WHAT A WEEKEND!

Wow! What a weekend for Cearra! Two full days of horsemanship, working with lots of different people on the ground and under saddle! Just awesome. She exceeded our expectation. Rad all about it here....

WORKSHOP REVIEW: We hosted our first Horsemanship for the Hoof Up! Workshop today at Lucky Star Horsemanship. Cearra got to show off her skills (and kept people honest) in the Round Pen. Being new to this style of horsemanship and training she is a good example of what can be accomplished with consistency, love and positive energy in a relatively short time! She worked with several different folks before she had to be “swapped out” for a more experienced horse (Ronan) who also kept people honest and on track with their performance of the exercises. Both Cearra and Ronan were fine examples of good training and willing hearts.

We covered LOTS of material today! Here is a partial list:

•           Horse Phycology (Lecture)

•           Catching the Horse

•           Safety, Handling, Grooming, Leading

•           Introduction to Desensitizing

•           Body Language, Body Position

•           Round Pen – Direction, Impulsion, Corrections, Two Eyes

•           Lateral Flexion (Lead Line)

•           Yield Hindquarters (Lead Line)

•           First Rider Evaluation – Round Pen (Under Saddle)

•           Hand, Seat, Body & Leg Cue Introduction (Under Saddle)

We had a really nice mix of individuals who had a wide range of experiences. The participants had some solid wins and some “learning moments” where they learned about themselves and the things they need to improve on. Just having that second pair of eyes to coach you through the process can teach you SO much!

For the under saddle portion of the workshop we split into two groups. The “novice” group continued to work on body, seat, leg and rein cues and getting forward motion with their horses. Personal breathing and relaxation was also a focus. We even helped a person who had some real fear issues to chip away at them and regain some confidence! The “experienced” group worked on the “quiet conversation” while riding over terrain and obstacles along with improving their understanding of body control. Cearra worked with the “experienced” group and did very well.

It was a little over four hours long (well, closer to five) because folks were having such a good time. There really is a time distortion that happens when humans get around horses! Tomorrow is a Golden State Horsemanship Practice. Should be another fun day! (NOTE: We failed to get pictures of Cearra under saddle at this workshop. She and her new friend Tammy did great together!)

 Hanging ou before the Workshop

Getting ready to be saddled up.

 Round Pen

 Getting the Loving!

More round pen

Teaching lateral flexion and softness.

PRACTICE REVIEW: What a FUN day! We had some new folks join in the fun at the Golden State Horsemanship practice. The focus was on “Improving Body Control.” Participants started in the Round Pen to work on Position, Timing and Communication. This aspect of horsemanship gets skipped WAY TOO MUCH in our opinion. Humans really struggle with their round pen skills and confuse their horses more often than not. The upside is that the solution for improvement is simple: Slow Down. Breath. Check Your Position/Intent/Focus. Keep Practicing. If the human just practices their round pen skills 2-3 times a week for 15 minutes or so they can improve MANY aspects of their horsemanship.

Once the participants achieved some wins in the Round Pen we moved to Groundwork. We got control of the head/ neck, the ribs, the forequarters and the hindquarters. We worked on C.P.R. (Clarity, Patience, Release), We got softness in the backing exercises and we crafted “sentences” by stringing five exercises together in the Ground School Circle. Not easy for folks to pull off! Still we had some wins achieved and moved on to the Under Saddle part of the day.

After a short break we saddled up. We worked on getting a soft back up, control of the hind end, control of the front end, rein management, seat/leg/body cues and balance. We worked on transitions, bending and communication. Then we headed off on the trail! The terrain is challenging and fun as it allows the horseperson to work on body control (the horse’s and the human’s) and balance in the saddle and NOT on the horse’s mouth. The obstacles had a variety of difficulty and challenge as well. Folks were pretty tired and pretty full of knowledge 

at the end of the practice. The smiles said it all.

 Round pen

 Ground work

 Ground work

 Backing. She flexes like that.

 Trail work

 Trail work

Trail work

Impressions of Cearra’s Weekend: Cearra worked with FIVE (5) different humans during the weekend. She really did give it her best and really kept folks honest. The human could not be “incorrect” in their communication or she just quietly ignored them. She also learned to stand still and relax with someone on her back (in her “before world” everything was go-go-GO!) which was a major win for her development. Under saddle she partnered with two very different riders: A intermediate rider who is just getting back into horsemanship and dealing with some minor confidence issues and a a young lady who had some experience but also some confidence issues. They did GREAT together and looks good too! Once the Human’s truly listened to Cearra in how she needs to be communicated with (soft hands, more seat/body/leg and less rein, C.P.R) she gave then Human 100% and enjoyed the interaction. Through it all she acted as expected and acted like a Young Lady. We could not be more proud of her.

(Since this is Cearra’s training journal we are posting picture of just her. To see ALL the pictures from this fantastic weekend head on over to Lucky Star Horsemanship’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Lucky-Star-Horsemanshp-1857426887814701/)

Getting Our Medieval On & New Shoes!

