a little something for the weekend

this article is an eye opener for why america is producing so many mediocre instructors.  wow!

here is an interesting article by tom moates.  i agree with some of what he says and disagree with some.  there is always something to learn from everyone, even when that someone is downtroding what you believe in ;)  i have read a few of tom's books that he wrote about harry whitney.  i really enjoyed them, though once again i felt that he had misinterpreted things that parelli teaches.  that seems to happen often in the "natural horsemanship world" and mostly i find out later that the person who is misquoting, or misunderstanding the program has never studied it.  i feel that it's difficult to make a clear judgement about something until you've put your time in and learned what you can about it first hand.

this pony is in amazing shape!!!  what an imagination these two have...

at the david lichman clinic he talked a lot about using music to get rhythm and relaxation.  this video is the ultimate example of this!  i've loved this video since they rode this test at the 2006 world equestrian games.  i sat on the edge of my seat watching it then and every single time i watch it now i'm on the edge of my seat, clapping, with tears in my eyes.  these two are simply amazing...

friendly game

i've been thinking about the friendly game versus desensitizing a horse.  i live in a place where the old cowboy way still prevails, though i must say most have tried to tone it down some.  probably because the cowboys aren't as young as they used to be and being bucked off before every ride just isn't in the cards anymore.  but i digress....

if you've been around horses for any length of time you've probably witnessed a horse being desensitized.  sometimes people just bombard the horse with lots of different stimulants, saddle pads, tarps, plastic bags, saddles, themselves, all done in fairly quick accession not allowing the horse time to think.  sometimes they barely have time to react, though i've seen a few just simply fall to the ground in panic.  then they get their feet tied and they have to lay there and be desensitized.  or if they put up a fight they are thrown to the ground and then desensitized.

when people desensitize their horse they are simply teaching them to put up with rude behavior.  not only that but over stimulating in this way can make the horse dull.  non responsive to it's environment.  and you are part of this environment.  so are grizzly bears.

the friendly game is not desensitization and should not be confused with that.

when we play the friendly game we are looking to teach our horse to manage it's emotions and think through things rather than just react.  we are not trying to desensitize them to this commotion.  we are looking to have our horses be responsive to us and to listen to us in times of stress.  when the friendly game is done right it can show your horse what a dependable leader you are, thereby encouraging your horse to look to you for support when it is scared.  looking to you for support and jumping on you when scared are two different things.  just sayin.

do things with the horse and for the horse, but never TO the horse.

the friendly game is the #1 game in the list of the 7 games for a reason.  it's the most important one to win.  winning the friendly game is the key to teaching your horse to "do nothing" when he is scared, instead of spooking, bolting, jumping on you or fighting.

it's never too late to spiff up your friendly game.

making our better best

sometimes i lay awake at night worrying that i am letting billy down.  lately i've had such a hard time getting any play time in because of my darned foot, then i got the flu, it's been so hot and buggy making play time miserable. and on and on and on.  all these excuses.  they keep me up at night.

i think about all that we have to do before i can ride him.  at this rate i won't be on his back until he is 10 and i'm 45!!

then that sends me back to the fact that i can not get all caught up in the "shoulds" of life.  what i should do compared to what i am doing.  nothing that i'm doing right now, allowing billy to grow up some more, eat yummy green grass, chase his goats, is hurting him.  not at all!

i'll ride him when i ride him.  i sat on him two days ago and he was totally fine with it.  we have come so far in our horsemanship and have a long way to go, but again, i remind myself that we don't have a timeline.

i like to look back at pictures i've taken of billy over the years that i've had him.  it's amazing how much he has changed, grown up, started to really muscle up.  i can see by his build that he has a bit more filling out to do and i have some weight to lose.  giving each other a bit more time is a great idea.

we will work on making our better best!

i love

i love that even when my horse is out in the 10 acres, eating, and he sees my car he will canter across it to meet me at the driveway.  playfully bucking, striking and nickering his way over to me.

i love that my horse is so confident that he will come join in while we build a goat shed.  just hanging out while we run circular saws, nail guns and screw guns.  none of that phases him as long as he gets to be part of it all.

i love that my horse has two goats to move around, gather up, sometimes chase.  and when he nickers to them, they come gallumping, in their awkward way, to his call.

i love that my horse will come stand with his head inside the feed shed while i get his dinner ready, but will NOT come INTO the feed shed.

i love that when i take him his dinner he will stand patiently outside of his house while i fill the feeder and get everything ready.  i love that he will NOT enter until i tell him to.

