Played so hard we killed the BALL!

What FUN I had with my babies last night! Saturday it was hot, AND I had to clean my house for the in-laws coming in from out of state soon, and by the time it started to cool off….it was time for fireworks over the lake. Silly but my little town celebrates 4th of July two saturdays before. Sunday started off with removing this 20yo cactus out of my front yard and transplanting it to a pot, then, awful heat again. Finally I got to play a little after 8. Still hot, but at least no sun.


I started with Cha’Cote. It was the first time playing with him on the 45’ line. He is really starting to get “interested” in sniffing things and touching things. We played with two balls, hula hoops, passenger driving in zone 5, yo-yo to the end of the 45’ line, and proceeded to the circling game. He did really great after a few…..”eeeek! I’m wild” moments. His yo-yo transitions from walk/trot/walk/trot got awesome from a new farther distance. He has stopped having thresholds going to the left. And cantering is coming along, he still can’t handle much without getting emotional about it. SOOOOOO…..much to my moms discomfort, she is going to have to park her car some where else. She is smack in the middle of the largest flat area I have for circling. I think it is about 40’ but it does not cross the drive way.

Now for Rose. I stayed on a 12’ line, being lazy I guess, but I kinda wanted to work on being able to be effective in phase 4. We had a blast! Lots of toys, and lots of noise. I put more pressure on her in the send TO the toy. Kind of a HURRY up and go play. I have noticed her FAVORITE toy is the barrel. I even had her roll it with her front legs while going sideways. It is really helping with my precision too. Then we played circling game stick to me style, on the 12’, cantering. I had her hauling A$$, one circle, and nearly a slide stop at the barrel. Kick it around a little, change direction, Haul A$$, one circle, screech to stop at the barrel. She loved it. Cantering became fun for her in my yard…..who knew! I think I am going to switch back and forth between the 12’ line and the 45’ line with her. Although I will say, I am getting quite handy with the 45’.



Can’t wait to play again tonight….although Rose killed the big ball!

Savvy On
Michelle

Who wants to be alpha? ~ not these Lazy Loafers!

Well, I saw a little more of herds alpha/pecking order dynamics last night. It was late, and I stepped out back for a cigarette when I saw Spirit in an odd place. Sure they are on a hill, but he looked a little short to me, and I wondered if he was laying down. I could see Miyagi facing him, so I walk over for a closer look. As I approached, I saw that he was laying down, AND Rose was laying next to him, with Snookie standing over her. It dawned on me, right then and there, what lazy, loafing, taking advantage of the alpha, the other members of a herd happen to be. As far as my herds dynamic goes, Snookie is Alpha and Rose is second in command. Miyagi is alpha over Spirit. Rose and Spirit fight like a couple of kids, till Snookie makes them stop. Miyagi used to be the Alpha of a 20 horse herd. 16 mini’s and 4 big horses, she is one little horse you may not want to reckon with. Alas, she cannot break the impenetrable force field of the Snookie Dynasty, so she settle’s easily into terrorizing Spirit. So this is what we have going on in the world of horse behavior at my house.


Most people think that the Alpha is mean and everyone else in the herd fears them. Some have even used that as a reason for not wanting to do particular styles of NH, as they don’t want to be hated like the Alpha horse is hated. They would rather be the #2 horse. Who BTW in my herd is quite evil. In the 9yrs now that I have had my horses home, I have witnessed nothing but the contrary to their beliefs.

