Principle:
1-A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system or belief or behavior or a chain of reasoning used as a rule to govern one’s behavior.
Many like to think that a technique is what guides us on this journey, or makes what we do ‘natural’ but it is not. Techniques are just a facilitator of our principles to help us achieve our goals. In the parelli system, those techniques and principles were chosen for us, but they are not unique to parelli. Having principles, adhered to and revered as absolute truths, is what lets us know if you are on the right track. Too often, students (of any method) get far to hung up on ‘perfection’ of a task or technique and the principles get lost in the fog. And I often wonder why. This is as common place at the highest of levels as it is at the lowest of levels. The FEI is one of the most notable to let the mebers of their group completely ignore the ‘principles’ and now Dressage is so far away from where it started…yet their own rules never changed……and to make up for it, our perception and definition of the ‘principles’ has become so distorted, we cannot even recognize them when we see them….Such as the principle of having ‘the poll as the highest point’…..it is a rare few individuals who can even recognize what it looks like. Most people ‘think’ they have it, and they could not be farther than the truth.
I have been studying French Classical Dressage lately, and the more I get into it, the clearer the connection between Dressage and NH becomes, most specifically Baucherism….though one does NOT automatically equal the other. (Baucherism is a method discovered and developed by Francois Baucher in the mid 1800’s after he studied François Robichon de La Guérinière’s work from the early 1700’s) In all systems, we usually have a relatively lengthy list of ‘principles’….but when you get to the heart of the matter there are usually only a select few that are highly regarded…and usually only one, maybe two, that are thought of as the “holy grail”…..that usually, if adhered to at all times, it will keep you out of trouble and make your road to success a short one. And usually you can say this about them,
“It matters not what technique you use, what style you ride, so long as you do nothing to lose (principle) and do everything to gain (principle)….you will always be on the road to success”
So I thought I would make a list of principles for myself, since I have been reminded by a book I am reading, just what MY holy grail is, and my lack of adherence has caused me great struggles in my pursuit of my own perfection. Obviously the ‘goal’ is improvement in tangible skills, but really those skills are a facilitator to a higher level of conceptuality and philosophical understanding of the principles….which then garner even greater skills…and so on and so on, repeating the cycle in a never ending circle of self improvement. There is a rule that states, if something applies in every situation than it is a RULE, if it does not, then it is a TOOL.
So here is my list of principles that state I can do anything I want so long as I have, create or do not destroy the following….
1. Relaxation (both physical AND mental/emotional) Front to Back
2. The relationship comes first
3. Never use force, be it physical or mental~ includes: Don’t act like a predator, don’t be direct line, Patience BEFORE justice(long phase one)
4. Lightness and Feel~ includes: Release of the aids, no micro management, Timing the aids at the moment when the horse can optimally comply
5. Hands w/out legs, Legs w/out hands
6. Poll the highest point (except when stretching down) & Nose in-front of the vertical, Back not Hollow
7. Keep the rhythm pure
8. Straightness
Principles I used to use that I no longer use, use sparingly, or only use in a safety situation, and why.
1. “The attitude of justice is effective.” It may be effective but it can be harmful physically if misunderstood and also because it can destroy relaxation, relationship, and rhythm and often eventually involves force.
2. “Immobile Neutral on a circle.” Too much mayhem goes on that is not seen by way of not watching the horse, and it pulls me away from many of the above principles that are FAR more important to me.
For now I think that is about it. Should I come across any more I will update this.
I think if more people put relaxation at the top of their list, they would avert many problems. It needs to be the first thing you get, such as when you first approach your horse, do not do things in that approach that cause him to become tense, as you begin your session, again, do not CAUSE tension…..then your first goal is to reduce and remove what ever tension he had there to begin with. Then you can move on to the days lesson, again not CAUSING tension with any of your requests. Should your request be met with tension….stop…find out what caused it and fix it before moving on. Was he not prepared for your request, was it too demanding due to his level of skill and understanding, did you ask too abruptly or strongly, did you ask at a moment he could not possibly respond correctly, was he distracted….etc….
Relaxation does not mean dead btw. It doesn’t mean create a mindless plug. He should still be alert, sensitive and responsive…..but FREE from tension, both physical and mental.
So these are my thoughts on this rainy day
Savvy On
Michelle
Showing posts with label Liberty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liberty. Show all posts
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Monday, November 21, 2011
Do you REALLY know what Rhythm is?
Do you know the difference between Rhythm and Tempo? We’ve all heard (god I hope we have) that walk is a 4 beat gait, trot a 2 beat gait and canter a 3 beat gait. And we hear the three “R’s” rhythm, relaxation, retreat. But do you REALLY know what RHYTHM is? In my experience in the ‘natural’ world…..the answer is….probably not. You may know someone else’s definition based on ‘their’ overall goal….which is actually…..TEMPO. And also interchangeably use ‘purity of gait’
The greener our eyes are, the bigger we need the picture to be, in order to ‘get’ something. So it is easy for someone to say…..rhythm….in exchange for tempo…when talking about ‘behavior’ and ‘emotions’ in a horse. Or a green horse just learning to ‘rate’ his speed. So we wouldn’t want to see his canter go quickly then slowly then quickly then slowly…..we would like him to be consistent…..but this is actually TEMPO. So unfortunately we don’t, in the end understand and thus incorrectly use the term ‘rhythm’ for ‘tempo’ but it served it’s purpose of helping us identify and correct emotional inconsistencies in our horse, or helping a very green horse get his very basic bearings about himself.
However, in Dressage, Rhythm is a core element, and inconsistencies will cost you big time. It is suppose to be TABOO to cause irregular gaits….ie: RHYTHM…..but they take a fine eye and ear to recognize…..so it would be prudent to REALLY know what it is, what is correct, and what would be considered a crime against nature.
Rhythm: Unconstrained, forward flow of energy through “well timed” steps
Rhythm is the pattern of the beats of the gait….2 beat trot, 3 beat canter and 4 beat walk. It should be even and consistent. It isn’t the ‘beat’ in so much as it is the amount of time ‘between’ the beats….that defines the RHYTHM. We tend to think of the trot as 1-2 1-2- 1-2…. So to define the ‘even’ part….what you need to know is that the time between footfalls should be perfectly even, and it is helpful to think of it as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8….which 4 strides of trot.
If you counted out loud as your horse trotted along…..
that is exactly what you should hear….1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8……..NOT…..1-—2-3-—4-5-—6-7—8.
Same for the walk there, which is the easiest gait to screw up and cause an ambling or shuffling as described above….mainly from too much contact not enough engagement. The trot however is usually screwed up by posting. So when posting, you should think of an imaginary saddle seat hovering over the pommel. You should be spending just as much time with your ‘front’ on the imaginary saddle as you do with your ‘back’ in the real saddle….and the time in between, spent rising, should be equal to the time in between, spent falling. Usually this is the reason for lack of even rhythm in the trot gait. Do it for too long, and you make it a habit hard to break for you and your horse. Now the canter is a whole ‘nuther story. While it is a 3 beat gait, we must remember there is a suspension phase as well, with it’s own ‘beat’ so to speak. Making the canter kind of like a 4 beat gait…..for the purposes of explaining the canter rhythm…………at least if you want your horse to not be totally flat with no elevation or space of time between strides. So a canter rhythm would be like this….. 123-123-123-123……..not 123123123123123…so it might be helpful to go ahead and count out the suspension beat like this 123s123s123s123s123s123s or how I like to do it….123412341234. The longer the suspension phase….the more uphill, springy, engaged, etc the canter will be.