i love that my horse will stand patiently for me to open the gate to his pen so he can go out and eat.  he will stand there until i tell him he can go out the open gate.

i love that my horse calls to me whenever he sees me outside and will leave his food to come see what i'm doing.

i love that when he hears me reading to my boys in the backyard during homeschool he will come find us and then beg to be allowed into the yard to eat while we sit out there working.

i love that my horse is my partner.

i love parelli.

chaos

"In the midst of transformation, the chaos seems never-ending. It is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But when you get to the other side, order resumes and your higher vision shines brightly in the fresh, new light you have created."

sometimes the journey of natural horsemanship can look like chaos.  it's all ups and downs, tiny, halting steps forward then falling, rolling, leaping backward.  then tiny steps forward again.  it's a give and take that requires a lot of commitment to the actual journey and very little thought of the finished product.  if you are in this for the horse then there really is never a finished product.  there is always learning, changing, making your journey at once chaotic and joyful.

"you know you are putting the relationship first when rapport, connection, trust and confidence are more important than achieving the task or goal itself."  ~linda parelli

when you put your horse's needs first then great things will follow.  if you are taking care of your relationship before you know it you will have surpassed all your goals.  this is something that i keep telling myself, hoping that it proves true for billy and i!  our journey has been a bit uncomfortable lately... they do say that the best learning happens outside of your comfort zone!  sigh.  i am definitely doing some licking and chewing over here.

but having my horse offer to load himself in any open horse trailer, jump a single down barrel whenever he sees one, boldly walk up to any pedestal and put all four feet on it, come sideways towards me with just a wave of my hand, is the most amazing feeling.  having billy feel so willing to do what i ask and eagerly look forward to our play time is an amazing feeling.  this makes me feel like i am on the right track.

chaos and all.

sunday part five

the clinic wrapped up and those of us that volunteered to help with the clinic stayed to clean up and help david load all his gear.

billy's pen had been taken over by a herd of roping steers and there was a full on roping going on in the outdoor arena... so billy had to stand tied in the indoor arena while we worked around him.  he didn't seem to mind, unless i managed to stay out of his sight or hearing too long.  but it was a great experience for him.  he calmed down very nicely and stood patiently.

just before we volunteers said good bye we got to see the famous 13 do a few of his moves.  ones that wouldn't stress him too much in his stall.  he is a sweet boy and clearly missed showing off during the demonstration.

heather and i said our goodbyes, went out and tied billy to the trailer while we finished loading all our stuff and tying everything down.  heather filled billy's hay net and i took it to soak it for the trip home.  it was 7 pm by this time... we had started our sunday at 8 am!!  i pretty much had billy online from 9 am until 7 pm with a half an hour lunch break in there somewhere.  it was a long day!

billy loaded into the trailer with just a little coaxing which surprised me as the trip on friday afternoon was long and hot and tiring.  he must have been ready to go home!  i know i was!

heather and i set out, after changing into some comfy travel clothes.  we stopped at a gas station to check the air pressure in all the trailer tires and off we went!

at about 7:45 i heard a POP and saw some of my trailer tire flying off down the interstate behind us...  we had a flat.

i limped the truck and trailer to the side of the road, we hopped out to take a look and decided to continue limping along until we could pull all the way off the interstate.  i wasn't interested in changing that tire so close to semi trucks barreling along at 70 miles per hour.

[caption id="attachment_420" align="aligncenter" width="640"] even in the semi darkness, covered in mosquitoes, sweating and wearing axle grease, heather and i can look sexy. keepin it real![/caption]

after some sweating and grumbling and then lots of laughing and giggling, heather and i had the hub cap off the trailer tire, backed the trailer up onto the ramp and had the spare tire ON!  whoot whoot!  we totally rocked that flat tire!!!



billy and i pulled into our driveway at 1 am.  thank goodness it was nearly a full moon.  billy backed calmly off the trailer after a harrowing ride that lasted 5 and a half hours... and shouldn't have been longer than 3.

wow.  what a trip!!!  exciting right up to the very end.  we totally know how to ROCK a weekend!

sunday part four

in the afternoon we moved right into using music to help encourage rhythm, relaxation and maintaining gait.



use music you like with a good down beat.   you will count the beats per minute then match a tempo to your horses natural gait.  to count the beats, time your counting for 15 seconds and then multiply by four.... or use Turn Over to help you count the beats.  Turn Over will allow you to count the beats using the space bar on your computer and then it will automatically show the beats per minute alongside your song in itunes.  so you know at a glance what you need.



