldn't understand how or why I do it. "Love. Thats it. Nothing else could make me.")
Anyways, by the time I got out there today the sun was down and it was getting cold(er) fast. I sat and let them all sniff me for as long as I could (til I started shivering actually). I wanted to play somewhat with him. Now, here's the cool part, he put his head into the halter and kept it down so I could tie it, followed me without resistance, played several "games" with barely any force from me, trotted multiple laps in a circle even offered to circle a foot or so away. He then backed towards me, without any pressure on his tail or the rope, went sideways with me still behind him and finally trotted with me back there!! For him that was amazing! I could barely contain myself :) I stopped there, took his halter off and walked away. When I heard him follow me and come up to walk beside me I knew I'd gotten "it" for that play session. I fed em all and left.
My toes may be frozen and me barely able to speak since my lips are so cold, but knowing that the relationship between us is getting that much better is well worth it. "Take the time is takes so it takes less time." Man, those words never were so true.
January 10, 2011
The Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts with a Single Step
Well, this is it. I found out in September that I was accepted as a 'Working Student', now referred to as 'Entry Level Resident', and in November was awarded a partial scholarship for the 4-week course- 'Fast Track' (which begins July 4th).
This has been my dream for the past 3, almost 4 years, now. I've been studying this program- Parelli Natural Horsemanship (www.parelli.com) - for the past 5. I'm hoping, and will do everything in my power, to become an 'Extern' then 'Intern' (Freshman and Sophomore of "normal" colleges).
This blog for the next long while will be my way to let y'all know how it's all going: from getting all my tack and gear together, to how I manage (with God's help) to get all the money together, where the relationship with my 4-legged partner, Maliki, is and finally how it is to leave home and really strike out on my own to live my dream. Yeah, I went to Canada for 3 months, but even that was to help with getting a spot at this place.
I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be there, shoot, I'm not even sure exactly when I'm leaving or what my "ultimate" goal is. But I do know this is where I've wanted to be for a long time. So here's to the journey :)
This has been my dream for the past 3, almost 4 years, now. I've been studying this program- Parelli Natural Horsemanship (www.parelli.com) - for the past 5. I'm hoping, and will do everything in my power, to become an 'Extern' then 'Intern' (Freshman and Sophomore of "normal" colleges).
This blog for the next long while will be my way to let y'all know how it's all going: from getting all my tack and gear together, to how I manage (with God's help) to get all the money together, where the relationship with my 4-legged partner, Maliki, is and finally how it is to leave home and really strike out on my own to live my dream. Yeah, I went to Canada for 3 months, but even that was to help with getting a spot at this place.
I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be there, shoot, I'm not even sure exactly when I'm leaving or what my "ultimate" goal is. But I do know this is where I've wanted to be for a long time. So here's to the journey :)
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