Let’s talk about SERIOUS deviations of purity of gait. These are things you will see caused by such things as Rolkur and again serious lack of impulsion or odd mix of collection/impulsion….this is where the trot becomes a 4 beat gait because of diagonal pair of legs not hitting the ground simultaneously….or the canter becomes a 4 beat gait such as in the often seen 4 beat ‘pirouette’ where the horse is rearing on two hind legs, swings his torso over, then places his front feet down separately…..that is NOT a canter. This would be caused by focusing too much doing the pirouette on the ‘spot’ rather than focusing on keeping the gait pure (3 clear beats) and sacrificing the ‘spot’. As I said in the beginning, it is ‘suppose’ to be taboo to lose purity of gait or have an irregular rhythm. It is suppose to be taboo to not have the poll the highest spot, and taboo to have the nose behind the vertical….yet we almost exclusively see all these deviations from the most elite in the sport. Adhering to “Winning” above basic cardinal principles….will be nothing more than sacrifice at your horse’s expense.
So now that you know WHAT rhythm is and isn’t, let’t talk about TEMPO again. Because lets face it 1---2-3---4-5---6-7---8 IS a rhythm, it just isn’t an even rhythm or the one we are looking for…..it is an irregular rhythm.
So lets say you have a trot…..1---2---3---4---5---6 as your regular working trot….when you shorten or lengthen the stride…this will shorten….1-2-3-4-5-6 or lengthen 1-------2-------3-------4-------5-------6 but see how it stayed regular and even and consistent….if you ever got 123456…..your horse will likely to be found….on the forehand, strung out, emotionally scattered. Time needs to be spent doing lots of half halts and lots of cavaletti work.
Remember, while we want a canter to have a well defined suspension ‘beat’, we do not want him to move like Pepe Le Pew 123--------------123-------
Hope this has help clear up any confusion about what Rhythm really is……and don’t worry……with this knowledge, despite what Gloria Estephan says….the Rhythm isn’t “Gonna getcha’”
Savvy On
Michelle
The greener our eyes are, the bigger we need the picture to be, in order to ‘get’ something. So it is easy for someone to say…..rhythm….in exchange for tempo…when talking about ‘behavior’ and ‘emotions’ in a horse. Or a green horse just learning to ‘rate’ his speed. So we wouldn’t want to see his canter go quickly then slowly then quickly then slowly…..we would like him to be consistent…..but this is actually TEMPO. So unfortunately we don’t, in the end understand and thus incorrectly use the term ‘rhythm’ for ‘tempo’ but it served it’s purpose of helping us identify and correct emotional inconsistencies in our horse, or helping a very green horse get his very basic bearings about himself.
However, in Dressage, Rhythm is a core element, and inconsistencies will cost you big time. It is suppose to be TABOO to cause irregular gaits….ie: RHYTHM…..but they take a fine eye and ear to recognize…..so it would be prudent to REALLY know what it is, what is correct, and what would be considered a crime against nature.
Rhythm: Unconstrained, forward flow of energy through “well timed” steps
Rhythm is the pattern of the beats of the gait….2 beat trot, 3 beat canter and 4 beat walk. It should be even and consistent. It isn’t the ‘beat’ in so much as it is the amount of time ‘between’ the beats….that defines the RHYTHM. We tend to think of the trot as 1-2 1-2- 1-2…. So to define the ‘even’ part….what you need to know is that the time between footfalls should be perfectly even, and it is helpful to think of it as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8….which 4 strides of trot.
If you counted out loud as your horse trotted along…..
that is exactly what you should hear….1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8……..NOT…..1-—2-3-—4-5-—6-7—8.
Same for the walk there, which is the easiest gait to screw up and cause an ambling or shuffling as described above….mainly from too much contact not enough engagement. The trot however is usually screwed up by posting. So when posting, you should think of an imaginary saddle seat hovering over the pommel. You should be spending just as much time with your ‘front’ on the imaginary saddle as you do with your ‘back’ in the real saddle….and the time in between, spent rising, should be equal to the time in between, spent falling. Usually this is the reason for lack of even rhythm in the trot gait. Do it for too long, and you make it a habit hard to break for you and your horse. Now the canter is a whole ‘nuther story. While it is a 3 beat gait, we must remember there is a suspension phase as well, with it’s own ‘beat’ so to speak. Making the canter kind of like a 4 beat gait…..for the purposes of explaining the canter rhythm…………at least if you want your horse to not be totally flat with no elevation or space of time between strides. So a canter rhythm would be like this….. 123-123-123-123……..not 123123123123123…so it might be helpful to go ahead and count out the suspension beat like this 123s123s123s123s123s123s or how I like to do it….123412341234. The longer the suspension phase….the more uphill, springy, engaged, etc the canter will be.
Let’s talk about SERIOUS deviations of purity of gait. These are things you will see caused by such things as Rolkur and again serious lack of impulsion or odd mix of collection/impulsion….this is where the trot becomes a 4 beat gait because of diagonal pair of legs not hitting the ground simultaneously….or the canter becomes a 4 beat gait such as in the often seen 4 beat ‘pirouette’ where the horse is rearing on two hind legs, swings his torso over, then places his front feet down separately…..that is NOT a canter. This would be caused by focusing too much doing the pirouette on the ‘spot’ rather than focusing on keeping the gait pure (3 clear beats) and sacrificing the ‘spot’. As I said in the beginning, it is ‘suppose’ to be taboo to lose purity of gait or have an irregular rhythm. It is suppose to be taboo to not have the poll the highest spot, and taboo to have the nose behind the vertical….yet we almost exclusively see all these deviations from the most elite in the sport. Adhering to “Winning” above basic cardinal principles….will be nothing more than sacrifice at your horse’s expense.
So now that you know WHAT rhythm is and isn’t, let’t talk about TEMPO again. Because lets face it 1---2-3---4-5---6-7---8 IS a rhythm, it just isn’t an even rhythm or the one we are looking for…..it is an irregular rhythm.
So lets say you have a trot…..1---2---3---4---5---6 as your regular working trot….when you shorten or lengthen the stride…this will shorten….1-2-3-4-5-6 or lengthen 1-------2-------3-------4-------5-------6 but see how it stayed regular and even and consistent….if you ever got 123456…..your horse will likely to be found….on the forehand, strung out, emotionally scattered. Time needs to be spent doing lots of half halts and lots of cavaletti work.
Remember, while we want a canter to have a well defined suspension ‘beat’, we do not want him to move like Pepe Le Pew 123--------------123-------
Hope this has help clear up any confusion about what Rhythm really is……and don’t worry……with this knowledge, despite what Gloria Estephan says….the Rhythm isn’t “Gonna getcha’”
Savvy On
Michelle
Thursday, September 1, 2011
DVD Review:**** Dr Gerd Heuschmann: If Horses Could Speak
If Horses Could Speak ****
Savvy On
Michelle
This is a must see for anyone who rides a horse, not just people who ride dressage. It was very informative regarding the way horses move when we ride them, without having to watch a whole series of dvd’s. It was in-depth, but for the purpose of making a point, not for lengthy detailed bio-mechanical education. There was enough in there that was scientific to educate you on why it is important to care about the way your horse moves.
It really makes no difference if you are striving to be a grand prix dressage rider, or working toward passing L4 Finnesse or Freestyle…..you should care how your horse moves beneath you and around you. As for being a classical dressage nut myself, I still don’t know how the world got so far away from the ideals of proper movement in favor of Rolkur and hyper flexion. It is an atrocity how most upper level horses move, and how people are so uneducated that they cheer for it. Cheering for a horse having stolen from him what god gave him, his grace and purity of gait and rewarding the thief with a gold medal. Sickens me for sure. We should not be asking a horse to do, what we have not prepared him properly to do. To ask your horse to circle, while mindlessly letting him travel head high and crooked and then wonder why he is lame or has behavioral issues, is irresponsible at best.
