Prince: Getting effective.

June 10 , 2011

Prince and I had an great session. I saddled him up at Liberty and then we headed up to the riding ring. We started off with some Touch it on the 45ft line and then moved fairly quickly into circles at the canter. Prince was motivated to move so I wanted to play with that while he was offering it. What we played with mainly was getting quicker responses the moment I asked, not second afterward. Now of course Prince being a LBI has come a long way and is responding with way more effort than he has even given me but I want to raise the bar. 

So we played with this concept for a while. All it really took was a long phase one, quick two, three, four. Prince got it. At a phase one Prince gave me six laps each direction at the canter. First send and with effort!! 

We applied the same concept to our yo-yo's and got some very nice yo-yo's to the end of the 45ft line. Now you may be thinking "How does she know her horse is ready for that?" Well there was something in me that just knew it was time to raise the bar and ask for more, and hey, if you don't try how will you know? I tried and it worked, Prince and I were both ready. But I have tried many other things and they haven't worked so I have gone back to where we were and carried on from there. 

After we were finished that I mounted up. Prince and I did Follow the rail at the walk, trot and canter. Prince had a hard time picking up the correct leads so we cantered and cantered and cantered, with lots of partial disengagements and patience, and slowly but surely Prince got it and was able to canter a complete lap each way on the correct lead. The ends were the hardest because Prince couldn't canter a curve on the wrong lead so he would break gait and then we were start again. He tried and tried and got a long rest at the end that is for sure.

I wanted to ride the Bowtie pattern and we did a little of that but because Prince was having a hard with basic leads I decided to leave that for another day. 

Then we headed down the hill and out the corral gate where we rode circles! Before I played with Prince to hooked up the chain on the gate so that I could undo it while mounted so that Prince and I could continue to play with opening and closing gates. It isn't the best gate to open while mounted because it gets caught on the grass a little bit it is still lots of fun! 

We rode some circles at the trot first and then went into the canter. It took Prince a while to figure out what he was supposed to do and how it was supposed to do it but in the end we got a couple beautiful circles in each direction at the canter, and on the correct leads :) I wasn't being to particular about the shape of the circle because I want to reward the maintain gait first. Prince was really sweaty by the time we finished so I allowed him to graze in the shape for a little while (a very little while because he is supposed to be loosing weight) and then brushed him off and went and trimmed Twosox :) 

Naturally,

~Keri-Lynn

Ruffian: Playing.

June 10, 2011

Well, today promised to be a busy day. My schedule was packed full but I loved every minute! I planned on playing with all three horses this morning. Ruffian was first. The only problem was that the horses weren't in... so Mom and I went out to find them. They were in the field so we played there. Ruffian and I had lots of fun and he was very energetic. 

I started with asking him to put his back feet in a tire. He was doing it but his mind wasn't there. He looked exactly like my little Left Brain Extrovert brother when we were doing simulations the other day :) So we switched to some circles just to allow Ruffian to move his feet! Ruffian liked this very much and so we played with traveling circles, I put different natural obstacles in his way to cause him to think about where he was putting his feet. We did this mostly at the trot and then we played around with cantering. 

Even since Ruffian hurt himself he seems to have a bit harder of the time cantering. So we played with it for a while and eventually Ruffian was able to canter smoothly for about half a lap before I brought him in for a rest. 

I wanted to play with Changes of directions and advance them so we played with those next. Ruffian has a habit of coming on to close when changing direction so I mainly focused on getting zone one and two away from me on the change. This worked well and Ruffian caught on so quickly that there was no need to drill it into him. Once he got it we quit. 

Then we went over to a log and played with jumping it. Ruffian will jump it no problem so we played with jumping it, disengage, snappy send, jump the log again and repeat. At the end Ruffian really got into the pattern and put lots of energy into it! We ended with me asking Ruffian to straddle it on the last time over, which he did on the first try :) 

Next we played with spinning and going. Where you put the rope on the other side of your horse, ask him to follow the feel around (spin) and then send on the circle. Ruffian loved this and in the end we got a really fast spin and a canter send! Ruffian was light and was having fun! 