I have seen Snookie take a very lame horse, at snail speed, and force them across the pasture to the water tank, and splash them with water until they drank. I have seen her first be terrified and then motherly to a yearling rescue mini, and allow her to do things she allows NO one else to do…..touch her bucket! I have seen her panic when the herd is not close enough to her, or being trailer loaded without her. I have seen her deny a horse food and water until SHE felt like letting them have it. I have seen EVERY single one of my horses fret when she is gone. I have watched them look to her for when to be afraid and when not to. I have watched horses copycat everything she does, from rolling to scratching to sleeping, including spit out a grass wad when Snookie was being wormed and they weren’t. She has a larger responsibility than those other lazy herd members care to be responsible for. Sure they would like to boss everyone around, and be the first to choose what pile of hay to eat. But I saw last night, what they would have to give up, the price they would have to pay, if they ever dethroned her. Those lazy turds were sleeping like foals, and trusting Snookie and Miyagi to keep them safe while they did so. Both are respectively in their teens, and far from young things that need to lay down to sleep often. I have never seen Snookie lay down to sleep. She does however suffer from narcolepsy, so she is known for her comical episodes of slowly falling onto her face, where she can stay for up to 10min. Every one is used to it, including my frantic neighbors, and luckily no one takes advantage of her while in precarious positions. So there you have it, lazy loafers, making the others do all the work!

Savvy On

Michelle

Cha'Cote Trailer loading video #3

This is about his 7th session trailer loading. And he hops right in now! It was my first time sending him from the right side, so it was his first time to turn around that way.....scared the bageezers out of him!

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Just one more time……famous last words!

So I was unable to play with Rose or Cha’cote all weekend do to the horse show, fathers day which spilled into Monday. Finally last night…..time for ME and MY horses.

I started with Cha’Cote, a good curry, bath, fly spray……then play. Right now is basically just getting him back in tune, but he honestly feels better than before the break…..confidence wise. Circling kinda fell apart, but not bad. I was able to do some…passenger walking in zone 4-5. I don’t know if I could call it driving. Sometimes I was directing, but mostly just following him. He had gained A LOT of confidence with his feet. He stepped on the hula-hoop last night for the first time, and he didn’t come out of his skin. He touched the kitty litter bucket with his legs (skeptically though I might add) he pushed the ball with his nose and legs, side passed over the log onto the pedestal, and then we went to the trailer.

He of course put the front feet in strait away. I asked him to get out and instead he hopped right in. He is definitely more comfortable going in, now that he can turn around and walk out. I sent him out, and then I sent him in again. No hesitation, he jumped in. Practically ran in. So we did it about 10 times, until he could walk in confidently, in a way that it appeared to me that he was thinking his way in. Viola, I sent him in from the fender, and from about 10 feet away from the trailer. He has finally given the trailer his stamp of approval. One more and we are done. Aren’t those the famous last words? I should know better. No sooner do those words run through my mind, when something happens to make wish I could eat those words. This was no different. I sent him in, he went in…….and then trailer door came untied and started to swing shut. He came unglued. He scrambled and as he did, he got closer and closer to the floor of the trailer, apparently looking for a trap door in the floor. I managed to get a hold of the door, opened it and encouraged him to come out. He did, and then bolted. Mini learn burn to follow. I got the door tied open again, and brought him back to the scene of the crime. He was such a good boy. He went back in twice with no hesitation. Lots of lick-chew. We left and played a little bit more of sniff this, touch that and ended with some undemanding time. So now we have to play the friendly game with the door, go for some short rides, un-load and re-load at an unfamiliar place……then see if we can do it with Spirit in the trailer. That way, Jason and I can take the boys to a schooling show together. Can’t wait. Next one is July 10th. Will try to video it tonight.

Now for my session with Rose. I purposefully have not let the herd out in the front yard while I didn’t have time to play with her. I want her to know that when she comes out, it is to have fun with me. There is no grass left to speak of anyways, so nothing more than trouble and the hay shed to get into. I started by letting them all out, and leading her by the mane from the hay shed to the front yard where her halter and 45’ line were waiting for us. I we started with our assignment of me sending her to something, then letting her figure out what to do with it once she got there. From that I am to take her Idea and ask her to do more. We did lots of that. Lots of kill the cones, sidepassing over things, and her rolling the ball under her bely, then backing while keeping the ball there. At the end, I taught her pick her leg up when I do. So I think I will do some mirroring with it in the next session. I did some zone5 driving into the trailer and made her hug the big tractor tire. I bought some pool noodles and forgot to use them…..and I am in the process of collecting milk jugs for a toy. I was going to put some rocks into the barrel that has a hole, but noticed that it was inhabited by yellow jackets, so we left THAT idea….and THEM alone! We played a few games with Snookie, mainly for me to show her that Snookie is not a safety zone, and she will have to find interesting things to do with her if she wanders into Snookies bubble. Lesson is two fold. Since Snookie is NOT a fun and games gal and the alpha, Rose started thinking twice about getting too close. And since Snookie would really rather not be bothered, she learned it is better to stay out of the play area or she may become the next victim of experimental play things. She is so bonded to Rose now, that I can’t wait for the day for her to jump in the trailer during one of Rose and I's trailer loading practices. So far she just runs around us in a total RBE panic while we play with the trailer, thinking that I am going to take Rose somewhere without her. The panic is lowering in intensity…..thank god…..but still. Poor old gal. I know she misses TigerLily something fierce. As do I. She was the BEST horse ever. RIP my lovely girl.