This video also speaks to, albeit not their intention, trainers of the western and natural world as well. And to be honest, I am ashamed that I let my horse move so horribly, for so long, all in the name of the all mighty ‘neutral’. We must take care to realize that learning ‘neutral’ is vital…but it is a temporary tool…..and teaching the horse his responsibilities should also be a temporary tool. We should not carry on for too long, ignoring the fact that our horse needs to move in a healthier way, and ignorance is not excuse. True, if you exercise his mind, his body will follow….but at what sub-standard level of quality? I am disgusted with myself, that I let my eye get so lazy to the bio-mechanics because I was so focused on the behavior. I am grateful that I have watched this, and can make a change NOW….because it is never too late to start building the horse of your dreams. Unfortunately, there are no quick routes to Rome though, it takes time to properly build an athlete, with out breaking him down before he even reaches his prime. Time to get back on the path of classical training. I give this dvd 4*’s, and invite everyone to look in the mirror, because whether we like it or not, intentional or not, educated or ignorant, either we are helping our horse or hurting him....there is no in between.
It really makes no difference if you are striving to be a grand prix dressage rider, or working toward passing L4 Finnesse or Freestyle…..you should care how your horse moves beneath you and around you. As for being a classical dressage nut myself, I still don’t know how the world got so far away from the ideals of proper movement in favor of Rolkur and hyper flexion. It is an atrocity how most upper level horses move, and how people are so uneducated that they cheer for it. Cheering for a horse having stolen from him what god gave him, his grace and purity of gait and rewarding the thief with a gold medal. Sickens me for sure. We should not be asking a horse to do, what we have not prepared him properly to do. To ask your horse to circle, while mindlessly letting him travel head high and crooked and then wonder why he is lame or has behavioral issues, is irresponsible at best.
This video also speaks to, albeit not their intention, trainers of the western and natural world as well. And to be honest, I am ashamed that I let my horse move so horribly, for so long, all in the name of the all mighty ‘neutral’. We must take care to realize that learning ‘neutral’ is vital…but it is a temporary tool…..and teaching the horse his responsibilities should also be a temporary tool. We should not carry on for too long, ignoring the fact that our horse needs to move in a healthier way, and ignorance is not excuse. True, if you exercise his mind, his body will follow….but at what sub-standard level of quality? I am disgusted with myself, that I let my eye get so lazy to the bio-mechanics because I was so focused on the behavior. I am grateful that I have watched this, and can make a change NOW….because it is never too late to start building the horse of your dreams. Unfortunately, there are no quick routes to Rome though, it takes time to properly build an athlete, with out breaking him down before he even reaches his prime. Time to get back on the path of classical training. I give this dvd 4*’s, and invite everyone to look in the mirror, because whether we like it or not, intentional or not, educated or ignorant, either we are helping our horse or hurting him....there is no in between.
He also has a book titled
Tug of War...."Modern" versus Clasical Dressage
Click her for more infoSavvy On
Michelle
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
What a great playday!
As for Rose and I, we did quite a bit more than I expected to. We got to work on all sorts of things. On the 45’ line, we worked on change of direction at trot, yo-yo, sideways over a barrel, driving from zone5, pushing a ball. At liberty we played stick to me, sideways toward, and draw backward from zone 5, and at freestyle we played with learning how to ride from a neck rope….stop, reinback and turn. We also did all the good stuff she knows well, sideways, fq/hq turns. It was no surprise; I was exhausted 3hrs later when the other ladies joined us. They got the trailer stuck between a tree and a propane tank. YIKES! I played a bit with them, but was so tired, I mostly just rambled on. No surprise there! I would have like to join them on a trail ride, but Bill was spent, and had already loaded the truck with all the toys. The cool thing was that one of the ladies was able to help me a bit with Rose. Rose has issues with other horses getting too close to her. So I asked them if they could approach her and offer a cookie, to see if it could change her mind. It did a little, which is the only thing that has ever made any appreciable….positive difference in her. So I think it is a great direction to explore further.
Savvy On
Michelle
Friday, June 24, 2011
L4 ~ Zone5 draw backward Video
Well, I think we are getting a view of our once lost relationship! This is a VERY short video. I havn't really played with Rose for about 9 months. Kills me to even think of that. But she offered this and I took it, like a thief!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
How I built a cheap and portable Round Pen.
The Picadero.....is DONE!!!! Check it out!
Total Cost: $118
Total time to Build: 5 Hours
Ease of use and relocation: EASY
Enjoyment level of use: Unconditionally, exponentially, limitless!
Now of course this is as 'low tech' and 'cheap' as I could get it done.....but it is functional and should provide me many hours of enjoyment as I explore the..... Waterhole Rituals / Hempfling / PNH L4 Liberty / Clicker training .... further this summer, and I am dying to get started. Compared to the cost of a pipe panel round pen which can run from $600-$1200 this is a cost effective alternative. I also considered 8x 20ft cattle panels at $25ea plus the cost of clips to connect them $20 would be cost effective, but not as easily moved from one location to another, BUT easier than a pipe panel pen to move for sure. This is also a great way to NOT have to try to pound or beat a post into rock hard ground filled with rock hard ROCKS.
So here I am, with my limited but growing knowledge of cement, and may even have become the "expert" on cheap round pen construction....ROFLMAO!!!! HA HA HA
So Here are the two first buckets, that were suppose to be, mix in one, pour into/set-up/pop-out in the other....but I messed up by using too much water and created two $10 posts. As each of 'these' buckets were $5 ea plus $3 ea for the posts plus $4 for a bag of cement. The rest of the posts are much cheaper as I found cheaper buckets. Gotta LOVE Wal-mart.
These buckets are found in the paint department. The larger handle buckets were $1.83 each and the smaller ones were $.89 each. I bought 12 for a total of $14.65 + tax. This makes my bucket purchase total = $25. The step in poly posts were $3 x 14 = $42 and the electric tape was $30 for a 656ft roll and I bought 7 bags of 2/3 cubic foot size, cement at $4 bag = $28....However, with finding smaller buckets, I only used a total of 3 bags = $12 for cement. That brings my total investment to $109 + $9 tax = $118 for a portable round pen/picadero. Not bad huh?
Now as for ease of construction and time spent, it only took me 3 hours total to mix the cement and fill 14 buckets. Time spent making my 10 foot strands of tape, that took me 2 hours, but that included time spent screwing up and starting over, but I think we can count it accurate. And after 24hrs set time, I am good to go set it up in it's designated area. As for my mom's parking spot.....too bad ~ so sad ~ mama!
Don't forget to read the end for my corrections to my mistakes.
Now there is assuredly an even cheaper way to do this. I was thinking supplement buckets, while coveted as feeding buckets, I am sure one could beg all your friends for their used buckets when they are done with them, plus your own, would take no time at all to collect 14 of them. If one used poly hay bailing twine, you could round that up all over the place for free as well. I have over a years worth bagged up in my back yard, and you are welcome to come by and take all you want....;). Cement is pretty cheap with small buckets, but sand or dirt could possibly do in a pinch, just would not survive the winter rains. One could even get fancy and use potting soil and add flowers I guess. That just leaves the matter of the posts. I am sure there are alternatives to $3 fencing stakes, and I am sure one could be creative in this department as well. Just don't ask me, if I could have thought of a cheaper way, I would have done it. All in all, I would have to say that if you were creative and resourceful, I bet you could do this for free! 12 posts set 10ft apart makes a 30ft square picadero or a 40 foot pen.
Don't forget to read the end for my corrections to my mistakes. It's pretty funny.
