Reflections and Responsibility

REFLECTION & RESPONSIBILITY - Friday: In keeping with our “More with Less” theme on training and focusing on the “quiet conversation” aspect of Annie’s development seemed to tie into the concept of responsibility and reflection. Annie is responsible for her feet and doing all that she can to find balance and cadence while giving a really solid effort to be respectful, responsive, calm and light. Our responsibility is to be consistent, fair, sensitive to the release and offering the best deal for the horse to find the right answer.

We achieved understanding and executed these responsibilities well today. Annie maintained her gaits without much pressure or correction at all. She moved out when asked and slowed down when asked. She worked on skills in the round pen and on the trail/obstacle course and did pretty well! After a bit of a warm up to help her get into “time to think” mode, Annie did a great job focusing on cues and communication/body language. Not all that long ago Annie’s reality was “go” and “my way.” Today (even though the old ways creep in slightly now and then) she much more inclined to stop, look and listen/check in. The communication goal was to see how “quiet” we could get it while still achieving certain goals. It is workout mentally, emotionally and even physically to say the least. She did really well!

Saturday: Our focus exercises included Schooling Circles (on the ground and under saddle), Transitions, Serpentine Pattern, Riding the Rectangle/ Riding Diagonals/Post-n-Circle, Rollbacks along the Fence, Shoulder In/Shoulder Out, Vertical Flexion at the Walk, Side Pass Along the Fence (on the ground and under saddle). We wanted every exercises to happen in a “quiet conversation” mode with cues being clear but light. We achieved a really good level of performance before we called it a day. Even got to ride with some new folks and Annie got to meet a really sweet mini named Stormy! When we got home it was time for a nice cold water rinse, some time on the Tree of Knowledge and then a snack!

Sunday: She was a rock star 99% of the session! Our focus exercises included Schooling Circles (on the ground and under saddle), Transitions, Serpentine Pattern, Riding the Rectangle/ Riding Diagonals/Post-n-Circle, Rollbacks along the Fence, Shoulder In/Shoulder Out, Vertical Flexion at the Walk, Side Pass Along the Fence (on the ground and under saddle). We wanted every exercises to happen in a “quiet conversation” mode with cues being clear but light. We achieved an improved level of performance over Saturday’s session which was pretty darned cool! Once again we got to ride with some new folks and Annie got to meet a really sweet Mustang gelding named Poncho! We worked on her “space issues” with other horses and before long we were all trotting along together on loose reins. When we got home it was time for a nice cold water rinse, some time on the Tree of Knowledge and then a snack!

Reflection is all about giving back was is seen or received. We wanted to always give back when she gave. Sometimes this is tough to do because it is all about timing but we will always try to improve our hands, legs and seat so the Annie gets the best deal possible. We have some wins and some interesting challenges to learn from this weekend. Those teaching moments are so necessary to Annie’s growth as an equine partner. Those signs of thinking and relaxation are like a cheer from the horse! You know you are on the right path. Good times! She’ll get a few days off because we have to work so as to keep the horses in feed but will do another (at least) three in a row this week for sure!

 We have come to the point in the journey that we feel we can begin to look for a "forever home" of Miss Annie. We have her priced as fair market value and we hope to meet some "qualified" families. We are being pretty particular about her next stop.

You can see a short video of Flames Remedy loading up in the trailer and backing to some steady pressure at: https://youtu.be/akjQxW-4Xng

You can see Flame’s Remedy “get to know you” video at: https://youtu.be/W8OVMVGyHDA

HORSEMANSHIP WEEKEND: Sunday

HORSEMANSHIP WEEKEND – Sunday: Today we hosted a workshop at our place that focused on horse/human communication, trust and “quiet conversation” techniques. Ground skills, round pen work, work on new terrain and obstacles and work under saddle were all part of the day! We also had a great lunch (chili, cornbread and all the fixings)!

Starting in the round pen we worked on the Human being in the proper position in relation to the Horse, timing of cues and the clarity of what was being asked. We established a consistent direction and gait, established getting two eyes, established a consistent change of direction and gait and did several exercises that hone the Human’s feel and timing.