So I need to build up my play ground, and come up with some new ways to play with the toys we do have. I can totally see now, how I have been INCREDIBLY boring for my partner.

Savvy On

Michelle

Schooling show for Jason & Spirit

Video..Her Idea/My Idea experiment in FUN

This is an experiment. basically the first half was me pretty much letting her do what ever she wanted. Once she started, then I asked her to do more of what she was doing than she wanted to, after I did the one thing she wanted to do more than anything.....go in the back yard....I decided it was time for her to do some of my ideas. when we got to the weave, twice she really came at me ears pinned, something she had never done before, and I told her THAT is not acceptable. She really didn't want to go to the left, so instead I let her go to the right, and asked for more than she intended to give. Once she tried to bully me and acted like she was going to dive bomb Snookie, I let her run smack into Snookie. DORK! Lucky for her Snookie didnt' kick the crap out of her. Most of this video, which is long and mostly for my viewing purposes, is her idea. I don't know if I did OK or not. I know I felt better at the end. She got a hard lesson learned for getting herself tangled in the rope a few times, and I left it up to her to get out of it. And once done, and halter off, she stayed with me for a long time. Usually she takes off squeeling and leaping. So I will do this a few more times to see how things progress with it. She did not like sharing ideas with me. She seemed like she felt as if it was her way or no way.....HMMMM sounds kinda familiar.....
Savvy??
Who Knows!

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Rules, Restrictions, Guidelines ……where’s the fun?

Since when did I become an adult? I was in the pool with my son the other day, and of course as all 11yo kids will do…..we had to have rules for who wins the game of, don’t fall off the raft while squirting each other with water guns. It was a short list, and true to history repeating itself, as soon as my son lost, the rules changed. Some how, if you fell off of your raft, but managed to keep any part of your body ON the raft, you didn’t lose and it was immediate grounds for the all important re-do. I knocked that kid off a number of times, while managing not to fall of my self (something I needed no help in doing) and each time, my son whipped out the fine print, and alerted me to yet another rule that kept me from claiming my well earned championship. Kids are so flexible, and quickly find a way to win, or at least not lose. So why can’t adults?


I spoke to Maggie today, no time for lesson on Sunday, BUT she was kind enough to talk me through a number of things I could do to bring back the fun. Like I said the other day, it was a foreign word, but with her translation, I felt like a moron for not seeing it myself. Sometimes, the obvious solution goes completely un-noticed. She gave me ideas and concepts and real tangible blue print. Nothing I have never heard before, in-fact I have heard it a 1000 times. Just like when I had all that trouble getting Snookie in the trailer. Over 100hrs I put into it, ultimately paid $500 for Ann Kiser to get her in the trailer in 5min flat. Of course it was the most important 5 min of my horse journey to date. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I just wasn’t doing it right. I think today was another pivotal moment. Anything that she said that I had heard before, no matter how basic low level the concept, I didn’t get defensive and say, “well I know that”. I stayed open to her interpretation of concept, because I knew I was missing some crucial ingredient in the formula, and you never know what it is, so you better listen with all your ears, heart, mind and soul. I saw fun through her eyes, and thus was able to see it through my horses eyes. On many levels, I am irritated at my self for missing it. In fact I say some of it myself all the time, and yet it is so easy to apply a technique or concept at the wrong time, or completely forget it all together.