This type of construction allows for all types of terrain and shapes, and one does not need worry about the condition of the ground (for construction sake not horse soundness sake) or having a friend nearby every time it needs to be moved. Also, by having short 10ft strings looped to each post, you forgoe the headache of sagging lines, and a night mare of night mare when taking apart or changing shape or just moving part of it to use the space as a parking lot! Using one long line can be a pain in the rear, and if a horse goe thru it, there is a better chance of it just popping apart, rather than stringing along behind them. On THAT note, one does need a horse to respect fences for this to be advantageous and safe. I would not recommend putting a flighty frightened horse in a pen like this, nor would I leave a horse unsupervised in it. As always, use your head, and put both you and your horses safety first....and fun should follow.....not vet or hospital bills. If desired, you could hook this up to a fence charger and actually use the electric tape as designed, but now you have to consider the cost of that, and the fact that in a small space, a horse being jolted with electicity is not a great idea with you inside. Also, since you SHOULD be using this pen to create harmony and confidence in your horse, I do not know how 'comfortable' a horse might feel if he is worried about getting electrocuted. Use your brain and choose wisely when it comes to electricity. Ok now that the public safety announcement is over.....here are some links to where you can purchase similar items on-line:
step in poly posts
highly visible electric tape 656ft roll
Scissors, a wheel barrel or sturdy man to carry said cement bags. Weak men crumble like paper, so if that is all you got, you may as well do it yourself. Your mothers sturdiest cooking spoon. I own mine, but since I stole it from my mom 15ys ago, I thought i would share the resource. Plastic butter tub for scooping dry cement. Bout 1 cup size, anything bigger is too big and too hard to handle, anything smaller just makes more work. Something for your posts to lean against while drying if you made your cement too soupy. I cannot stress this enough. Think ahead, because when you have wet cement that you percieve to be drying at lighting speed, panic tends to set in quicker that cement sets up. Which by the way is 12hours. Chill, you got time....once your done mixing. Just don't touch the posts once you have placed them in the cement. Unless they fall, jiggling them will just make them jiggly after it is set....literally in stone.
How to tie so it makes a loop at the end of string, but won't come undone.
Tips of things to keep in mind:
The cat will not get out of your way, as if they just know that you will go around.
Do Not Park your work station or tools near the cactus.
The cactus will not get out of your way, as if it just knows that you will go around.
Do not let the cat lay near the cactus.
Wear a painters mask. If you do not, then make sure to keep tissue near by to blow your nose often.
Wear gloves as the lye in the cement will dry your hands quickly and instantly.
Watch out for the cat.
Do not put lotion on, and immediatly work with dry cement.
Leather birkenstocks and cement do not mix. Wear rubber flip flops so you can rinse your legs often.
Watch out for the cactus.
Cement dust gets everywhere. Do not just dump one bucket of dry cement into another. Pour it slowly. Don't worry if you forget this one, the cement will remind you quickly and you will only make that mistake once. you will then be reminded of the need for tissue!
Rinse your tools and work station in between the making of each bucket, while it may take 24hrs to set up in the bucket, it will quickly harden in small quantites on/in other things.
Do not assume your post will be 'stuck' in the cement and carry it over your foot. Don't worry, you will only have to do that once to remember it. Luckily I have not had to deal with that, mine are in, but you never know, so i thought i would mention it.
Always know where the cactus is!
Damn Cat!
You may find it benificial to not put your work station directly underneath a hornets nest. The theme here is to be aware of your surroundings....and who is occupying it. As you will want to do this in a well ventilated area. PS....well ventilated = wind, and it will always be blowing directly towards your face when ever there is a cement dust cloud in front of it!
Beware where you grab things, as dogs think these are great for peeing on!
Don't use too much water, you can always ADD more water, but you cannot ever take it OUT!
Stir quickly!
Do not let your horses investigate during the first 12hs.....cement is permenant and if they knock the post over inside the cement.....It will be stuck that way by morning.
Make sure to bring drinking water with you. You will likely get very thirsty.
Have a couple extra buckets, and start by filling small buckets first.
When making strings.....measure twice, cut once, measure again!
There is a limit to the number of things you can hold in your hands all at the same time. You would hate to drop something, reach for it, and instead get a handful of cactus. Especially when tripping over the cat!
Frozen yogurt does NOT taste as good after a weekend in the freezer. It has nothing to do with round pen construction. I just thought it was worth mentioning.
I found it helpful to put a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the small buckets, 1 inch of water in the big buckets, then cement, then water as needed while stirring. As for how much water.....well....that is a learn as you go kinda thing. i just had a bucket of water to pour from....a hose is not reliable AND the pressure blows dry cement in your face. By the By.....lots of things will blow dry cement in your face....including a nosey horse snorting in the bucket. Cha'Cote was quite side kick as I worked.
Mistakes and Corrections;
Last but not least.....plan on paper first and double check your math. I don't know how I did this, but even though I planned this out in detail, many times prior to commencement of supply purchase and construction, somehow I managed to screw up my math. Originally I planned on 2 buckets and to pop the cement out when set, yet, as described above they didn't pop out. So when I went to purchase more, I bought 12...thus making 14 posts in all. Where I can't figure out how I made my other mistake though, is how I just so happened to have 14 stakes. Hmmmm. THEN.....Oh yes, there is more.....trust me when I say, when done and set up, I stood there bewildered at my blunder. So I already told you about my 9ft length of string mishap....this is incredibly stupid......10 feet was wrong too. Aparently, I had planned to make them 13ft, ie, 3 sections, yes 4 posts only make 3 sections......OR.....I failed to notice that 4 posts only make 3 sections.
THUS......4 posts per side with 10 foot sections will only yield a 30x30 square or 40ft round pen. DUH....I just couldn't fathom making such a mistake on such simple SIMPLE math. SO.......The correction to the plan is this. IF you want a 40x40ft square or 50ft round, you will need 12 post with 13.3 sections.......OR.....you will need 16 posts with 10ft sections. And what's more, since I had already typed this thing up, and have absolutely NO intention to go back and make THAT many corrections.....YOU.....can change the math on the money for the total cost. So far, my correction for now, is to use my house as one side of the pen, until I can get to the store to buy 2 more buckets and stakes. The good news is that I have plenty of cement and string left to correct the mistake. All in all, it should only cost me another 9 bucks, and another trip to the store to fix it.
PS....yes....the cat and the cactus are conspiring against you. They even recruited the dog!
PPS.........Ignore the dog in the pic....he is in trouble in the moment for hiking his leg on the couch.....damn dog
Savvy On
Michelle
the math challenged moron.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Putting my nose back to the grindstone.......
Well, I haven't posted about my journey for a while. Things have been crazy here as usual. Just a short while after my mom got home from the hospital, on the way to the doctors for a follow up, she flipped her car a few times off the highway, landing on the roof of the car. Amazingly she is ok. I am beginning to know the hospital staff by name now, and have all dr's listed on speed dial. Next weekend I will be taking her car shopping....fun.....NOT! Don't you just love car salesman?
I audited a Mark Rashid clinic and will be writing about that soon. Just need to make sense of my notes. I made some new friends there and had a good time. I learned for what ever reason, I am intimidated by men. Not that I didn't know that already, but it kinda sealed the deal. I get all tongue tied and stupid, and walk away feeling like a foolish idiot. C'est la vie!
I also have a few dvd review's to get caught up on. I kinda got burnt out. A bit too much stimulation, information, revelations, and little motivation. I am almost done with Dorrance "greetings" and need to get started on Alexandra Kurlands clicker training and Zettle's 'east meets west' with pat and linda. I am going to be getting the clicker training ones till I have seen all 17 of them, and also Linda Tellington Jones TTeam and TTouch.