Then we moved “outside” and worked on communication and timing over a wide variety or terrain, natural and man-made obstacles. The group worked on being clear and fair as well as offering the horse the best deal in order to find the right answer and get their release/reward. Lots of wins happened and lots of improvement.

Working under saddle was a blast! Folks enjoyed the obstacles and terrain as they built their confidence. We worked on helping with refusals over obstacles and those related “feelings” that come with the lack of confidence, The day ended well and we will be doing more of these workshops as the year progresses!

Lunch was really tasty.

Flames Experience: Our little gal did really great. She was a solid example of how fast a horse can pick up a new skill if the human is consistent in their conversation. She handled well on the ground and rode well under saddle. After her performance on Saturday this was not unexpected. We worked pretty hard (mentally and physically) over last two days. Very proud of her. She is going to get then next few days off (or maybe some light groundwork) just to let everything sink in. We keep upping the performance bar and she works hard to meet it. They give to us and we give to them. Works out well.

HORSEMANSHIP WEEKEND: Saturday

A HORSEMANSHIP WEEKEND – Saturday: It was a beautiful day at IT Ranch in Lodi, California. The Golden State Horsemanship Club (Nor-Cal Chapter) had its June session. Nice turn out of folks with a variety of experience levels and great enthusiasm!

We started off in the round pen and worked on refining our skills, speaking softer and getting better results. Lots of good work by everyone! Then we moved over to the arena and began working on Backing up (two different approaches), Groundwork Schooling Circles (this is actually four exercises in one maneuver which is WAY cool), Circle Driving, Lateral Flexion, Vertical Flexion and Desensitizing. Lots of WINS and refinements by speaking softly but clearly.

A short lunch break with great conversation and laughter (as always) then we tacked up and got to RIDING!

We started off with a warm up of One Rein Stops and Follow the Fence. Once everyone felt they had their horses thinking we  moved into Yielding the Hindquarters at the Standstill, Backing with quiet hands and steady pressure, Forward/Backward/Forward transitions, Schooling Circles (like Ground Schooling being four exercises in one maneuver), Shoulder In/ Shoulder Out and a variety of patterns and free riding. Once the exercises were all done we all got to work on those things that needed attention or refinement. Denise Vietz (GSHC Member and owner/trainer of California Natural Horsemanship) was on hand to help horses get better at a variety of skills.

It was well past 4:00pm when we all decided to call it a day. Dusty, sweaty, tired and HUGE smiles was the end result. The horses all improved and so did the people. We will call that a WIN for the day!

Flame’s Experience: Annie was my demo horse for the day. Ronan got to sit this one out as he is healing up from a pulled muscle. She did really well in the round pen and we were very proud of how she worked on the ground in the group setting. Under saddle she was a bit amped at first as it was anew group of horses and a new place but she really came down quickly after a few “rollbacks” along the fence and some serpentines. She demonstrated the most of the exercises for the group and walked around calmly as I spoke with everyone. Denise helped were with a few wthing she though could be refined and when we all felt good we called it. It was long day of Annie but she did really well. Very proud of her!

We tried to get pictures but mostly they were of other folks and their horses. Sigh.

 Annie: Round Pen

 Annie: Round Pen

Annie: Round Pen

Annie: Round Pen

 Annie/Laurie: Circle Driving

 Annie/Laurie: Circle Driving

Working on Subtle “Outside” the Arena

Working on Subtle “Outside” the Arena: The lesson today was two-fold in nature.

The first focus was to touch base again on our gal’s round pen skills with a focus on making the conversation quiet and getting her listening and thinking. This went really well and she showed a really nice understanding of what was asked of her. So much of her past before “our time” was all hurry up and GO! We want our horses to be able to GO and WHOA comfortably and confidently without agitation. Annie is finding that zone and doing great!

The second focus was to play outside the arena on the recently updated trail/obstacle course at our place. She did really well on all the terrain and obstacles. We worked on the ground (we have a Body Language/ Obstacle Workshop at our place this weekend) first to make sure we had everything laid out well with room for the humans to move around. Annie did great! Under saddle was about the same and she seemed to enjoy the experience.

