Prince: A Breakthrough!

July 20 2010

Prince and I had a really good playtime this morning. We started off with Figure eights. They were not very good. Prince was putting a lot of resistance into not doing them. I felt a lot better emotionally then I did yesterday. It wasn't like I was an emotional wreck yesterday but today I was expecting it and I was prepared. At first there didn't seem to be much improvement for after a while or doing the same thing the same way and getting the same results I realized what I might have been doing wrong. I wasn't thinking of it as a game, or at least not 100%. When I would  tag the middle I wasn't seeing it as a game and so Prince wasn't seeing it that way. As soon as I changed my attitude and put more effort into tagging the center Prince started trotting around the ends and we got some really nice figure eights. It was really interesting and eye opening!

After that we did circles. I am so proud of Prince! Our transitions from the trot to the canter are coming a long really nicely! Prince will go into the canter really softly. He wouldn't canter for long, about 1/4 or a circle but he is getting it.... or more like I am getting it!! We did circles going both ways. I made sure that Prince had rhythm, relaxation and connection at the trot first and then we played with transitions. Prince did really well going to the left (his hard side) too! It was so much fun! 

Then we did two line zone 5 driving! At first Prince has his own ideas and wasn't sure that my ideas were any fun, we haven't done it for a while so we were a little rusty. First we played some tit for tat. Your idea, my idea. Then he started getting interested and would maintain gait for longer at the trot and we did some really cool weaves at the trot! Prince was so light! I was farther back (almost at the end of the 22ft lines) and Prince was listening so well! Then we did circles, transitions, change of directions, Touch it and lots of other fun things all from zone 5. Prince was really light and responsive when we ended. It was a great place to end.

Then we did some forequarter and hindquarter yields and some sideways. I asked Prince to go sideways 22ft, without a fence, and while I kept my feet still. Prince put so much effort into it I was shocked! He was matching my energy I guess but it still surprised me! It was really cool! 

After that we spent some time licking and chewing! We both had a lot to think about. It was definitely a good playtime both in what we accomplished and in what we learned! I love the patterns!!

Naturally,

~Keri