most everyone rode for this segment... i was able to match strides while being on the ground with billy.  lucky for me he loves stick to me and will match my strides nearly perfectly without the music!  the music made it easier as he quickly figured out that the down beat was important.

you want to get two eyes and two ears??  dance!!  billy would just LOOK at me while i was dancing away in the middle of the arena.  he was awaiting my every move looking for an opportunity to mirror me.  just think, doing the jitterbug with my billy blaze!

david used all kinds of music to get his point across in this session.  classical, classic rock, country, pop, alternative rock, etc.  really you can do this with whatever music you like.  i plan to use LOTS of lindsey stirling...

during this session one of the other riders decided to get off her horse because there was some anxiety coming up in her.  her herd mates had left the arena and she was anxious, so her rider just hopped off and joined me on the ground.  david noticed that both our horses were matching the beat pretty well, in their different ways, and tossed out that we should do the carousel!  i've always wanted to do that but no one would ever play that with my "shark" billy blaze!!!  how exciting!



the little gal was just 14 years old, but up for the challenge.  her mare is a quarter horse/ paint cross who trotted just as a quarter horse/paint cross would.  billy was showing his long floaty trot so it made for an interesting carousel!  he was a bit faster than bailey, but they both did their best.  i was so proud!  we lost billy once and bailey once, but i thought we did awesome for our first time with 9 other horses trotting around the rail of the arena.  both of our horses were listening to us in all that commotion!

awesome.

sunday part three

after lunch, in the afternoon, david brought our goals from the beginning of the clinic out into the arena.  we were all gathered, all 11 of us with our horses and he went over each and every one of our goals.  if we missed something then we discussed it and did something about it!

mine was my circling game.  i just can not get billy to offer more than 16 strides of canter on the circle.

then came david...

he had me send him out on the circle, without focusing so much on my send = pointing with my finger.  i'm to use my intention more.  makes sense for level 4!

i'm to focus my eyes just behind his drive line and with the intention that i'm a wildcat about to pounce on his back, ask him to transition up.  then if he doesn't go i bring my stick and string UP from the ground in an arc, kind of a sideways movement, and ZING him in the rear, aiming for his tail.  it took two times of this from david and billy was picking up the canter with just the intention of canter.  then he offered 29 strides!!!!  almost 3 laps.  i was amazed.  david handed him back and said, "done!"  LOL!

now i just have to practice this myself.  when i clean up my mushy communication and become more concise and clear with my intention that will really help.

sunday part two

later that day when we got our horses david had us preparing for liberty close up circles.  this had me processing quite a bit.  it seemed like a simple process, but was actually quite difficult to teach.  both billy and i go RBI when we are learning.  so here i was learning a new technique and teaching it.  and poor billy.  he went a little RBI and a little RBE in this session.  BUT i was able to pull up my big girl panties and get it done.

my biggest concern during this session was that billy would leave me and run off biting and kicking the other horses.  he left me twice, but really had no interest in the other horses, just needed to leave my energy and give himself a little space.  david said that when billy leaves i must not bring him back with cookies and petting because this just enforces the leaving.  horses are smart and figure out quickly that if they leave they get to come back to cookies.  duh.  this makes so much sense!  instead when he leaves, join his dance, get him back and then go back to the thing that caused him to leave, but hold onto the rope this time...

in this session we were playing with getting and KEEPING two eyes.  keeping the horses concentration/attention on us.  causing the horse to believe that we are the sweet spot.  the horse HAS to be with us and the horse GETS to be with us.

to do this we start with the horses head at our belly button, “the sweet spot”.  then we ask our horse to circle at liberty by sending them and tapping their shoulder with our stick if they need help moving their feet.  BUT they must keep two eyes on us at first.  the horse will kind of go sideways in order to accomplish this.  if the horse starts to leave, back up, or takes two eyes off us, then we really flick their hind quarters, phase 4, to correct.  the flick must be quick, kind of like a snake striking, and must be done on the horse, not on the ground.  it’s just like hide the hiney!  when you get both eyes again, repeat the ask and allow the movement as long as they keep their eyes on you.