GETTING MEDIEVAL:

Cearra was exposed to and participated in (as a Teacher’s Aid) our first “Schola of Chivalric Arts” which was hosted at our place over the Columbus Day weekend. Our gal was handled and ridden by a variety of folks, helped teach the attendees about the use of  round pen to establish communication and a wide variety of aspects of the Art of Horsemanship. She kept people honest to be sure. If they were not “clear and confident” in their communication she just looked at them and waited for them to figure it out. Under saddle she did well with folks who had soft hands and a decent seat. Nervous folks or those with poor hand/seat skills confused her a bit –VERY UNDERSTANDABLE – and big brother Ronan took over and helped those folks. Cearra was charming and social. Every new person was a discovery and a perfect reason to get loved on. To say she enjoyed the attention is an understatement.

She saw, heard and smelled armor for the first time. She saw humans in funny clothes that totally changed their silhouette. It was a very unique situation for our gal and she did VERY well with everything! On the last day of the Schola she lost a shoe so she got to be the “learn out to clean and groom a horse” model and enjoyed all the attention.

Her training is on hold until the farrier can come out.

Again, very proud of her and how she handled the weekend!

NEW SHOES:

Over the “medieval” weekend Cearra threw a show and developed a bit of a sprain. Not horrible and it has not impacted her goofing around in the pasture or wanting to “play” with us but we have been keeping an eye on it. Her low impact round pen sessions have gone well this week. No complaints about “try” or attitude at all.

Our farrier came out today. This was the first time we have seen shoes put on Cearra and it was the first time our farrier had seen her. After giving him the history he got to work. Overall she did well, even with the hot shoe process. The soreness in the leg that lost the hoof was noticeable when she had to stand for an extended period of time. So it was a two nails in – rest – repeat process. Her experience with farriers is a bit limited but our person is REALLY good with horses as was his buddy (a long time cowboy and farrier). Both had nice things to say about her and had some solid advice on how to handle her sprain. She will be on “light duty” for the next week or so. Her weight is coming in nicely! We are expecting some heavy rain up here this weekend too so that will be interesting.

All in all Cearra did well. Could not be more pleased.

Weekday Sessions & Goals

The “During The Week” Sessions…

Fall has come to the Sierra Foothills. The mornings are crisp and the temperatures are mellowing from the very warm summer. Cearra came to us underweight and recovering from neglect. So we have to be very vigilant on her caloric intake and fitness level. In our minds she could gain another 100 pounds and be just right. This is going to take time and it will be more of a challenge (on several levels) to maintain and increase her weight and fitness levels during the late Fall and Winter season. Still, real progress is happening and we are seeing the results in her ability to train and her overall attitude.

During the week we usually do more ground work than riding at this point in the program. She may do 45 minutes of ground work and 30+ of riding. We work on new skills and new challenges. The weekends are for refinement focuses and new places/ new adventures. By the end of October it is our goal to see her under saddle longer. One of the cool things about working with Cearra during the week is improving her “connection time” by which we mean seeing how quickly she focuses on us and the tasks presented. It is VASTLY improved from the first week we had her home. A few laps or circles and she locks on to us and is ready to go to work. Her reactions are getting more precise and refined and the explosive reactions of Week One are all but gone. We are speaking the same language and the relationship is defined much clearer in her brain. The real personality is also coming out. She is willing to trust and try new things, quick to learn and very social. With the increase in fitness she is comfortable. With the regular exercise she in mentally challenged and seems to enjoy “doing stuff.”

Building up her strength, her fitness and her confidence is really our focus this season. Whatever was done before left some big holes in her foundational skills so fixing those things is critical before we move on to the “cool stuff”. It is a process. We also think she has actually grown some since coming home with us! She is shaping up to be a good partner and a very pretty girl!

INTERLUDE: Communication Is CRITICAL

After several practices and the recent workshops we had these thouts and wated to share them with you Gentle Reader...

COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL: Observations & Applications

As a group we have been gathering and practicing horsemanship together since 2011. In that time we have seen a variety of horses, horse owners and we heard a truck load of reasons why “my horse won’t….” in a variety of ways. When we take a step back and really look at the “reasons” why someone’s horse won’t do “X” thing it seems to come down to two basic things that the Human (not the horse) has failed to do.

1    Prepare the horse for success.

         Clearly communicate.

We can use all sorts of fancy words and even fancy gadgets in our horsemanship but at the end of the day it is the RESULTS, IMPROVEMENTS and SKILL RETENTION we create with our horses that tells us if we are successful or not.

Think about that for a moment. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

At practices we see all sorts of unclear communication between horse and human. We hear the “my horse won’t…” but when the horse is shown, with clear communication, what the goal is and is given time without being nagged at to figure it out, the horse normally gets the memo and tries its best. Our job as custodians of the horse is to prepare them for success by giving them a solid foundation of skills and the best deal we can to allow a partnership to grow. If we rush the process, skip steps or take shortcuts then our foundation is weak and it will fail us a critical moment. We fail the horse, we fail ourselves and we fail the relationship when we are not clear in our communication.