I have been dabbling in the clicker training with Cha'cote and the trailer at liberty. And also with Rose and Spirit using a target. That has been fun.....Interestingly Rose is the slowest to 'get' the target and the clicker. Spirit was lightning fast, and Cha'cote not far behind him. Rose was just too busy trying to get her nose in the treat bucket to even notice that any action or sound had any say in the 'when' she got a treat. Spirit figured it out after about 5 clicks. Cha'cote about 10 clicks. I have done clicker in the past with Snookie, so she got it real quick too.
I am also working on a two blog 'pages'. One is about 'Masters' and the other will ALL about the age old dressage quandary and controversy of....CONTACT.....will be discussing and diagramming the definition, differences and implications of:
"Forward Down and Out"
"Low Deep and Round"
"Poll as the highest Point"
"Behind the vertical"
"On the Bit"
But those are big projects so god only knows how long it will take me. The contact page is first on my hit list.
I also decided on a picadero as my choice of liberty pen for water hole rituals and liberty play. A picadero is basically a square 'round' pen. about 35-40' x 35-40. I got my ideas on how I wanted to 'build' it. Bought all the 'stuff' and then proceeded to execute my 'plan'. Let's just say.....I know nothing about cement! My plan was to use buckets, fill with cement, stick the post in it, let it set, pop it out.....lather rinse repeat 13 more times. What I learned......don't use so much water.....cement takes about 24hs to set......cement doesn't 'pop' out of buckets. So now I have two buckets with permanent cement in them, luckily I did put the post in it before it set. Now I just need 12 more buckets or to line them with plastic bags....but stir the cement in a different bucket first. That was my intention from the beginning but I used too much water and had to pour half into the other bucket, but already figured out I would not be able to stir it with a bag.....thus, two perm cement buckets. Ah well, off to the store to more buckets. And at one or two a day due to set up time, this is going to take me more than a week to have enough of them to make my pen.
Enough for now......
Savvy On
Michelle
I audited a Mark Rashid clinic and will be writing about that soon. Just need to make sense of my notes. I made some new friends there and had a good time. I learned for what ever reason, I am intimidated by men. Not that I didn't know that already, but it kinda sealed the deal. I get all tongue tied and stupid, and walk away feeling like a foolish idiot. C'est la vie!
I also have a few dvd review's to get caught up on. I kinda got burnt out. A bit too much stimulation, information, revelations, and little motivation. I am almost done with Dorrance "greetings" and need to get started on Alexandra Kurlands clicker training and Zettle's 'east meets west' with pat and linda. I am going to be getting the clicker training ones till I have seen all 17 of them, and also Linda Tellington Jones TTeam and TTouch.
I have been dabbling in the clicker training with Cha'cote and the trailer at liberty. And also with Rose and Spirit using a target. That has been fun.....Interestingly Rose is the slowest to 'get' the target and the clicker. Spirit was lightning fast, and Cha'cote not far behind him. Rose was just too busy trying to get her nose in the treat bucket to even notice that any action or sound had any say in the 'when' she got a treat. Spirit figured it out after about 5 clicks. Cha'cote about 10 clicks. I have done clicker in the past with Snookie, so she got it real quick too.
I am also working on a two blog 'pages'. One is about 'Masters' and the other will ALL about the age old dressage quandary and controversy of....CONTACT.....will be discussing and diagramming the definition, differences and implications of:
"Forward Down and Out"
"Low Deep and Round"
"Poll as the highest Point"
"Behind the vertical"
"On the Bit"
But those are big projects so god only knows how long it will take me. The contact page is first on my hit list.
I also decided on a picadero as my choice of liberty pen for water hole rituals and liberty play. A picadero is basically a square 'round' pen. about 35-40' x 35-40. I got my ideas on how I wanted to 'build' it. Bought all the 'stuff' and then proceeded to execute my 'plan'. Let's just say.....I know nothing about cement! My plan was to use buckets, fill with cement, stick the post in it, let it set, pop it out.....lather rinse repeat 13 more times. What I learned......don't use so much water.....cement takes about 24hs to set......cement doesn't 'pop' out of buckets. So now I have two buckets with permanent cement in them, luckily I did put the post in it before it set. Now I just need 12 more buckets or to line them with plastic bags....but stir the cement in a different bucket first. That was my intention from the beginning but I used too much water and had to pour half into the other bucket, but already figured out I would not be able to stir it with a bag.....thus, two perm cement buckets. Ah well, off to the store to more buckets. And at one or two a day due to set up time, this is going to take me more than a week to have enough of them to make my pen.
Enough for now......
Savvy On
Michelle
Monday, February 28, 2011
Cha'cote loves BGB ~ video
WOW, I can't believe how far he has come with that ball in jut a few days. LIBERTY with the ball, can you believe it?! Me either. He spent well over a year convinced that anything would kill him, most especially that ball. So this is just our third time playing with it and I am stunned at how much he likes it. I think he likes feeling like he can dominate something. Today he even tried to bite it. I am just tickled pink!
Savvy On
Michelle
Savvy On
Michelle
Sunday, October 17, 2010
L4 Liberty play video
This was my last stand on PNH L4 liberty. Things had been going horribly wrong, and NOTHING had been helping Rose and I move forward. I told my self I would give it one last attempt, before giving up. At least for now anyways. On this day, of course the starts and planets could not possibly align for me, instead, they are all out of whack. Both girls were in heat. UGH…..and my friend had both her handsome geldings tied to the fence of the arena. So of course, they garnered more interest from my girls than I could. Snookie was in rare RBE form, panicing at the thought of Rose not being by her side. I actually have to give Rose some credit, that she was able to give me any kind of focus and attention at considering the distractions. She wanted to be with me, but only if I didn’t ask anything of her, such as fig 8 or weave, or circle, she would split, then come back. I was still OK with the arena work, but knew I couldn’t fight the forces that be, and went into the round pen. What you wont see in the video is the beginning part, where I was trying a new Parelli concept, of slapping the ground 3 times. Well it didn’t take long and my shoulder was KILLING me, AND, it didn’t take long for Rose to ignore it ALL. I was having to run out and tag her. Which was just NOT working. The more I did, the worse she got. So in the video, you will see the last time I tried that, and the rest is me going back to neutral, and more of a long phase one. Things got better, but it still is not what I would like out of our relationship, nor did I ever get the canter needed for the audition. I had given up on the idea of cantering early in the video, and was just looking for her to maintain trot and direction, and a bit of fig 8.
Since this video, I have expanded my horizons, and started the waterhole rituals, which are helping us get our bond back. I really feel disconnected in neutral, but that is the subject of a different post. For now, at least I she is finally started to respect me more, while accepting my affections.
anyways, here is the video, there is some good stuff in there, but hardly the bond I have been looking to regain.
anyways, here is the video, there is some good stuff in there, but hardly the bond I have been looking to regain.
Savvy On
Michelle
Since this video, I have expanded my horizons, and started the waterhole rituals, which are helping us get our bond back. I really feel disconnected in neutral, but that is the subject of a different post. For now, at least I she is finally started to respect me more, while accepting my affections.
anyways, here is the video, there is some good stuff in there, but hardly the bond I have been looking to regain.
anyways, here is the video, there is some good stuff in there, but hardly the bond I have been looking to regain.
Savvy On
Michelle
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Did I achieve my goal? And where do I go from here?
Well, it is here, my birthday. 41yo today and what do I have to show for it? My goal was to complete my official assesments of L4 by today. So the answer is NO....I did NOT completely achieve my goal. Looking back....at the 'ME" of a year ago.....who was then looking forward.....I had quite a lofty goal. At first I thought it would be a no brainer. My horse Rose and I, were near complete with L4 before the car accident and I thought it was reasonable to get back what we had in a year. Of course things didn't go as planned and my strategy has had more than a few makeovers in the last year and a half. Turns out riding is a huge risk and one frought with pain as well, so that is certainly on the back burner until a more suitable and safe option comes available....ie some training for Rose and some pain pills for me. For now I can accept that, as depressing as it is. My goal of completing L4, originally was to be done with Rose.....but since the levels are about the human and not the horse.....I got in any vehicle (horse) that was capable of making the journey with me.