[caption id="attachment_404" align="aligncenter" width="640"] left: hiding that hiney middle: he left! right: bringing him back to the sweet spot[/caption]

it’s hard to get the timing and the feel for this one.  it seems so simple, but the horse is so close to you that it’s difficult to keep things gathered up.  my stick felt too long, my rope kept getting tangled around my feet.  when i put the rope around his neck he left me twice.  sigh.  i was a mess!

david said my communication was too mushy.  i must be clear and concise with my movements to get the desired result from billy, otherwise he’ll just leave!

send, drop my hand when he moves, tap his shoulder if he needs help.  if he gets too far away, backs up or takes his eyes off me, swat that hiney and bring him back into the sweet spot.  draw, draw, draw!  i must be sure that if i have to swat him that i give him pets and cookies to balance the reinforcement.  i feel like too often i have to phase 4 him and then i don’t balance that with friendly.  this has resulted in my draw not being as good as it once was.  balance is key!

here is a little video that i made last night of our progress...

saturday part two

after our session on head lowering, we moved into "the sweet spot".  this is our belly button.  for this you draw your horse into your belly button, reaching out and taking a hold of each side of the halter if they need a little help coming all the way in.  then treat treat treat!

this was hard for billy as i've spent so much time keeping him out of my bubble.  the belly button draw is not something that students below a level 3 should do.  unless your horse is obedient enough, this could get out of hand very quickly.  the horse has to kind of push into your space and he could knock you right over.

this is helpful for teaching the horse that being with you is the BEST place he could be.  this also set us up for the circle at liberty which we did on sunday.

later in the afternoon david had me being more particular with my back up.  billy will go back, but he is either going back and sideways, or curving off across the arena, or putting his head up, hollowing his back.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="640"] starting the back up...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_392" align="aligncenter" width="640"] and how it should look![/caption]

the pieces were:

• lower head


• back up


• go straight

he could do one of those things at a time, but not all three.  so i just had to get very particular.  i've allowed him to be sloppy in some areas of our games.  i'm not sure why, other than i get so overwhelmed with all that we have to do and then i worry that i'm getting too direct line so i just take what he freely offers and don't ask for more.  this must stop.  he is capable of so much more and i need to ask for that!

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="640"] backing with the head lowered... then keeping it down for me![/caption]

i used the wall of the arena some to help him stay straight.  then i would target different obstacles in the arena and back towards them as straight as i could keep him, not only in the back up but also in his body.  all the while being sure that he could keep his head down low and really round his back.  i also had to watch for others that were sharing the arena, riding and doing ground work.  sometimes it got interesting!

it finally started to click with billy and i could just lightly touch the loop on his halter and he would back right up with his head down.  backing with my hand on his nose needs more repetition but i have time!

[caption id="attachment_394" align="aligncenter" width="640"] mixing it up with some half jump over a barrel.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_395" align="aligncenter" width="640"] and standing on the gigantic pedestal!! whoot whoot![/caption]

at the end of the afternoon session on saturday david came out and showed me some zone 5 driving!  finally!!!  i've been asking for help with this for months so i was particularly thrilled to get help with it.

he showed me how to put the 45' line on the halter so there isn't a loop and then off we went!  i drove professionally for years and you never never never thwap the horse on the rear with the reins to get them go in the show ring.... but that is EXACTLY what you do in zone 5 driving... basically you create a commotion to get the horse thinking forward and then you allow that forward movement.  i was ready for the allow, but the forward was lacking.

[caption id="attachment_393" align="aligncenter" width="640"] left: hooking up the line middle: going forward! left: bringing billy back to me...[/caption]

we had some forward on saturday and i hooked him up on sunday as well and he was nice and forward with a little commotion made with the reins.  it was wonderful!!!

i have so much to work on now.  but we have all winter to play around with this stuff....

sorry

i'm so sorry that i've been absent these last few days!  i had a family bomb last weekend which was THE BOMB :)  we had a blast as did billy blaze since he was the center of attention for most of the evening.  he is such a ham!  he loves people and making us all laugh.  he also loves remote control helicopters... who knew!?

i am taking up the slack while my boss is on a much needed vacation so i won't be able to post this week...

and then i'm off to the DAVID LICHMAN CLINIC!!!!!!  i'm so excited about this clinic i can barely contain myself...  here are some of our preparations for the clinic...

trailer loading!!

a little something for the weekend

i won this DVD set when i made a video for the horse and soul tour in iowa...  kalley is a wonderful teacher.  i could sit and watch her for hours.  she is so confident and calm.  her descriptions and directions are easy to understand and learn from.  i highly recommend the Pre Saddle Training DVD set!!  it goes over all the level 1 stuff, but with a high degree of excellence.  i found it very helpful when she would show one of the entry level games and then talk about how to improve it before riding the young horse.