Then we hung out for a while until Mom was ready to leave and then we unhaltered the horses (Prince and Twosox had already left and went home) and then followed the horses back to the corral. It was so much fun playing with Ruffian and it was great to see him being energetic yet obedient :)

Naturally,

~Keri-Lynn

Twosox: Amazed!

June 8 2011

Wow! I am simply amazed by how well Twosox did today! A friend of ours called to say that she was able to trailer the horses out to her place for a play day so I decided to see if I could take Twosox. I haven't trailered him anywhere in the three years that I have owned him but we have done lots of simulations and once two falls ago we had the chance to play with a trailer for a couple days. So in three years Twosox and I have only played with a trailer once.
 

I got out extra early to play with Twosox before our friend arrived. My plan was to get him confident being in the garage with the big door closed. First we started with playing squeeze games between the fence and the gate. It is one of those normal green gates with a chain on it so it banged around and made lots of noise like the divider in the trailer would do. Twosox stood still and relaxed as I moved it around and made lots of noise. He was a little unsure what to do when I brought the gate up to touch his side but once he knew that it was a friendly game and not a porcupine game he stood still.

Twosox walked right in to the garage through the man door no problem. He was a little unsure but not right brain. There was hay on the floor from where some bales of hay had been so he started eating and was fine. I did lots of simulations with tarps, bags, doors opening and closing, different "scary" noises, you name it we probably did it. 

Twosox was so confident it was really amazing! Then I asked my mom to open and close the big door and get Twosox used to having something big (and noisy) moving behind him. This was the big test and Twosox passed it with flying colours! He was alert but not bothered by it at all!! 

We also played with me standing outside the garage door and sending Twosox in and getting him to stand straight and not turn around. Twosox did very well with that and was able to confidently, at phase one, go into the garage by himself with the big door closed. 

So then he just followed me around as I carried stuff out and then the trailer arrived! Twosox wasn't bothered by the trailer backing down the road and so we just stood by it for a little while as Mom was playing with Knightly and Twosox was calm. I scratched some itchy spots and made him feel really comfortable being around it. 

When it was our turn I decided to climb in the trailer and ask Twosox in that way. Not that I was going to end there but just to get him used to it. Twosox put zone one, two and part of three in and checked out the trailer then I backed him out and we started again. In no time at all Twosox was all the way in the trailer and standing confidently. Once we were sure it was okay I stood up front and our friend did some approach and retreat with the bar at the back. Twosox did so well and didn't have any issues with it being back there. 

Just to make sure he wasn't going to push on it we waited to see how he would respond once he felt it. He shifted his weight back, felt the bar and came off the pressure confidently and relaxed. It was great!! So then the next step was to see what he was like with the ramp coming up. Just like with the garage door he was alert but not scared. Everything progressed so smoothly that thirty minutes after the trailer pulled in the driveway both horses were loaded and Twosox was actually asleep in the trailer :) 

I walked beside the trailer for the first hundred feet or so just to make sure that Twosox was okay, he was just fine. The whole trip when smoothly and without any problems. 

Twosox slipped a little on the ramp while we were unloading the horses but other than that it was a breeze. He looked around a little and then started grazing completely calm and relaxed! I couldn't believe it! Here is my RBI in a totally new environment for the first time in three years and he is calm, cool and collected. It was really amazing! I was shocked! 

After grazing a little we went into the arena and explored it. Nothing bothered Twosox. He offered to jump the big log, check out the barrels, walk to between the standing up tires and check out the pedestal. We did falling leaf and traveling circles to the other end and back again and Twosox trotted nicely around. He was calm and curios.

We played on the 22ft line a bit and got a beautiful  three quarters of a lap at a canter!! Our changes of directions and transitions were smooth, sideways was soft and responsive, yo-yo's were light, everything was great and we were both having lot of fun! 

Next I decided to saddle up. I was prepared not to ride as I wasn't sure how Twosox would handle the new environment but he was so relaxed that I decided to take it one step at a time and just see what happened.