I feel like I have seen the light. And I feel like it is all right at my fingertips now. I have hope. I have been reviewing my footage of my auditions and practice sessions, and looking at those of others. Of course we all compare ourselves to others and feel we don’t measure up. But honestly I haven’t been. I see other L3/4 students and admire so much about them, and remember how I used to look that good too. Yet I couldn’t put my finger on the missing ingredient. The ingredient that makes the difference between a person with a horse and a horseperson. The star factor. The it factor. The ability to go from playing a game with your horse and winning the game with your horse, and still have your horse feel like a winner. The ability to change the rules, go with the flow, make it up as you, and not get stuck in a battle. Rather than find a way to be flexible, I was battling, giving her something to brace against, and tucking my tail between my legs, and running away feeling like a failure. I will take her advice, and go home and play with my horse. I will converse with her, rather than brace against her, and tonight she will write the play, then and only then, I will direct it. I will let you know how it goes.

Savvy On

Michelle

Extreme Frustration to Profound Discovery

So I always say to people, extreme frustration is followed by profound discovery. Yet somehow I am not applying that to myself. My frustration level is at an all time high. To the point of wanting to give it all up last night. I gave up on myself. I walked away from my horse, and proceeded to have a full blown temper tantrum/ sob fest. Emotional fitness? I think not. I debated blogging about it as I barely have the will to complain anymore. It is a good thing that I met a woman, who I hope to be my white night. She is making time for me this Sunday, fathers day of all days, but my husband said it was OK. I have not had a lesson in 10+ years, with the exception of a L2 clinic with Ann Kiser, back when the blue level 2 was brand new. I am picky as to whom I give my money to for advice. Way to picky some may think, but for me, I rely on my own good senses and the written words of my chosen mentors, before putting my money in the hands of someone who may steer me in the wrong direction. I have wasted too much of my life, and my money, to trainers who did little more than nearly get me killed.  I audit a lot though, and study with an insatiable appetite. Anyways, why I didn’t think my own words applied to me, I will never know. Something big must be in store for me, as a mastery student just reminded me, “it is always darkest before the dawn”. (thanks Hilary) Well it is pitch black for me right now. And all I can say is, I hope, and truly believe, Maggie will save me from myself. Save me from self loathing and self pity, and a rage inside me that is building. Which is better than the deadness I was feeling before. Before, I was in total denial of my deep depression from the car accident, and lacked any kind of desire, and was doing nothing with my horses. NOTHING. But I woke up one day, and decided to do something with my horses, only to find I had lost myself, my skills, and my sense of discovery. Her words to me are foreign. While I know them and speak them to others, they are foreign in application to my self. The main theme……FUN. Now generally speaking I am a fun person, in fact quite silly. I have fun with other people, and truly enjoy helping others have fun with their horses. But I realized today, I have not done it myself in a long time. The only horse I ever owned, who I actually played with was TigerLily. None of my other horses had a play drive that was noticeable to me. Mainly because they are RB horses, and safety, comfort and harmony are their main drives. Rose is the only one with a play drive. Unfortunately I think fun for her is dominance. But I don’t know. It is such a foreign word to me. I can’t remember a time that we PLAYED in the sense that I am thinking of. Maybe she does have THAT type of play drive, and because I haven’t noticed and encouraged it…..it is being suppressed, and what shines through the holes is argumentative dominance games. A battle of wills. A fight to the death. I know "I" am not having any fun. So how can SHE be having fun? Seriousness, determination, and survival are all that has followed fear, inadiquacy and doubt lately. I am lonely, bored and desperate. I hope this woman is up for my challenge. I will be throwing myself at her feet, begging her to show me the way out of this darkness that has become my horse life. It is a tall order for sure, and she seems to me to have the goods to do so. I will try not to dump my entire mess on her shoulders. For that is a heavy burden to carry. In fact that is probably one of my problems. Carrying a heavy burden. I need to drop it to the floor and have fun again. I just need someone to show me the way home. Today my friend was a little peaved at me that I don’t let her or my son get caught in the trap of perfection, yet I expect it of myself. I can’t say that I blame her for wanting to bonk me on the head. She had some nice things to say about me, both about me as her instructor and as a friend, as usual, I had a hard time accepting her generous words. But I did. So I am going to go home, and PLAY with my horses, and try not to make a red hot mess of it.