i really admire Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling.  his books are easy to read and beautiful to look at.

i am really interested in this book.  stephanie also writes a wonderful blog with lots of really helpful information.

i listened to this book on my ipod while playing with billy last winter.  it was a wonderful book!!! i highly recommend it.

billy REALLY needs one of these....

a little something for the weekend

this is all i need to share this weekend.  i could watch and re-watch this level 4 liberty audition... and the BEST part is that it's my friend samantha and her lovely mare aspen from dillon montana!  they are in pagosa springs colorado right now doing a 3 month externship.  sigh.  such a lovely audition.  thank you samantha for letting me share this!!!

and just a little FYI... kittens are crazy.  wild.  naughty.  and they break things.  enough said!

[caption id="attachment_323" align="aligncenter" width="448"] this is what a kitty looks like just before he leaps up and tries to eat your face...[/caption]

 

a little something for the weekend

beach beauties

horses of the night

do you love your horse... too much?

this blog post pretty much sums up my recent struggles and breakthroughs!

i've been reminding myself to do this lately...

and remember to take time to be still.

zen horsemanship

i've been reading some books and blogs about being in the moment, simplifying our lives and learning to appreciate the little things.  this morning the whole family woke up feeling energized and ready to clean up and clean out.  we now have quite a few bags to donate and a few full of garbage as well.  it feels so good to de-clutter.

it got me thinking last night about de-cluttering my mind.  it's so full of goals and expectations that i'm getting bogged down in my horsemanship.  i have forgotten how to live in the moment.  this is a fairly recent problem as i really do feel that i have been living in the moment with billy up until level 4.  i didn't let the goals pull me under, instead i floated along on the euphoria of our achievements, no matter how small.

level 4 is about refinement and the games seem to have gotten harder.  there are certain tasks that i feel would be easier if i were riding billy as he would have a better understanding of what i'm asking and how he is supposed to respond.  i also wonder...if i teach him to do some of these things on the ground first how is that going to translate when i'm on his back?  but again, i find myself all bogged down with the how.

when we simplify and live in the moment the how of it all doesn't seem to matter so much.  not only does it not matter, but both billy and i have a lot more fun and are more relaxed with each other.  the games come easier.  the communication opens up.

it all boils down to me and how i am handling it all.  i believe that if i let go of some of my goals and expectations, level 4 will just come to us.  a timeline doesn't matter at this point.  i will ride billy when he is ready regardless if we've passed our level 4 online and liberty, or not.

before and after

left: may 2011                                                             right: june 2013

 

billy was a weedy looking yearling that has blossomed into a hunk of a three year old.  he has become super athletic and has learned to use his body correctly.  it's been a joy to watch this unfold.

billy june 2011

 

billy september 2011

 

billy december 2011

 

watching a young horse learn to use his hind end efficiently, tucking his legs up under his body and lifting off with them.  thereby lifting his withers and actually changing the lay of the shoulder!  when things are in alignment magic can happen.

billy spring of 2012

 

luckily i have been snapping pictures of billy all along this journey so i could SEE the changes.  i knew that they would happen slowly and i might miss a few things along the way.  of course when i put the top two pictures side by side it's pretty amazing the dramatic changes that have occurred, but watching them happen over the last 3 years has been enlightening!

he has taught me so much about conformation and how the muscles and ligaments are put together to form the outline that we see.  it's been so interesting to really understand that the conformation is really just the bone structure but the "ewe" neck, straight shoulder and weak back are all things that are changeable.

it's clear that one should not judge a book by it's cover... or a horse by it's yearling picture...

refinement

the other night our play time was peppered with some frustration on my part, but ultimately left me feeling a burning desire to head right back out (in the dark!) to try again.  i'm really beginning to understand that learning, for the both of us, happens outside of our comfort zone.  right now we are both stepping out of our comfort zone into some fairly advanced stuff.  so it's only natural that we will struggle and fail and struggle and fail, before we succeed.  there is a reason that so many people only make it to level 3!!!  level 4 is TOUGH.

up until now i've felt like i pretty much sailed through the levels... now many times when we play i feel like we are getting farther and farther from our online audition.

something that i really must work on is my rope handling skills.  it's about more than just being able to stay out of my own way when i have 45' of rope on the ground.  it's about NOT over using my tools, wiggling, swinging, shaking my rope and/or my stick and string.  when i do this i ultimately confuse and micromanage billy, which will ultimately hold us both back from our level 4.  and will hold me back from becoming the best horse-man that i can be.

