Tough Love 3/20/10

This video is of an epic struggle for power and control. Power over one another in a fight to the death over leadership. Subtle dominance games over the ownership of the cones, direction, speed, rope, feet and each other. It is long, and I am in my barney sweats. I look fat AND pregnant......but in an effort to share the difficulties of owning an extreme LBE, I thought I would share our play session you. You will need your savvy glasses, as some of it is so subtle it can easily be passed off as utter LACK of savvy. I did realize after this session, that Cha'cote put me in the habit of NEVER pushing, and boy I must have stunk the joint up with the stench of CHUMP! It was during the weave that it became apparent that this is NOT about us being out of tune and needing to take time to get back in the swing of things. Rose LOVES to put her nose/feet on things almost as much as she LOVES to go sideways, especially over things. She likes to sideways over an upright barrel. OKAY!
I knew we were having problems cantering, and when she started acting like she didn't know how to go sideways, I knew I had been HAD! She was acting like she forgot everything. couldn't back, porcupine, disengage you name it. First the weave...."I think I will step on these cones instead of going around them" All stearing was lost. My shoulders were tired from catching cha'cote last night, so I changed to another game....Circle. So then she tried to control the speed, then direction, and once I got her to canter well and disengaged her.....I don't know how, but she managed to get all 4 feet to stand on the rope! Her third favorite thing to do. After this session I realized all the other times she has done this in the past.....just not all in one session. So it became glaringly clear....these are big time dominance games. i think since I havn't played with her for basically 2 yrs. She is wondering who I think I am.... coming and telling HER what to do. I had spoken to a PP on friday, and she suggested my yo-yo was broke and BOY was she right. She said to work on lots of transitions within and between gaits. So it is when I got that going that she decided to take control of her feet all together and not move at all. toward the end, I ask her to stick to me yo-yo, and it looks atrocious....but if you could only know, that my phase one in this video, is normally her phase 4. And this is why I just had to say, enough is enough. I know you know this....I know you would never disrespect Snookie this way, and you will no longer do it to me. I had to get really firm to disengage her hind end (not on video) I am so glad I did. As much as i hate being such a Biotch...(she WAS getting cookies in between tho)....in the end, she respected me, and followed me around the yard including driving game at liberty no halter. She was light (about a L3 quality) and while it was not as good as it once was (L4 quality). It was certainly much more acceptable than what I was getting (less than L1 quality). I was letting this week get to me, and it took me all day to get the courage and desire to play with her. I hope I wasn't too firm. We will see how we both feel in the morning.
Savvy On
Michelle

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