It is a BUSY horsemanship weekend and we are pretty jazzed to see how our gal handles all the excitement! Stay tuned for more updates!

hanging out, looking FIT!

Logs

 Pool Noodles

Pool Noodles

 Low Jump

Low Jump

 Low Jump

Quiet Conversations

MONDAY LESSON - Quiet Conversations: It is our observation that it is harder mentally and physically for the human to train/ride “quietly” than it is for them to train/ride “loudly” and that once a concepts appears to be understood it is just plain COOL to ask the horse to perform it quietly and have them do it! That was the focus of this session. It was about 5:30pm when we got to Pioneer Park Arena. We played it smart and have the horses a hearty snack about 4:00pm so they had some energy. The weather was nice and the breeze was very welcomed!

We did our usual warm up with Annie and then moved into groundwork that focused on lateral and vertical flexion, backing, bending lateral movements and balance. She was doing really well with the exercises and was doing lots of “licking and chewing” as she processed what was asked. Since the lope is the one gait where she needs more personal confidence and understanding (mentally and physically) we decided to break out the LONG LINE. 25 feet of rope from my hand to her halter! If I walk a large (say 10-15 foot) circle Annie gets LOTS to room to lope BIG circles and have a focus point (me) to pay attention to. She did pretty darn well! She began to find her balance, leads, pace and cadence. It is really cool to see it happen.

Under saddle thing really came together. We worked on her stop/back-up a bit which was great. Vertical flexion at the walk, side passing and lateral/diagonal movements, transitions, direction changes/rollbacks and learning that when her human asks for “more life” in a maneuver it does not mean “get worried” and to come back down calmly when asked. She is really getting this concept. We did more “relaxing and rubbing” between exercises and allowed each experience to really soak in. We focused on what Richard Winters calls “schooling outside the maneuver” quite a bit which translates to doing something else that incorporates the movements/cues/actions of the maneuver you hope to do and then go back to the maneuver. We are working hard on using verbal accents like clucking and ”whoa” only when we really mean it. Again, this comes back to the theme of Quiet Conversation. This is a mare who is sensitive and smart and by no means lazy. So, we have to sculpt the concepts we are hoping to pass along to fit her learning style. That, dear Reader, is why we do what we do with these “project horses” – the journey of horsemanship is all about learning and adapting! For the horse it is about finding the “best them” that they can and hopefully find a forever home where that now accessible potential can be fostered.

Reviewing this journal periodically allows us to see how far Annie has progressed in her development. While it does made us mad that she was not given the opportunity to really grow and shine with her previous humans we are happy that we are getting to be the ones who are helping her find her best self. She is going to make some very lucky human a really fine horse that will grow with them in their journey together.

Chalk up one more productive session!

You can see a short video of Annie loading up in the trailer and backing to some steady pressure at: https://youtu.be/akjQxW-4Xng

You can see Annie’s 5 minute “Sale” video at: https://youtu.be/W8OVMVGyHDA

More With Less: The Sunday Edition

INTERLUDE: The Western States Horse Expo which is held in Sacramento at Cal Expo each year is a great way to learn from some of the best clinicians and trainers in the country as well as seeing all the new innovations in the equine industry. We took TONS of notes and pictures! Crain Cameron, Julie Goodnight, Richard Winters and Chris Cox were the highlights for us.

The vendors were a tad thin this year and the crowds a bit lower but overall it was a great learning experience.

Tomorrow we are taking all the cool things we learned and will be introducing them to our horses at the weekly “Spur of the Moment Ride” session.

A SUNDAY SESSION: After Friday’s mental adjustment Annie seemed in MUCH better mental and emotional shape! One of the lessons for us as humans (which we picked up from the Expo) was to really have clarity in Mind (mental), Body (physical) and Spirit (emotional) which will translate to the horse…at least in theory (grin). One of the hardest things for us as humans is to “shut off” our emotions during training but maintain a level of empathy and sensitivity so we can communicate better with the horse. As humans we are works in progress!