To quote the great trainer/clinician Susan Wirgler “we need to give our horses C.P.R! Clarity, Patience and Release!”  We need to work hard on CLARITY. Slow down, stay quietly confident and be clear in WHAT and HOW we are asking by being in the right position with the right level of energy. We need PATIENCE and wait for the horse to figure out what we are asking. We have to give the horse a “great deal” and let it find the answer. We have to have faith in its mind, our skill and that it CAN happen. We need to be quick to RELEASE pressure when we get a good effort (remember “good” is relative to the horse’s level of experience and training) and REWARD the horse for a positive action. Being good with C.P.R. is the RESPONSIBILITY of the HUMAN. How do we get good at it? Simple. Practice with real focus and intent. When you work with your horse keep C.P.R. in mind!

Now, let’s be honest. Doing round pen work, lead line work and the “basic skills” of communication on the ground and under saddle is a bit boring. Getting a good hindquarter yield is not has much fun as trotting down the trail. Yet, without good communication and body control that trail ride can become a train wreck pretty quickly! No one wants to “fight” for their entire ride to get the horse engaged and focused yet we see it all the time. Wisdom would indicate that before you can read a book you have to know the alphabet. By developing really solid communication and control with your horse – yes, by doing the foundation building exercises and refining of those skills – you set the horse (and you) up for success. So instead of making excuses and to why “your horse won’t do X” take the RESPONIBILITY to ensure your horse has the skills and confidence to succeed by ensuring that the two of you have good communication and control. The result is a good relationship based on clear communication, quiet conversations (soft cues) and confidence/trust. Isn’t having a horse you can trust and who is a pleasure to work with worth progressing through the “boring stuff” so you can get to the “cool stuff?”

Think about that for a moment. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

            There is a quote (and we are just paraphrasing here) that says “Before you can change your horse, you must first change yourself.” Seems pretty straightforward. The flipside of this is “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” So many people fall between these two quotes. They want the horse to improve but do little to improve themselves. They do not allow the change to happen in themselves first. Taking the steps to improve and change takes COURAGE because it creates CHANGE (which is scary because it takes us out of our comfort zone) and CHALLENGES the participant to STEP UP their skills and STOP being ineffective. The process takes focus and dedication. If you really want a better connection with your horse, you have to be willing to CHANGE and face the CHALLENGES needed to take it all to the next level.

            

            As a group we will continue to focus on improving our horsemanship and our communication. There will be opportunities created to improve within a supportive environment. Yet, at the end of the day the responsibility falls to YOU the horse owning human to take advantage of the learning opportunities. You can choose to accept mediocrity and that is fine. Just own it without making excuses why your horse won’t perform as you would like. Or you can be the catalyst for positive change, growth and improvement in your horsemanship by taking responsibility for your progress. 

The choice is yours.

Think about it then decide your trail.

We’ll see you at practices and workshops.

COMMUNICATION & OBSTACLES WORKSHOP

TEACHER’S AIDE AT THE WORKSHOP

Today Cearra (aka: AQHA Toimpressivetonotice) was the “Teacher”s Aide” and demo horse at the Communication & Obstacles Workshop hosted by the Golden State Horsemanship Club. She worked with the instructor on the ground and under saddle. She is ALL the exercises in the review below and gave 100%. Very proud of how far this mare has come in such a short time. By the end of the day she was pretty tired but had a great attitude through it all.

Communication & Obstacles Workshop: A Review

A day like today takes COURAGE because it creates CHANGE and CHALLENGES the participant to STEP UP their skills and STOP being ineffective. The process takes focus and dedication. If you really want a better connection with your horse, you have to be willing to CHANGE and face the CHALLENGES needed to take it all to the next level.

Or you can simply accept mediocrity. Those that participated today chose not be mediocre and brought their focus and hard work. The reward? A MUCH better level of communication with their horses, GOOD FOOD and lots of FUN!

We had a GREAT workshop today! Really got to help folks improve their awareness, understanding and application of clear communication skills. From the round pen to the leadership walk to the trail and obstacle course the participants pushed themselves out their comfort zones and recognized how much they had “muddied the waters” prior to the workshop. Everything from being out of position to the use of pressure and release was covered. Lots of WINS in the round pen for everyone.

Then we moved to doing work on the line. We covered several critical exercises that would be used later in the workshop. Getting the horse moving well off halter pressure and having control of the major body parts was focused on. Not as easy as it sounds! Next was the Leadership Walk where participants worked on the trail course and obstacles helping their horse (and themselves) build a stronger bond, clearer communication and lots of well-earned confidence!

We had more than 10 obstacles laid out on a really fun and challenging trail course to play on. Horses and humans had their hard drives filled. So to digest the lessons of the morning session (and because everyone was hungry) we broke for lunch!

TACO BAR with all the fixings was on the menu. It was darn tasty!

After lunch we saddled up and got to work! A little ground work to make sure everyone was ready and then we did some riding exercises to ensure that we had good communication with our horses and control of the body parts. Then we hit the trail and obstacle course. The GOAL was to use leg and seat cues more than hands/reins in helping the horse navigate the variety of obstacles and terrain. Again, not as easy as it sounds! Everyone worked really hard and showed real improvement during the ride. Very proud of everyone!

There was even a handout!

If you missed it, being a little sad is okay.

We will be hosting another one in late February/ early March.