One of the first major overhauls to the plan, which originally was to just do my L4 auditions, though I had never officially assessed any level prior to this past year, I realized that starting at the top was the worst thing I could try to do. So, back to the beggining I went. I passed L1 without owning or knowing anything about the patterns program, nor having any reference video's on youtube to be a guide. I would have just died had I not passed THAT! From there was a bit of a depressed stale mate for a while, when all the 'fear of failure' stuff kicked in. Then I rescued Miyagi and Ochi, and taking a step back from Rose was a good thing and allowed ME to move forward and Pass OLL2 with Miyagi. It was just a minute later that Cha'cote fell into my lap, and he needed me soo bad, that I put my own goals and needs aside to get this boy to a place where he could have a normal life. One day in early spring I got a wild hair up my butt and pulled out Rose and hopped on and taped my FSL2 and passed that. Feeling a bit better about my self, I managed to get up the gumption with Rose, to tape my LibL3 one day, out of the blue, and passed that as well. Then I was really starting to get back to my self...I thought....BUT it was OLL3 that turned out to be my nemisis. Good lord, Rose and I were locked in a battle of wills for so long, I still don't know exactly how to fix it. It got to the point of realizing there was just NO way I was going to be able to tape it with her. Everytime the camera came was on, it brought out the worst in us both. Cha'cote luckily was just getting to that point in his journey, so I gave it a shot with him. And we passed. That whole thing of course was a side journey in and of it self that is documented in earlier posts.
So all in all, what have I gained and achieved, in my personal Parelli journey? An official graduation of L2, and only needing to pass FSL3 to graduate offically L3. I passed a total of 5 auditions, with the help of 3 different horses. I saved the lives of 2 miniature's and one mustang. I got my ass off of my couch, and out of a deep depression. I stood up for myself and fought for my achievments. The big question now is.......
.
.
.
Where do I go from here? What is my next goal? And what path will I choose to reach that goal?
I have discovered a few new friends along the way, and am in the process of unloading a bit of dead weight around my neck. For the moment, riding is on the back burner, obviously, so I think I am setting a goal of Liberty and Online L4 by 3-31-10. I have alot of fixing to do, in order to figure out my relationship with Rose, and alot of growth to tackle with Cha'cote. Neither of which do I think will be achieved in a short period of time. But I also don't want to leave my self with no goal in sight. I need something to hold me accountable, or the time will just dwindle away into nothingness. my 30's are gone, and my 40's are well under way. If I am not moving forward, I am just standing still.....and that aint good for no-one!
I am currently playing wtih Carolyn Resnicks water hole rituals, and I am trying to audit a Brent Graef clinic next month, as I believe that the biomechanics of the horse is vital and something that has been highly lacking in my journey for the last 9ys, and before my horses all turn up lame, I would like to study from someone who is both natural, but also puts proper movement at the forefront of the journey, not the tail end. I am eagerly awaiting some dvd's of Hempfling, Rashid, Royal, wrangler Jayne and Branneman. I think some of my questions will be answered in some of these other avenues. The Parelli levels are about the human, and technically I have already learned the material, I am just trying to get to a place where my horses and I can do it in harmony again. I think one of my issues, may be that because I have learned it, but am persistent in trying to re-create it, it is not doing what is best for the horse, as the levels are designed for the HUMANS learning. So now that I have an issue with my HORSE, I need to get out of the foundation classroom and step into the horseman's classroom.
Interestingly, a university has many teachers in many subjects. You gain the broadest education, buy being able to see a 'subject' from many perspectives, not just one. Just as a high level dressage test is judged by 5 judges sitting in 5 different places, that gives each of them a unique perspective. A fault or an accomplishment can often be seen well from one angle, be glaringly obvious, and yet at the same time, completely go un-noticed from another angle, like a blind spot. It is easy for faults to go unnoticed if you always ONLY look from the same vantage point. It is best to get the foundation and move on quickly, to step outside the pretty red-blue-green-black....'boxes" and see what else the world has to offer. After all, it was the outside world, who filled the 'boxes" to begin with.
The pavement behind me is in the past, I am currently in the bottleneck, there is a fork in the road, and my rest of my life ahead of me.......stay tuned to see which way I turn.
Savvy On
Michelle
One of the first major overhauls to the plan, which originally was to just do my L4 auditions, though I had never officially assessed any level prior to this past year, I realized that starting at the top was the worst thing I could try to do. So, back to the beggining I went. I passed L1 without owning or knowing anything about the patterns program, nor having any reference video's on youtube to be a guide. I would have just died had I not passed THAT! From there was a bit of a depressed stale mate for a while, when all the 'fear of failure' stuff kicked in. Then I rescued Miyagi and Ochi, and taking a step back from Rose was a good thing and allowed ME to move forward and Pass OLL2 with Miyagi. It was just a minute later that Cha'cote fell into my lap, and he needed me soo bad, that I put my own goals and needs aside to get this boy to a place where he could have a normal life. One day in early spring I got a wild hair up my butt and pulled out Rose and hopped on and taped my FSL2 and passed that. Feeling a bit better about my self, I managed to get up the gumption with Rose, to tape my LibL3 one day, out of the blue, and passed that as well. Then I was really starting to get back to my self...I thought....BUT it was OLL3 that turned out to be my nemisis. Good lord, Rose and I were locked in a battle of wills for so long, I still don't know exactly how to fix it. It got to the point of realizing there was just NO way I was going to be able to tape it with her. Everytime the camera came was on, it brought out the worst in us both. Cha'cote luckily was just getting to that point in his journey, so I gave it a shot with him. And we passed. That whole thing of course was a side journey in and of it self that is documented in earlier posts.
So all in all, what have I gained and achieved, in my personal Parelli journey? An official graduation of L2, and only needing to pass FSL3 to graduate offically L3. I passed a total of 5 auditions, with the help of 3 different horses. I saved the lives of 2 miniature's and one mustang. I got my ass off of my couch, and out of a deep depression. I stood up for myself and fought for my achievments. The big question now is.......
.
.
.
Where do I go from here? What is my next goal? And what path will I choose to reach that goal?
I have discovered a few new friends along the way, and am in the process of unloading a bit of dead weight around my neck. For the moment, riding is on the back burner, obviously, so I think I am setting a goal of Liberty and Online L4 by 3-31-10. I have alot of fixing to do, in order to figure out my relationship with Rose, and alot of growth to tackle with Cha'cote. Neither of which do I think will be achieved in a short period of time. But I also don't want to leave my self with no goal in sight. I need something to hold me accountable, or the time will just dwindle away into nothingness. my 30's are gone, and my 40's are well under way. If I am not moving forward, I am just standing still.....and that aint good for no-one!
I am currently playing wtih Carolyn Resnicks water hole rituals, and I am trying to audit a Brent Graef clinic next month, as I believe that the biomechanics of the horse is vital and something that has been highly lacking in my journey for the last 9ys, and before my horses all turn up lame, I would like to study from someone who is both natural, but also puts proper movement at the forefront of the journey, not the tail end. I am eagerly awaiting some dvd's of Hempfling, Rashid, Royal, wrangler Jayne and Branneman. I think some of my questions will be answered in some of these other avenues. The Parelli levels are about the human, and technically I have already learned the material, I am just trying to get to a place where my horses and I can do it in harmony again. I think one of my issues, may be that because I have learned it, but am persistent in trying to re-create it, it is not doing what is best for the horse, as the levels are designed for the HUMANS learning. So now that I have an issue with my HORSE, I need to get out of the foundation classroom and step into the horseman's classroom.