Since Twosox hasn't been saddled in a while I was pretty sure he would buck so we started off at the walk and trot, which were both fine until he went over the small log and he started bucking I wasn't quite prepared for it so I ended up letting go of the rope. Twosox came back to me afterward so we carried on and he didn't buck again. He just has to get used to the back cinch again and then he is fine.


We did some circles and changes of directions, jumping the small and big log and then headed into the round corral so play with cantering. I felt that the big arena was to big for us to successfully get the canter on the circle so the round corral was a great option. Twosox didn't canter a lot but enough for me to know that he wasn't going to buck.


Then we played with the green ball. I made sure to make it a game and Twosox caught on quickly and we even got up into the trot! He was asking loads of questions!


Then I took the halter off and we played at Liberty. We haven't play in a round corral at Liberty in..... well... a long time! So we had a lot of fun and Twosox was amazing! He was so connected! We started off doing Stick to me a long the fence. Twosox did really well, going when I went, stopping when I stopped etc. The trot was a little harder. I wanted to let him figure out what I was asking and not put to much pressure on him because he was trying. So we played with walk - trot transitions until Twosox knew what I wanted and was confident.


After that we played with pushing the ball a little. Twosox didn't put a whole lot of effort into pushing it so I would allow him to go past the ball but then either ask him to trot a circle around the round corral and come back to it or I would disengage his hindquarters quickly and resend him with a playful tag and then relax when he was at the ball. Both strategies worked well and Twosox figured out what to do and pushed the ball around the round corral with effort!


We got some really nice draw on the yo-yo at the trot, sideways, bouncing the ball in all five zones and on Twosox, and then we did some circles. Twosox was really connected, I was surprised! It truly is amazing how having a strong Online can really effect Liberty! Really this was our first Liberty session in a round corral. We have played at Liberty in our riding ring at home but it is to big and Twosox gets lost.


After that we took a rest and allowed Twosox to graze a little then I mounted up. We started in the round corral and checked our lateral flexions, direct and indirect rein and then followed the rail at the walk and trot. Then we opened the gate and went into the big arena, opening and closing that gate as well. We did some follow the rail at the walk and trot and then I decided to ride the Cloverleaf pattern. At first it wasn't very good at all. Twosox could trot a fairly straight line so that was encouraging but we had to play a lot with it until he was starting to get the pattern. Then we rested in the middle, at X.


After a rest we went in the other direction. This time Twosox understood the pattern better so it didn't take as long. Our turns got better and we went deeper into the corners, and our lines got straighter. I dismounted after we finished riding this pattern, unsaddled and went and got the horses some water. We (Twosox and I) had to walk up to the house to find out where to get it. Twosox saw the cows and stopped in his tracks. He stared at them for the longest time, and that was when they were on the other side of the field! On out way back one was getting a drink of water at the trough and we walked right past it... maybe Twosox has some cow in him? ;)


Then after I ate lunch (as Twosox grazed) we played with the trailer. Twosox was confident going in but after a couple minutes he would back out. So we played with that and with in a couple minutes I could stand outside the trailer and send him in and he would go in all the way and stand there for a long time. The bugs were not as bad in there so that helped also. He had a nice nap while I watched Mom ride Knightly. Twosox stayed in the trailer for at least 20 minutes completely loose, he wasn't tied or shut in and he was comfortable :)


Loading up to go home went smoothly. Twosox loaded up no problem he was giving green lights right, left and center. So it only took us about 10 minutes to max to load both horses, load the tack and be driving out.


I am so proud of Twosox and it is really nice knowing that he can be trailered and is confident about it all.


Naturally,
~Keri-Lynn

Prince: Sideways on the 45ft line and Bridling: Day Five

June 6, 2011

Prince and I had a really great session this morning. We played on the 45ft line again and mainly played with getting sideways to the end of the line while I kept my feet still. This was a lot of fun. Prince and I are playing with getting snappier responses from farther distances, so case in point, while going sideways Prince will get about 22ft and then start slowing down and at about 25ft he stops. Normally I would just go up my phases until he moved off again but today I decided to try something a little more fun and provocative and something that would really get Prince to want me to stay at phase one. 