Savvy On

Michelle

Cha'Cote, trailer loading video

This is Cha'Cote's first time loading with ME on the outside of the trailer too! He does not do well with approach and retreat in the traditional natural way. He does better if you help him through it, than backing him away. He mistakes the "retreat" as part of the lesson and we end up farther and farther away from the trailer. He's an odd little duck, but it works for him! Also to note, I noticed he was having a harder time getting his back feet in, as he was not confident at all about backing them OUT.  I decided it was time to turn him around IN the trailer, but still be safe at the same time.  I noticed a big difference today letting him get out that way.  He was more comfortable going IN, because he was more comfortable going OUT.  This is as close as we came to OLL3 audition today!
Savvy On
Michelle

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OLL3 not today...VIDEO

Can't send this in. NOPE. Ugh. This video isn't too bad. BUT not good enough. It looks better than it felt.  In the middle of the pedestal, the camera died. ARGH! Then my rope was FULL of stickers, from one end to the other. Double ARGH! Using the 45' tomorrow as it will take me hours to get all the stickers out. Why do I act like a moron with the camera on??? I got so mad at myself, I took the halter off, dropped it on the ground and just walked away in tears.  SIGHS......she followed me to the garage as if to ask what she did wrong.  I felt bad, it wasn't her....I keep letting her and myself down
No Savvy Today
NONE
Michelle

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Ok…………New Approach…..CHEAT dang it.

It has come to my attention…..thinking a lot the last few days…that I am stubborn and all too often realize it long after the realization could have helped me. I was thinking about my crummy sessions with Rose, and what it was I was trying to accomplish with her at that time. It seems to go bad when I am practicing my audition. So why do I do it? DUH….. Because I want to pass L3. So why do I have to do it with Rose? I don’t. But I want to. She is/was my levels horse before the accident. But why? Because she is the only one who CAN do OLL3. I put all the weight on her shoulders. Why? Because SHE is so cool, and smart, and already taught her all this stuff. It seems reasonable to me that it should be easy with Rose. Why isn’t it? That is the million dollar question for sure.


As I was running through this list of questions to my self, and it brought me back to all the years I spent trying to get assessed L1, way back in the day….green pack. I really didn’t want to cheat in any way and wanted to do it with my first ever, pure natural horse TigerLily. I don’t know where I got the idea using Snookie was cheating anyways. My own limitation/rules, not PNH’s. Cantering was all I had left when TigerLily began to have complications from her disease. I turned to Good ole Snookie. But she refused to get in the trailer the Parelli way. I spent months on this. Broke down and signed up for a clinic. But now, the program changed. Start over. Lily was better by then, so stubborn me, decided I HAD to do it with her. I had the whole thing taped, minus one task, on my computer and my computer crashed. Lost…..LOST I tell ya. Then Lily began to have complications again, so I found a way to buy Rose back from the lady I re-homed her with. I spent the next year trying to have the courage to canter her. By this time, I was thinking to my self, that it was crazy that I wasn’t just using Snookie. So I began taping my Level 1 (red pack) guidelines still pretty demanding, I wasn’t satisfied with a couple of tasks, so was in the process of re-taping those, but also started the cantering with Rose. BAM car accident. By the time I was in good enough shape to tape the couple tasks, ……program changed AGAIN!  I gave up on taping long ago, and figured I would do it once, at the end, with Rose, when I made it all the way through the program.