One of the things we noted about Annie is that the more fit she gets the more fire she has. In many ways this is a good thing. She is NOT a lazy horse at all. If you look at her breeding and the QUALITY of the genetics you can tell that “more whoa than go) is not part of who she is. What we are hoping to do with this round of training is to condition her mind to being ready to stop and relax or get up and go depending on what is requested without her feeling like she needs to lead the situation. It is getting better but is a work in progress. Because if her history (meaning before we got to work with her) she was often left to her own devices and got to choose her own path. This reality is shifting a great deal. Changing eleven years of behavior does not happen overnight. We celebrate the victories no matter what the size and understand it is a journey, not a race.

Improvements on a variety of things we introduced on Friday. Her stop to the seat was MUCH better, rollbacks were better, transition were better, bend in the body was much better, groundwork “Susan” circles were much better. NEW STUFF was tossed at the girl today too! Side passing along the fence (on the ground and under saddle), vertical flexion at the walk, lateral diagonals along the fence, serpentine transitions and the use of SPURS. She did really well! The few times she got sassy were shorter in duration and she was faster to refocus on the task at hand. We wrapped up with some nice turns at the walk on a really loose rein. It was a workout for everyone but very productive. We always started with “a quiet conversation” in regards to cues/aids. If we needed to get “louder” we did but ALWAYS returned to the “quiet”. Lots of rubbing and loving on Annie when she did well or at least tried well.

It was a really good session.

More With Less...Again!

More with Less…Again: Well, today was a tough lesson for our heroine! She was done with the lesson about 2/3 of the way through. She had to check her attitude at the gate and get through that mental reset to get to the good. She did LOTS of loping, direction changes, roll backs and more today. That was not the original plan but some days you work with what you got.

Once the thinking side of her brain came online and the “my way” attitude got put away we got some really nice work done. Good walk/trot transitions, nice effort at the lope (it is still her weak point which means MORE LOPING is in her future), nice serpentine work and “Susan Circles” under saddle. We ended with a thinking and willing horse! WIN! We were able to add to her “sale video” today and even though the music file was thwarting our efforts we posted it on line!

Check it out at: https://youtu.be/W8OVMVGyHDA

She got a good rinse off when we got home and got to relax on the “Tree of Knowledge” for about an hour.

Tomorrow everyone gets the day off so Laurie and I can attend the Western States Horse Expo. Sunday we’ll be at Pioneer Park Arena again to see if today’s lesson has sunk in.

Stay tuned!

More With Less Pt.1

More With Less Sessions: This is the “theme” for this next series of sessions, Up to this point we have been using our “public conversation” and “outside” voice in training. This means that the body language and cues have been fairly pronounced on the ground and under saddle. Now we are transitioning into a more “private conversation” method of communication. Why? Pretty simple really. The GOAL is to have Flames Remedy REALLY focused and locked on to her humans. We want to really looking for the release and the right answer. This is going to improve her willingness to perform now that she understands the fundamental concepts and has begun to perform them with some alacrity and athletic ability. In the weeks ahead we will be traveling to various locations for practices and events and she will even be part of a Body Language Workshop!

As always we begin to learn new skills in the round pen. Once a direction was established at the gait desired we wanted to establish a change in direction. Usually this involves a big lateral step in front of the drive line, a big pointing up high gesture and a quick step towards the neck/shoulder area to encourage a sort of rollback motion. We would swing our stick/string as needed too. Now we want to quiet all that down. A smaller lateral step and a shifting backward of the shoulder/hip is used to get the horse’s attention and begin a change of direction. The point up high with energy is the big cue right now, combined with a short step forward with ah “push” of the shoulder to encourage the rollback type motion. The stick/string are only used if motion does not happen. You can really see the gears turning as Flames Remedy searches for the right answer and release. Lots of rubbing and resting for the release too. We want to hep her understand that she got it right.