So with Prince starting in front of me I asked him to go sideways. He started off really nicely and put great speed into it, but like usual his speed slowly faded until he stopped this time though I got a sneaky look on my face got really mentally intense and then ran towards Prince's zone three twirling my carrot stick and savvy string... Prince got out of there pretty quick. He didn't go sideways exactly but he moved over with effort so I rewarded that and then we went again. 

It took only two times and then all I had to do was get that look on my face when Prince started slowing down and he would pick up speed again and go sideways to the end of the 45ft line at phase one, while I kept my feet still the whole while. Prince is so clever ;) 

By this time the bugs where getting bad so we ended with a beautiful yo-yo to the end of the 45ft line. I used the same strategy as with the sideways and Prince knew what to do :) The look on his face while he was backing out was great! He was interested! 

We then headed down to the garage where we bridled. Like last day I didn't have to use any honey on the bit. Prince saw me holding the bridle and getting it ready and he started reaching for it and stretching to get the bit in his mouth! It was really cool! I did the bridle up and then scratched his itchy spots and did some lateral flexions which we very light. I decided to switch the reins from the small rings to the big rings and see how Prince did with those. He was fine and seemed to like them also. 

The bugs were to bad to ride so we finished shortly after that and went back to the corral. It was a fun, but short, session but definitely let us with lots of licking and chewing to be done :)

Naturally,

~Keri-Lynn 

Twosox: Finding relaxation in zone five.

June 6, 2011

Twosox and I had a really revealing session this morning. We ended up focusing our whole session on zone five driving with one rein. We started with this as we entered the riding ring and right away I noticed that (1) Twosox wasn't really relaxed and (2) because he wasn't relaxed he wasn't in tune with me and connected. So I basically did a passenger lesson from zone five. I matched Twosox's energy and walked with him because he need to move his feet (being a Right Brain Introvert he doesn't need to move fast, just move) I didn't want to shut him down because that wouldn't help, it would only cause him to get confused because he wasn't connected in the first place. 

It took a while before I felt that Twosox was gaining more relaxation so I would just put a slight amount of pressure on the rope suggesting that Twosox stop. The first couple times he didn't understand what that pressure meant so we played with it until he started thinking "slow down" and then I would release and start over again. This took quite a bit of time but in the end it was completely worth it because Twosox started gaining more and more confidence and relaxation and by the time we ended we were able to do halt - walk - halt - back up transitions with one rein and Twosox was relaxed and left brain. 

Part way through I started to guide him just a little here and there and getting him more confident about being guided and keeping me in zone five. This went really well so we ended and both had a bit lick and chew! 

One thought that crossed my mind was how similar Twosox and I are personality/horsenality wise. It is almost scary! But at the same time it is fascinating because when I think about how I feel and would like to be treated when I am unconfident or worried, that is how I should most likely treat Twosox! It is really cool!

Twosox had a huge lick and chew afterward and let go of a lot of adrenaline. Then I unhaltered and we spend some undemanding time before heading over to the gate at liberty and then I let him out. But he stayed at the gate with me for a little longer before we went down the hill together and I got ready to play with Prince. 

Naturally,

~Keri

Prince: Bridling: Day Three & Four

Day 3 ~ June 1, 2011

Today went very well! Prince is really starting to get this pattern, and like it! We yo-yo'ed to the end of the forty-five foot line and I only had to go to a higher phase (higher than phase one) about three times. I really made sure that I had my phases clear and always went back to phase one when Prince tried. Rewarding the slightest try! 

Then to change things up a little we circles at the trot with changes of directions. Prince found the rhythm, relaxation and connection really quickly and offered a nice, slow trot.

Than we did a traveling circle over to the drive way and did Figure eights around the basketball net (it had fallen over with the high winds) and the hockey net, yes we are a family that likes our sports :), that went well. At first I allowed Prince to check the two objects out and then we started the Figure eight. It was a little messy at first but then Prince figured out what we were doing and you could tell that it "clicked" because the Figure eight got smooth, Prince maintained gait around both ends, and he was asking loads of questions! We ended with a long trot draw across the yard and then we went and played with bridling. 