So here I sit, post car accident, mind frame still in previous program. Wanting to become a PP and needing to pass the levels to do so.  Expectations of a level of quality once required. But maybe they have changed. Am I being stubborn AGAIN? I thinks so. Cha’Cote is probably a perfect “current” level 3 standard. Minus trailering, cantering and lead from the tail. It never really occurred to me to teach him those things and tape it with him. Well it did, but again…..STUBBORN. I assumed he would never let me in zone 5 AND hold his tail at the same time. But he did. He learned it in one session. How great is THAT? He is going in the trailer now. He is cantering now. He is great at the weave. So why would using him for OLL3 be cheating? It’s NOT. But just try and get THAT through my thick head. So the plan is this…..I am going home tonight and taping OLL3 with Cha’Cote. Just to see what happens.

Savvy On

Michelle

Oh Ya! I Cantered.....BooYaahhhh

We were cantering like the wind! Ok, it was only for 1-10 strides at a time, but like the wind, none the less!



Reminder, cantering Rose was a huge problem that I was just tackling before the car accident. Have done nothing for 2.5yrs. I cantered her on memorial day weekend, in a round pen, with my friend in the middle helping at first. no more than a half circle at a time. BUT today it was in the big arena, with two loose horses.


Our first depart was a walk/canter transition to the right. we did it three times about 6 strides each............she is sooo light on the forhand, and VERY uphill. I love it, so smooth...........but then the LBE...........turned on me and she started to dive bomb things(barrels, green ball, horse, fence, friend) in the arena to get me to stop asking her. when that failed she got nasty. ears pinned, teeth grinding, head tossing, steering lost.......when THAT failed her.......she resorted to freezing.......with all the above too. I was calm, and used the only strategy that doesnt make it worse. which is to stay at phase 4 legs on, NO matter HOW loooooong it takes, until she moves.....then relax and go with what ever gait she gives me. I am going to have to get this on video tape, because I doubt alot of people would believe just how big a tantrum she throws to get her way. it used to work because it used to scare the crap out of me. but I spent a year working my way thru it, only to have all my hard word lost due to the car accident.....so now I gotta do it all again. but this time I am not scared.........woooooo hoooooooo

so once I got her moving again, she resorted to bucking instead of cantering. Her version of phase 4. but I held on, and pushed her thru it, as I am not going to let her bully me. if it was right brained even the slightest, I wouldn't push......but this mare oh no......it is deliberate, calculated and cunning

she never bucked going to the right, and it was mild on the left.....UNTIL.....my friends horse tore across the arena feeling very good about his kentucky derby winning sprint. Rose decided to go total bronc with him. Mind you, I AM in a dressage saddle. I don't know how, but I did stay on, and got her moving again. And it didn't scare me


I was only able to get her to canter from a trot going to the left, and only for a few strides, 6max. But oh, to the right, she was like riding a cloud. We even made it one time almost the length of the arena, but Snookie got in our way. I wish I could afford to board her there, so I could ride every day. Regardless, I now have a tangible hope of passing FSL3 this year. Of course I want it to be tommorow, but I know better than that


Woooooo Hooooooooooo
Savvy Me
Michelle

Grain box masacre!

The fantastic four, after I cleaned up thier first mess, they got into it again! This time with the camera rolling. LOL

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So smart!

Well get this.  I got Cha'Cote out last night and the first time I touched his tail,,,,,he backed right up!  Now I guess I am going to have to work on friendly vs porcupine with it, so he doesnt' think that everytime I touch it, he is suppose to move.  But good for him anyways.  We then proceeded to the trailer, as I have not played with him with that since last thurs.  He went right in with his front feet, but of course those backs were in no hurry to get in.  Eventually I got all 4 feet in.  So I know I am going to have to do this every day, until he can do it easily with confidence, with out pushing his little RBI heart through his chest!  Other than that, not much going on.

Savvy On
Michelle

Cha'Cote ~ Lead by the Tail

Well, it took some effort on my part to find what would make sense to him.....but I found it! Here is Cha'Cote's first ever lead by the tail. A week ago I was excited he finally let me hold his tail long enough to brush it, then wash it.....now I am leading him by it, and still have both my knee caps!