Interestingly, a university has many teachers in many subjects. You gain the broadest education, buy being able to see a 'subject' from many perspectives, not just one. Just as a high level dressage test is judged by 5 judges sitting in 5 different places, that gives each of them a unique perspective. A fault or an accomplishment can often be seen well from one angle, be glaringly obvious, and yet at the same time, completely go un-noticed from another angle, like a blind spot. It is easy for faults to go unnoticed if you always ONLY look from the same vantage point. It is best to get the foundation and move on quickly, to step outside the pretty red-blue-green-black....'boxes" and see what else the world has to offer. After all, it was the outside world, who filled the 'boxes" to begin with.
The pavement behind me is in the past, I am currently in the bottleneck, there is a fork in the road, and my rest of my life ahead of me.......stay tuned to see which way I turn.
Savvy On
Michelle
Friday, September 17, 2010
Can you teach herd respect?
So I played with Rose again last night. I noticed immediately that our last lesson was still with her. She was not to keen to be with me for one, but once she decided to come to me, she was much lighter and MUCH more respectful. We mostly played the circling game, and she upheld her part very well. Much nicer to have her GO….and then maintain. We also played with a new game, the beginnings of Spanish walk and beginning of a bow. Just tinkering, as raising a leg is actually one of HER favorite games to play on ME.
So the interesting thing is this…..while I was feeding them this morning, I noticed something I have not seen in a long time. Rose was cautious while approaching Snookie to eat with her. Usually they eat practically nostril to nostril. There has been a no permission needed policy about this for quite a while. But I saw her creep in like she had foundered, and very cautiously reach her nose toward Snookies.
Hmmm, I wonder if this has anything to do with a renewed respect for MY leadership, being transferred back to respecting Snookies leadership. How interesting?
Savvy OnMichelle
Monday, September 13, 2010
Well Well Well.....wouldn't CHA know!
I tried to tape my L4 Liberty yesterday. The first half was not bad considering....
1.Snookie was loose in the arena with us.
2.Both girls were in heat
3.Both had a boyfriend tied to the fence on the outside of the arena.
Rose was like trying to move around a dead cow. Snookie was squeeling and striking at the boys (not nearly as dead in heat as Rose) We warmed up, and the girls would run as fast as they could to be by the boys before I could show up and ruin the party. Finally my friend was ready with the camera, but....in retrospect.....i think Rose was already done at this point. She really had no problems with DRAW.....but the STICK.......STUNK! She would do the task, and then split. And then come back. I didn't worry about it much at the time figuring I will just hyperspeed the tape in my lonely moments for the audition. In the arena we trailer loaded....both of them got in BTW, I could NOT keep Snookie out......we did a weave, friendly with the big green ball, lead by the tail, some stick to me, a few of the 7 games......
BUT....then I had the audacity to ask her to do a figure 8. Nope.....all i saw was butt crack! She came back, we tried again.....butt crack! I thought this might be the case, so....as I had planned the night before....we went to the round pen, for the fig8, circles and flying changes. Never mind the fact that last weekend she did some AWESOME circles in the big arena, real small and stuck like GLUE. But as usual, no camera around to get it. So anyways, off we head to the arena. I hosed her off on the way as it was hot out. this is where it all fell apart.....just as it ALWAYS does when i attempt an audition. Started off good, got really nice figure 8's, which would also be really nice flying changes......if the COW would canter...... so long as cantering was not on the menu she was fine. she would have probably trotted for me all day, but canter....heck no....not without some serious work on my part. I was sweating like a hog and getting tired myself, and my shoulder was killing me. It is not suppose to be like this, she is suppose to work....not me! So there we were.....the Hog and the Cow, going no where.
So I pulled all my "tools" out of the brain shed.....but the one thing i knew i should do....i didn't because i was direct line for the audition. AGAIN. so with in a few min, i knew it was lost.....worked on getting one canter circle.....and headed back to the arena for shade and online PLAY. We played with the send.......to toys....."hurry up and get there to play" was the theme.
So I thought about it the rest of the day, and night, and dreamed about it, woke up with it on my mind, thought about it all day today. What is my strategy going to be? I know what is broken.....it has been boken for 8 months......YO-YO/DRIVING.....and the lack of an effective phase 4. It is the one thing I found is a very common 'comment' on audtions......"She doesn't believe you will go to phase 4".....I just don't do much of circling or yo-yo on the circle at home because of the horrible ground conditions. I feel just terrible, so I don't make anyone do it much.
And then the phase 4. What is a phase 4? I sure was going "there" but I was having to run out there to tag her. And the more she saw how much work it was, FOR ME, the more confident she was that she could outlast me. And made a game of how many times she could get me to come out of MY circle. A phase4 is......what ever is EFFECTIVE...not how hard you can whack your horse. It felt like i was beating her, yet it was far from effective. So I knew, with a horse like this, who is wickedly smart, I had to be smarter than her, not stronger or faster, as that is just imposible. Not to mention, on top of it all...............
Hello nimrod.....how can it be good enough for an audition if you dont DO it.....EVER?? So.....since I know she can see my weakness', and then strategize against my inferior skills compared to hers.....I got out the lunge whip. I am not moving a single inch......but i have to be able to tag her. Took her a few times before she realized I was the all mighty, all powerfull human with the long arm of the law! Sometimes I used a long phase one and a serious tag, other times broke the phases down to equal times, and in the end the game of response.....move NOW, you don't have that long before you get tagged. I sent her out, and if she stopped, i reeled her in, gave her a love, backed her out, stood in neutral for about 20-30 seconds to make her REALLY wonder what was coming next.....then .....I brought my life up....and .....GO! If I got a NO.....she got a tag. I did less, she did more.
I cried once or twice.....but I am not a chump.....for the good of the relationship....if she doesn't respect me....we dont have a relationship. But I also know, she has to feel like a winner too, so of course.....she did not get tagged if she could beat me to it with a snappy depart. I stood there during the the friendly moments in between sends, and was looking at all the kick marks and bit marks she has on her. ALOT!!!! I have never seen a horse so tore up before. they are every where. It dawned on me.....she is vying for Snookies position. She senses weakness and old age, and must be checking in regularly to see if Snookie still has what it takes to be the leader. My guess is......YES.....
So she must be not moving fast enough, trying to hold her ground with Snookie....and thinking I am no better than her. Well not today my friends......NOT today.
Phase4 lives.....and unlike the Snookster....I left no marks.....other than on her EGO!!!!
Game plan. play this game again wed/fri/sat.....and trailer over again to the arena/rp and give canter a whirl again. We got a great send.....snapiest departs I think she has ever given me....and that not so great working hindend driving game.......moves like a charm now....hide your hiney strikes again! In the end, she was upholding her end of the bargain with circles.....not changing gaits.......many laps.
Video will be uploaded....well when ever my friend bestowes it upon me.....so....cant say!
1.Snookie was loose in the arena with us.
2.Both girls were in heat
3.Both had a boyfriend tied to the fence on the outside of the arena.
Rose was like trying to move around a dead cow. Snookie was squeeling and striking at the boys (not nearly as dead in heat as Rose) We warmed up, and the girls would run as fast as they could to be by the boys before I could show up and ruin the party. Finally my friend was ready with the camera, but....in retrospect.....i think Rose was already done at this point. She really had no problems with DRAW.....but the STICK.......STUNK! She would do the task, and then split. And then come back. I didn't worry about it much at the time figuring I will just hyperspeed the tape in my lonely moments for the audition. In the arena we trailer loaded....both of them got in BTW, I could NOT keep Snookie out......we did a weave, friendly with the big green ball, lead by the tail, some stick to me, a few of the 7 games......
