Simply amazing!

Today's play time and ride with Prince was simply amazing!! Lets see if I can explain...

After I had haltered Prince we walked over to the fence where my saddle was, there was a 4x4 board lying on the ground so I sent Prince over it then asked him to come sideways towards me and stop so that he was straddling it length ways. It took a couple minutes but we finally got it. After that Prince was riveted to me!! He stayed there while I saddled him. While I was saddling him I would stop every once and a while and rub one of his legs. I wasn't going to pick them up but I just wanted to rub them and then not pick them up so that Prince would be like "she didn't pick them up this time?" He was exactly like that!!!

After I saddled Prince we did some porcupine games. One of the things we worked on was our sideways. Prince will go sideways but not a true sideways because he leaks forward. So we played with that. Then we did a little bit of Touch it. I wanted Prince to touch the ends of the carrot sticks that were leaning on the gate. It took a while but Prince finally figured it out. Prince was trying SO hard to figure out what I wanted. He offered to put his foot on the fence, he was trying everything. Every time his nose got close to the carrot stick handles I relaxed and pretty soon he caught on and put his nose right on it.

Prince was so in tune with me that when we went up to the riding ring I didn't have to play a lot. I just needed to move him around a little to make sure he wasn't going to buck or anything. We did Figure eights at a trot then we went to a canter. Prince did SOOOOO well. He didn't pull on the rope either!! It was beautiful!!

Then we did some sideways over a barrel at the end of the 22ft line. I asked Prince to go part way over then stop. Then we went the other way off. He was totally connected. It was wonderful! Then we did some circles. Prince didn't buck once so that was nice. We got some really nice Change of directions. They were almost perfect!! Our transitions are getting SO much better also. When I relax Prince will slow down and when I pick up my energy Prince will too. Prince is also putting slack in the rope. Even at the canter there is lots of slack in the rope. It is really nice to have him connected to me on the circle and not just running around.

So after that I got on. Prince was so totally amazing!! I didn't use my reins at all [except for right near the end but I will get to that ;)] We started with some follow the rail. We started off at the trot. I am now able to sit Prince's trot really well. It is so nice just to be able to sit it. It also makes downward transitions easier too ;) While we were following the rail we did some transitions. Prince was so in tune with me that all I had to do was relax and he would go from the trot to the walk, then we would walk a little bit then I would relax and we would stop, then we would back up. We did a couple of these. I couldn't believe it!! They were perfect!! I didn't even need to use my savvy string!!

Then we switched to the Million Transitions pattern. Prince was even better!! We didn't really do a lot of those because we had been doing transitions on the Follow the rail. Then I grabbed my other carrot stick and we did some two carrot stick riding. Again Prince was incredible!! We did sideways, trotting, backing up, point to point, follow the rail, and figure eights all with two carrot sticks. Riding freestyle [not using my reins at all] has greatly improved my seat. I am so much more fluid!!!!

Then after that I put both carrot sticks down and we JUMPED the small jump!!!!!!!!!! We did it twice in total, the first time Prince walked up to it and jumped it from a stand still so we knocked both poles over but the second time we got a trotting start and he jumped it perfectly!!!!!!!!!! It was only the second and third time that I have ever jumped. The first time I was riding a friends horse and he jumped a barrel from a stand still and I got whiplash. I wasn't at all expecting it. That was over a year ago. I have been watching how the people [Parelli people ;)] jump and so today I knew exactly what to do and it was really smooth and I didn't get whiplash!! But I would warn you that it does get addicting!! I LOVE IT!!! Prince did a great job too. I can't believe how well our ride went.

Oh and another thing that we did that was REALLY cool was that Prince can now pivot on his hind quarters!!!! We did about 3/4 of a circle and Prince pivoted PERFECTLY!!!!!! Even when I asked him to turn he would pivot. I just have to make sure my weight is in the right place and he will do it.

We didn't ride long. About 30 minutes but both Prince and I were interested the whole time and both of us had a BLAST!!!! Prince was so light and responsive. I didn't think he would be that responsive for a while!! So now the only thing we have to work on is cantering then we can film our Level 3 Freestyle Audition!! But I am not going to rush it. We will do it when we are ready but in the mean time we are going to have a blast riding!!

Now we just need to work on our Liberty and improve that. I think that since our Online is a whole lot better now we will have more success at Liberty. The good thing is that I wouldn't have know where to improve our Online if I didn't try Liberty again. So that is good.

Anyways. That is all for now. I can't wait until I can ride Prince again. It probably wouldn't be again this week because tomorrow I play with Twosox [Lord willing], Friday is the Parelli meet up, Saturday I can't ride because neither of my parents are home and Sunday is church, then Monday is my birthday but hopefully I can ride on my birthday!! That would be cool!

Oh I would just like to say a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to my best friend Lea for passing her Level 2 Freestyle!!!! You are amazing Lea and I love you!!! Check out her blog at http://leapnhjourney.blogspot.com/ 

~K