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Saddle only, no bareback pad :(

Well I rode again yesterday.  I took the girls to the local arena to play with after a couple of lessons.  I brought my saddle, but was not in the mood, to change out of my shorts in the heat, so I rode bareback.  Now, while I did pass my L2 bareback, it is glaringly clear that I am not ready for this.  It was hurting my back, to try to stabilize myself for so long and then I over compensated and while ponying Snookie, my shoulder couldn’t take it.  I am paying a hefty price this morning for trying to enjoy my life as I knew it.  But….still a silver lining.  I spent 90% of the session using only the neck string, and only touched my reins a few times.  With the exception of while I was ponying Snookie. 

I also did not have the confidence needed to canter……DUH…..and trotting was too much as well.  I think it was a fear based, pre-emptive strike, to secretly make me believe I was too lazy to change my shorts, so I would NOT use the saddle, thus would not attempt too much.  ARG….my brain is smarter than me!

Hmmmmmm How interesting!  

So for now, no bareback pad.......saddle only!

Now for some major pooh removal, and then I plan on playing with Cha'cote.  I have this idea.....as dumb or irrational as it may be, of attempting OLL3 with Cha'Cote.  So, tonight I am just going to see how he feels about me being in zone 3/4/5 and ask him to play yo-yo.  I certainly cannot lead by the tail, if I can't even back him with a rope from there.  We'll see.....I'll let you know what happens!

Savvy ON

Michelle

I win...I win....the cones are mine....ALL MINE!

Well, after that tragic display of the most hideous horsemanship ever, the battle of the cones is resolved again.  Hopefully it lasts this time...though I doubt it.  Rose is highly intelligent, and with my level on inadequacy right now, it will be easy for her to smell my weakness, when ever it crops  up.  Anyways, our next play session was thursday night.  She was an angel!  Boy she cantered around light as a feather.  It felt good.  I am getting a good handle of the 45' line too.  I have only used it a handful of times, and am quite impressed with how quickly it is becoming a part of me, like the 22' is.  Now I ain't getting crazy here, I did get my foot caught in a coil once.  Luckily I am in perfect control of my horse (wink sneer) that I was safe, and able to get my foot out unharmed!  We played with more zone 5 driving with one rein, and I think I may start up again with two reins, now that I am getting the feel of the 45'.  I so badly want to tape my Online L3, but I just don't know if we are ready.  I know it will be a long time before I am satisfied with the quality of my skills, but for the sake of the "fear makeover" I feel this strong push to do so.  More like a desire.  Again desire hasn't been my friend for a while.  And now that we are getting reacquainted, I don't know how to proceed.  I am in uncharted water here, as far as the fear is concerned.  I have been consumed with nothing but DESIRE since age 2.  It is a frightening feeling being without it.  It is strange and foreign, though I have become accustomed to it's sensations since my return after the accident.  For a long time, the desire was there, but since I couldnt' physically do ANYthing, I hadn't run into my nemesis.....FEAR.  Once I met her.....desire split like a rat from a snake house!  So I have been attempting snake removal....but it has been so hard.  Anyways.....blah blah blah....I have been so depressed and nostalgic this week.  I need to shake it!

Today is bath day again for Cha'Cote and who ever else I have the energy for.  It is hot out, so I plan to wait till later to play with the horses.

Savvy On
Michelle

All 4 feet in the trailer!

Well it was brief, but on day three of playing with the trailer, Cha’cote got all 4 feet in.

So tues night he literally walked right up and right in. No hesitation, but front feet only. And that was ok. I scratched his favorite spots and loved on him, and asked if he would like to come closer.

Wed night, he touched the bumper with his back cannons, so with a lot of patience, no push, he stepped up with his back feet. It honestly felt like it was his idea. Before I could snap a picture, he stepped back out again. And that was ok. I should have quit, but I didn’t. Quite mad at myself for missing that one, but it had only been a couple minutes, yada yada yada, all the reasons we all go direct line thinkin!



Any ways, the minute he was back in the trailer with all 4 feet, something spooked him and he turned around and ran out! He didn’t go far, and was more than willing to immediately put his front feet back in the trailer, but not his back feet. AND that’s OK.

