Mirroring while following the rail

Today we played with some of the same stuff as yesterday. Trying to work with sideways towards the fence for mounting. This didn't seem to go as well today as yesterday. Not sure why. I will try again next time. Also did the figure eight around the barrels online. Did about 6 or more times. On the 6th one Duck did it herself with not as much as a crabby look on her face so I stopped. We then reviewed lead by the mane in the big arena. She didn't want to slow down once I got her moving! By the end I did get a couple steps of backup and her to lead forward one time without having to use the stick for support so I quit there. 

Then I rode bareback with just the savvy string. I decided to try mirroring while doing a follow the rail around the arena at the walk. I think we did this about 20 times! I don't know but it was forever long! She was very unconfident to begin with, always looking outside the arena, even bending her whole body away from it. Also in the far corner she was very high headed and even a bit spooky. I decided just to mirror this as well. It worked! After all those laps around (minus the couple times she totally turned around) she really started getting more relaxed. Even in the far corner to the point that she didn't hardly look out of the arena down there. I know that I tend to be either not enough or too much energy while playing with Duck in general. Today I while mirroring I focused on being aware of how much energy I was using to match hers. I found that most of the time when she was bringing her energy up I still wasn't up enough to match her. So I played with this and then got it as equal as possible. 

It was funny at the end of the session Duck offered me a sideways to the fence to unlatch the gate! I obliged and unlocked it from on top of her (a first) and we backed out of the arena and then grazed our way back to her pasture bareback with just the savvy string! It was pretty cool because I have only recently felt confident enough to ride her out and about alone and she was so different this time, like the exercise really made her more confident. 

Fun stuff!

Mini Circles and the Kiddie Pool

So my goal is to try and pass level 2 before they change everything over in January. I've been stuck in a rut for awhile and so when I went to Savvy Conference I took a DVD for Carol Coppinger (Parelli 5* instructor) to view and give me some feedback! I've had the same 2 tasks to finish since Kira left to go back to Utah over a year ago. Transitions online and 7 games in 7 minutes at liberty. 

So Carol called me the other day and lets just say I was overwhelmed with life in general and this was just one more thing I wasn't doing "right" although she told me NOT to call it right or wrong! Anyway as I already knew Duck is unconfident on the circle to which Carol asked me how she was on the "mini" circle which is just 3 ft of rope. I told her I hadn't played with that with Duck, she was already doing the circling game way before I got or even played with her. So she told me to play with the mini circle and work our way up to the 22 ft line. 

So here is what I found. Ah, she had NO clue at all what I was asking her at first! It took me one 40 minute session that first time to get her to walk ONE lap on the mini circle. Ok major BFO (blinding flash of the obvious!). How had I missed this? Of course it would make perfect sense to start back at the very basic mini circle to gain her confidence on the circle. It was very obvious that she didn't know what I was asking. 

So over the last couple of sessions we have been playing with the mini circle and now we can get 2-3 circles at the trot! I decided yesterday to give the 12 ft line a try. We were able to get 4 laps at a trot at which I stopped!

We also played with a blow up kiddie pool that had Duck snorting and fleeing in all directions! This thing is just a 3 foot transparent blue kiddie pool that was supposed to be used as a liverpool for the barn show but wasn't. Well no one has moved it and it has been sitting outside the edge of the round corral for the last week. Well on one of my sessions with Duck she finally SAW it and about came unglued! Actually I don't know if she so much saw it has heard the sound of sand hit it from going around near it. In any case I have hardly seen her spook with such a right brain reaction so strongly! She did a half rear, jump, run and snort! WOW! So I have been playing approach and retreat with this pool for 2-3 sessions now trying to build her confidence. Yesterday she still had a pretty good spook by it but then was getting to where she would pass it without freaking out. She still will not put her feet on it, although she has touched it with her nose. So it has been a process and probably will continue to be.

I also received my savvy club DVD so played with those ideas a little bit. Leading by the mane and sideways to the fence (which we have done some of before). I just did more of it to help build her confidence. I was sitting on the top rail of the round corral (which is about 6 feet high) and I swear she was going to knock me off there every time she got her head near me! Sneaky or itchy I'm not sure!

So that is my update, I am still playing with the circling. Liberty will be next but we need to work on draw. Now if I could just figure out the basics on that....

More highlights of Savvy Conference

Playing with Barnum and Bailey, the minis with A Hug and A Kiss (the 2 big paints) in the background. Then Amie with Nova and her baby Cassanova. Next is Linda on Remmer taking her dressage lesson from Walter Zeitel. He was such a funny guy and and inspiring to watch as a teacher! WOW! Then there is a picture of Kalley that works at the Atwood Ranch. She is riding one horse and playing with 4 Atwood colts at LIBERTY at one time! She is just phenomenal! I have a distinct lack of words to describe her talent! The last picture is of Amie again (Pat's niece) and Emily Thompson (who both her parents are Parelli instructors) doing their show which they only had 20 minutes to prepare for. It was so cool we didn't find out until after it that they hadn't rehearsed before. I would have never known! Then Pat came out and gave them both their black (level 4) strings. They deserved it, what an awesome pair! I hope to be getting my black string someday (as far off as it may be!)

Savvy Conference Continued!

Pat riding Vision (I think), Thunder and Lightning the draft pair, Amie (Pat's niece) Driving Zeus, One of the instuctors (Lindsay I think) riding Cocomo Joe the mule, and then Linda giving a demo of Left Brain Introverts and Left Brain Extroverts at Liberty with both her horses Remmer and Allure

SAVVY CONFERENCE!!!!!!

Savvy Conference!!! Yeah! I was SO excited to go to Pagosa Springs, Colorado to the home of the heart of the Parelli Program and go to this 3 day Conference. What could be better than 3 days all horses with good friends and great views? Here are some pictures of us. Me and my sister at our cabin. We stayed at Hartland Ranch, which was about 10 miles from the Parelli Center. Very beautiful cabins that make my house look cheap! Then there is the picture of Shay, Tracy, Kris and Jessica all part of our conference gang. This picture was taken at the Parelli Center.



There is a picture of the kitchen of the cabin, it was so pretty! And the bed is the bedroom Kris and I shared. Poor Kris she had to listen to me cough (I had bronchitis while I was on the trip and am still recovering now) the whole time! 

And then there is this cute picture of Jessica and Tracy at the cabin sitting at the table.