Under saddle we work on making the seat cues clear without big motion. Shifting the legs, the butt cheek and the shoulders combined with a soft “pre-signal” is the goal. This mare gets this pretty well! Keeping the hands “in a box” and using the reins for refinement (not pulling or dragging) is the goal. Again, really big releases and rubs are the reward.

We introduced the concept of a rollback, side pass along the fence and yielding the HQ along the fence. We introduced some “shoulder in/ shoulder out” maneuvers too. These have not really been a big part of Flames Remedy’s reality before. They are now and the change in her body and mind is pretty cool. Each session will be 50% refinement and 50% something new from this point forward. Exciting times for our girl!

 Beginning to bend in the ribcage.

 Better bend.

 Nice, relaxed horse!

The GOOD, The BAD & The UGLY

The GOOD, The BAD and The Ugly: Up to this point Annie has been fairly easy to train and work with. Even when she got a tad overloaded at the Retreat she came back to us without much attitude. We kept waiting for the Mare Attitude to appear.  After the really great session we had yesterday we figured today would be just at nice. Silly us.

Today the Mare Attitude came out. The entire session was less that nice. She kept making poor choices and those choices got her VERY sweaty! She basically bitched and fussed at everything that was asked of her. By the end of the session everyone was sweaty, tired and bit sore.

This happens when training a horse, especially one who has its reality shifted like Annie has. The performance and expectation bar has been raised and she is still working on the understanding of the concept that the “right” thing is always “easy” and the “wrong” thing is always difficult. In her past the protests got her people to back off. Well not in our barn! When she defaulted to backing up from the request for impulsion the mecate popper helped to motivate forward motion. When she refused to listen to seat and leg cues (ie: right/easy) the spur got rolled up her side (wrong/difficult). The original plan was scrapped and we simply looked for the wins. We got some nice “Susan Circles” under saddle (works on forward movement, bend, stop, back up, yield the hind and yield the fore), some nice Yield the HQ on the Fence and walked/ trotted through some patterns. Her lope was slow to get going and on the wrong lead until she was “motivated” and then is was nice –fast but nice- and she began to get the idea the crazy bastard on her back was NOT going to accept shenanigans and attitude.

We got wins, we got improvement and we quit. At home she got a nice long rise off and got to stand tied at the “Tree of Knowledge” to contemplate the lesson.

Welcome to owning and training a smart, well bred mare. You get it all in one package. Celebrate the Good, correct the Bad and never tolerate the Ugly.

You can see a short video of Annie loading up in the trailer and backing to some steady pressure at: https://youtu.be/akjQxW-4Xng

Here are a few pictures from today's session.

POST RETREAT SESSIONS & FOCUS

POST RETREAT SESSIONS: Well the 2016 Spring Retreat is behind us now. As always the experience is awesome for both horses and humans. For a great mare like Annie the experience helps her to gain personal confidence while helping her humans to sculpt her on-going training and conditioning to fill in any gaps as needed.

Annie is a trail diva in many ways. She likes to be on the trail and has a great trail walk and trot. She is alert and attentive on the trail which is great. She at times needs to be reminded that she is not in charge of the situation (simple redirection of her feet reminds her of this) and that it is okay to “trust” her person to not put her in unsafe situations. We also discovered that she likes to bond a bit with her person. Just getting on and going with a stranger is not “fun” for her. If the new person loves on her a bit, does some respect building groundwork and then rides it goes great.

So now that we are home we are going to be working on “getting more with less” meaning more softness and responsiveness with less “loud” body language and cues under saddle. We will also be loping her around quite a bit! She has a FUN lope! Once she gets conditioned to shifting her weight a little farther back the lope will be REALLY FUN! We are going to be focusing on getting all of her body parts soft to cues which will help her with confidence and condition too. We will also be exposing her to more group settings in smaller arenas. Sadly, most of the group events we attend have large arenas to play in (which is awesome for the humans) so we will do the best we can.

She has come such a long way and we could not be more proud of her development. She is a very special horse who likes people and likes to have a job. The more we work with her the more talent we find. We will continue along this theme of training in the weeks ahead.

Some pictures from a recent session working on some fun stuff!