Last night, all 4 feet, confident and stayed in and just hung out with me for quite a while. I got pics, but couldn’t get his feet and his head in the same shot. Will add pics tonight. After that we played on line and he is getting better at cantering, we are getting a whole half circle now, but still have leaps and strikes in it. He mostly trots anywhere he wants to go, rarely canters. I can’t wait to take him to the arena where he can let ‘er rip! I bet he is dying for a full on gallop.

Savvy On

Michelle

Battle of the cones! AGAIN

Well, I had decided to practice my online L3 audtition. WRONG! Rose was an LBE Princess and true to the comments rec'd on my Liberty audition, she doesn't believe i will go to phase4. She doesn't think I am good enough to make her. And she is right. This session is a tragedy! Pre car accident.....phase one, 85-90% of the time.....post accident, it is a total crap/shoot. So when this session went bad....I decided to be particular about obtaining and keeping ownership of the cones and rope, ie; keep her feet off of them, and not let her choose if she was or was not going to go around them. at the end I let her "kill the cone" but that time it was MY idea. I about passed out from the heat, I just don't have it in me to run that long, and I shoulda quit one pass sooner than I did, as I am sure she thinks she ended the weave session, not me. Again, this looks bad and I hate it. Trying to follow the advice of PP and not let her get away with murder. No chump smell, though I don't think it is very harmonious. take a gander, some decent stuff peppered in there. but nothing to brag about for sure!
Savvy On
Michelle

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Too hard to describe in 100 words or less! I dare you to try!

I just had to try to explain to opposing counsels lawyer what Parelli is, why it is important to me, and just what the implication is, that I lost my mo-jo.  So this car accident has robbed me of my dreams.....no surprise to anyone as I complain about it all the time.  But how to explain to the lawyer...who by the way was grilling me like Tom Cruise in "A Few Good Men"

She wanted to know what the big deal was that I can barely ride my horses, and will never be able to start a horse undersaddle again.  She asked if I can't complete Parelli levels, why would I keep doing it?  To all of you......it's a DUH! kinda answer that needs NO explaination.  But when you are under oath and having EVERY sound that comes out of your mouth legally recorded.....and.....um.....I was very emotional at the time, tears and alot of tissue, and I blurted (my only blurt of the whole 3 hrs session BTW) "Why does one pet thier dog?"  Non horse people just don't understand.  They don't get it.  I don't think anyone can ever describe to perfection the bond between a girl and her horse.  It transends words.  Beyond explaination.  Our husbands, and parents and kids don't get it.....how is the lawyer suppose to get it.

She told me not get defensive or something like that, and she needed to ask to understand why?  In my mind, all I could think of was "if I don't have horses I will go stark raving mad.  And without Parelli what is the point" 

I have no Idea at this point what I ended up saying, I answered at least 3000 questions, and was instructed to be brief.   BRIEF.....what the heck is THAT?  They may as well have asked me to answer in French!   THAT would have been easier.  I don't know how, but I said the words "yes" "no" and "correct" more in 3hrs than I have in the last year. 

I could have gone on for an hour about how this accident has stripped me of skills, timing, bond and sanity.  How it has created fear and doubt where it never existed before.  Risk.....can't live on that fine line anymore.  But I wasn't allowed.  Brief...be brief.  I think I even confused myself by the time I was done! 

Then she wanted to know why, if I have been doing Parelli for @9yrs, and I earlier stated under oath, that it should take 4-10yrs to complete the levels, depending on the aptitude of both the horse and rider, why had I not done so yet.  I felt so depressed instantly and cried like a fool.......thanks for bringing THAT up !@#$%^&*(.  Well let's see....horse changes, program changes,  and TWO HEAD ON COLLISIONS have set me back a bit.  But for the record, I was almost done when your client wrecklessly turned infront of me!

I was about to tell her to call Pat or Linda themselves......maybe they could explain it.

Enough for now, I am crying so hard, I can't even type anymore!