very simply i have to get control of myself first, then i can communicate with my horse.  use my body language and not my tools to get my needs across to my horse, then we can focus on the task.  a sure sign that i'm using my tools as a crutch is when i find myself all tangled up and feeling frustrated because my feather lines won't lay nice on billy's back.  level 4 is about having NO LINES.

it's about refinement, refinement, refinement.

direct line

i've been really focusing on passing our level 4 online and at liberty.  being goal orientated has not helped my horsemanship lately.

i had to go back and remind myself to respect myself as a student.

then i had to remind myself to do this for my horse and not to him.  when i start to get so goal orientated, direct line, billy starts to feel like i'm doing things to him and the line between work and play get's real blurry.  i'm sweaty.  he's sweaty.  i'm breathing hard. he's breathing hard.  and the savvy hits me like a ton of bricks... which leads to me just stopping.  just put my stick and string down, give billy some rope and take a seat for a little while as he grazes around me.  ripping up the grass, chewing and ripping and chewing.  just the sound of that calms me and helps me to engage my brain again.  this journey is not just about me.  it's also about billy and helping him to be the best he can be.  along the way he will teach me to be the best i can be.

a little something for the weekend

here is the saddle i bought for billy blaze last year.  we aren't sure just exactly how big he is going to be when he matures.  i figured the adjustable gullet was a smart idea...

my friend Carol made billy his headstall.  it's a beautiful black and brown english bridle.

billy's halter is the blue one.  i think he looks so handsome in blue!

this book is so cool and really helped me to understand what is happening in billy's body when he is moving.

i LOVE my hoof pick...

this is billy's favorite brush.  i love the name ;)

i love this treat bag.  it lays nice and flat against my side.

and this is my favorite 22' line to play on.  it has such a nice light weight and doesn't get heavy when it gets wet or sandy.

there has been a lot of learning going on all over the parelli world.  people are in pagosa springs learning at the parelli ranch.  some of us are stepping out of our comfort zone at home.  some are starting to step into the purpose part of their journey with dressage shows, cuttings and reinings, jumping events and endurance rides.

something that is resonating with me the last two days is how both horses and humans do their learning outside of their comfort zone.  while staying in our comfort zone is a great confidence builder not much actually happens in there, learning wise.

progressing is one of the key elements to doing parelli and being a horseman/woman.  if we aren't progressing then we are stagnant.

but progression can feel like pressure if one tries to rush things.  after my last post many people pointed out that this is a journey and the enjoyment comes from the every day processing of this journey.  the end is not the goal because if we are truly getting our better best and never letting it rest then we are continuing to grow and learn daily and there is no end.  not really.

so how do we progress and keep it fun, playful and challenging without feeling like pressure?  that is the burning question i have.  i've decided to break things down into smaller steps.

my plan:

• to teach billy flying lead changes online and on my cue.


• to get our canter circling game solid.


• to teach billy how to jump halfway over a tree trunk or barrel.


• to get our two line driving really solid.

to do these things i need to break everything down into small manageable steps.  both for me and for billy.  after all i'm learning as i go and at the same time trying to teach billy.  things can get really confusing really fast!

the thing i will be focusing on the most is my emotional fitness.  i need to stay in a peaceful place in order to be progressive.  as soon as i start allowing my ego in things fall apart and billy gets confused.  he knows when i'm doing this for him and when i'm doing this to him.  and he's not shy about putting me in my place when i'm busily doing things to him.

so we will practice two line driving every day, even if it's just a short 5 minutes tootle around the yard.  i will continue to toss in the canter circling game, counting strides and getting him to a place where he has the confidence to canter 6-10 laps without breaking gait.  i will find myself a tree trunk so i can start the half jump with something a little smaller than the barrel (and a little longer...) and i will practice sideways towards and away while walking and trotting to prepare for flying lead changes.  billy actually really enjoys two line driving because it feels a lot like stick to me and he loves stick to me.  so knowing that i can keep it playful and fun for him all while stepping out of my comfort zone and dipping my toe into the pool of new and different...

while reminding myself what parelli is all about:

"A philosophy of understanding a horse's needs; being a good, effective and kind leader; using psychology rather than mechanics; working on confidence rather than desensitization; and developing a relationship based on love, language and leadership."

~ Linda Parelli