BUT....then I had the audacity to ask her to do a figure 8. Nope.....all i saw was butt crack! She came back, we tried again.....butt crack! I thought this might be the case, so....as I had planned the night before....we went to the round pen, for the fig8, circles and flying changes. Never mind the fact that last weekend she did some AWESOME circles in the big arena, real small and stuck like GLUE. But as usual, no camera around to get it. So anyways, off we head to the arena. I hosed her off on the way as it was hot out. this is where it all fell apart.....just as it ALWAYS does when i attempt an audition. Started off good, got really nice figure 8's, which would also be really nice flying changes......if the COW would canter...... so long as cantering was not on the menu she was fine. she would have probably trotted for me all day, but canter....heck no....not without some serious work on my part. I was sweating like a hog and getting tired myself, and my shoulder was killing me. It is not suppose to be like this, she is suppose to work....not me! So there we were.....the Hog and the Cow, going no where.
So I pulled all my "tools" out of the brain shed.....but the one thing i knew i should do....i didn't because i was direct line for the audition. AGAIN. so with in a few min, i knew it was lost.....worked on getting one canter circle.....and headed back to the arena for shade and online PLAY. We played with the send.......to toys....."hurry up and get there to play" was the theme.
So I thought about it the rest of the day, and night, and dreamed about it, woke up with it on my mind, thought about it all day today. What is my strategy going to be? I know what is broken.....it has been boken for 8 months......YO-YO/DRIVING.....and the lack of an effective phase 4. It is the one thing I found is a very common 'comment' on audtions......"She doesn't believe you will go to phase 4".....I just don't do much of circling or yo-yo on the circle at home because of the horrible ground conditions. I feel just terrible, so I don't make anyone do it much.
And then the phase 4. What is a phase 4? I sure was going "there" but I was having to run out there to tag her. And the more she saw how much work it was, FOR ME, the more confident she was that she could outlast me. And made a game of how many times she could get me to come out of MY circle. A phase4 is......what ever is EFFECTIVE...not how hard you can whack your horse. It felt like i was beating her, yet it was far from effective. So I knew, with a horse like this, who is wickedly smart, I had to be smarter than her, not stronger or faster, as that is just imposible. Not to mention, on top of it all...............
Hello nimrod.....how can it be good enough for an audition if you dont DO it.....EVER?? So.....since I know she can see my weakness', and then strategize against my inferior skills compared to hers.....I got out the lunge whip. I am not moving a single inch......but i have to be able to tag her. Took her a few times before she realized I was the all mighty, all powerfull human with the long arm of the law! Sometimes I used a long phase one and a serious tag, other times broke the phases down to equal times, and in the end the game of response.....move NOW, you don't have that long before you get tagged. I sent her out, and if she stopped, i reeled her in, gave her a love, backed her out, stood in neutral for about 20-30 seconds to make her REALLY wonder what was coming next.....then .....I brought my life up....and .....GO! If I got a NO.....she got a tag. I did less, she did more.
I cried once or twice.....but I am not a chump.....for the good of the relationship....if she doesn't respect me....we dont have a relationship. But I also know, she has to feel like a winner too, so of course.....she did not get tagged if she could beat me to it with a snappy depart. I stood there during the the friendly moments in between sends, and was looking at all the kick marks and bit marks she has on her. ALOT!!!! I have never seen a horse so tore up before. they are every where. It dawned on me.....she is vying for Snookies position. She senses weakness and old age, and must be checking in regularly to see if Snookie still has what it takes to be the leader. My guess is......YES.....
So she must be not moving fast enough, trying to hold her ground with Snookie....and thinking I am no better than her. Well not today my friends......NOT today.
Phase4 lives.....and unlike the Snookster....I left no marks.....other than on her EGO!!!!
Game plan. play this game again wed/fri/sat.....and trailer over again to the arena/rp and give canter a whirl again. We got a great send.....snapiest departs I think she has ever given me....and that not so great working hindend driving game.......moves like a charm now....hide your hiney strikes again! In the end, she was upholding her end of the bargain with circles.....not changing gaits.......many laps.
Video will be uploaded....well when ever my friend bestowes it upon me.....so....cant say!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
3..2..1..DRAW! We got good DRAW!
Wow, one thing that shines in this hole day is that I have awesome draw with Cha'cote! This is the rest of the video. I edited out 10+ minutes of me talking. Like I said, I had no idea the camera was rolling! Got some zone 5 liberty passenger in here too!
Enjoy and
Savvy On
Michelle
Enjoy and
Savvy On
Michelle
Cha'Cote's first liberty circles in arena
Well my proudest moment to date! This is Cha'Cote's first time ever going any where besides from the wild to the BLM. From there to his last home, and from there to my home. He was a champ! Took some convincing to get him to let us shut the door on the trailer....but finally he did. Short 7 min drive to where my friend boards. We opened the door. He stuck his head out, and stood there. I was terrified he would rush out and bail on me. Nope! Such a good boy. Then he trusted me to lead him thru the barn. then we went into the arena. I showed him all the walls, played a teeny bit online, then went LIBERTY. I was shocked he went straight to circling me and not leaving, and then a great draw. Looked over my shoulder and my friend was gone. So I shared my excitement with a total stranger and asked her to watch. I was afraid it wouldn't happen again and wanted a witness to tell my friend. He did it again. 'bout 3 circles. So we chated a few min and my friend came back. i was hoopin and hollering, and started to show her. she grabbed her video camera, and he did it AGAIN! She started grooming after a couple of min and I thought she turned the camera off. I didn't know she was this sneaky, but she set it down and left it on. So this is me playing at liberty with Cha'cote for the first time. there a few more videos to come....sorry...so excited I am posting it ALL!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Liberty L3 Audition ~ Pass 3+
Well, here it is, my Liberty L3 audition. I met a wonderful new friend online who inspired me to just do it. Thanks Michelle! (not me of course) But like named and minded souls for sure! I am sending it in tomorrow. It went pretty well too! She was a little introverted, and was sour to the figure 8. I have mentioned it before, but a reminder.....I spoiled her to the fig8 when "I" was learning it. Over and Over for and extreme LBE, I don't know how she didn't come and kick my head in. So now, sometimes she is just sooooo uninterested, and tries to make up her own games with the cones. As far as the weave.....it was only our second time doing it at liberty! Recap: Rose's favorite games....put your nose or foot on something.....sideways over something. So if she can take my game of going AROUND the cone and turn it into a sidepass or foot on, she is quite proud of yourself....as you will see in the weave. I tripped in a couple of pot holes....eek....at least I didn't break an ankle. I tuned out a couple of times and forgot I was taping and on a time limit, even though Jason, bless his heart, was giving me the time every 30 seconds. He did a good job taping me. Thank You Baby!
Two more to go for the green string!
Aye, aye, aye Online or Freestyle next?
Wish me luck.......
Michelle.....it is your turn....and I am holding you to it!
Savvy On
Michelle
Two more to go for the green string!
Aye, aye, aye Online or Freestyle next?
Wish me luck.......
Michelle.....it is your turn....and I am holding you to it!
Savvy On
Michelle
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
First Liberty Weave
Man that weave pattern at liberty sure is harder than it looks. I used 2 cones and 2 hoof stands, as I don’t feel like dragging all my cones back and forth from the front to the back. I need to get out my liberty patterns dvd and have a look at it for some ideas as to what might make it easier. While we did it OK, I have a feeling we are doing something wrong. She seems to be more LBI at it, I need to look that stuff over too. I think I need some cookies for Liberty! She was ‘chumping” me a little, so we also worked a little on long phase 1. All in all, she is doing good and I am satisfied with what we are getting at this point. Of course it is raining AGAIN. Probably going to rain for a few more days, should be good to play again by Friday.
Savvy On
Michelle
Savvy On
Michelle
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