I bridled and unbridled two time and on the third time Prince reached for the bit and picked it up almost by himself! I love patterns! Horses get them so quickly! I found some big itchy spots and we had a huge scratching session :) Then we did the lateral flexions which went better than expected! Prince was light and had positive reflexes right from the start. He wasn't mouthing the bit at all!

Since those went so well I decided to mount up and check them Freestyle. I had my halter on and looped my lead rope through  my belt so that I could use that if I needed to and only use the bridle for lateral flexions. Prince was light and everything from the ground carried over to the riding. After we got a few really soft lateral flexions on both sides, and with Prince having no opposition reflex, I dismounted and allowed Prince to graze for a while. Then we headed back into the corral and got some relief from the bugs :)

Day 4 ~ June 2, 2011

Today was definitely the best day yet. Day four!! Prince backed out the gate and all the way to the end of the forty-five foot line and I only had to get to phase four once, which was a fairly light phase four, he got a little stuck at about the thirty foot mark as he still is not one hundred percent sure if he is supposed to stop or continue backing up. But then he figured it out and backed up to the end with lightness! 

Then we went and played with circles at the canter. I was just looking for a couple with rhythm, relaxation and connection. It took a while because we haven't done them in quite some time but eventually Prince found all three aspects that I was waiting for and I brought him in for a rest. What really helped in the end was making sure that I was focused and at first I was trying different things that have helped in the past, to help Prince find that connection, but in doing that I wasn't sticking to one long enough for Prince to really find it. So when I determined the length of rope that I was going to give Prince and then waited he found the connected almost immediately. It was eye opening! 

Prince had the rhythm ninety-five% of the time which was really amazing for him! He cantered at least fifteen  laps straight without breaking gait, he just didn't have that last one quarter of the circle connected. We also got some really nice flying lead changes in both directions with which I was really pleased.

After that we went and played with bridling. The really cool part is that I didn't even need to put any honey on the bit for Prince to pick it up! I was going to but right after I put the reins over Prince's head to keep them out of the way he was looking at the bit and reaching for it so I figured why not?!? If he really wants it so I offered it to him and sure enough, Prince took the bit right away and of course, got lots of treats afterward :) Sometimes we can make things so much harder and more complicated than they should be!!

I bridled Prince one more time after that and again Prince took the bit with no honey and this time it was really smooth! He lowered his head and softly took the bit into his mouth and then turned to me for his treat :) He is so clever! Then I did everything up. Prince hardly seemed bothered by the bit at all! Then we played with lateral flexions and holding them for longer. We got up to forty-five seconds on each side which was really amazing! A couple times hear the beginning Prince would go to move his head back but then feel the pressure from the bit and yield to it, which is exactly what I am looking for when he feels that pressure. I made sure to keep my hand steady and consistent to that he knew I wasn't pulling but it was him that "ran into" the pressure.

That all went well so I mounted up and we did the same thing. Prince was just as good as he was Online so after we got a couple lateral flexions I tried some indirect rein, which went really well!! Prince was fantastic and knew exactly what to do, thanks to them being really soft Freestyle and without a bit. I rewarded the first step that was soft and with no brace (it was the first step Prince gave me!!) and then after a lick and chew I decided to see if we could walk around and do a porcupine game and gently guide zone one around. This went marvelously well and Prince was soft and yielded to the bit with positive reflex verses the opposition reflex we have had so much of before. We did not do a whole lot as I just want to test it and see where it was at and I want to feed Prince with spoonfuls not shovelfuls :)

After that we checked out our lateral flexions again and did a couple more indirect rein (rewarding the slightest try) and then I dismounted. What a wonderful ride! It was simple yet so good!!

I allowed Prince to graze for a little while and then we headed back to the corral. We ended with a good scratching session and then I headed inside.

Onto day five!

Naturally,
~Keri

Prince: Bridling: Day One & Two

Okay so for the last two days I have done basically the same pattern with Prince in each session (adding a little bit of variety each time of course) but the basic pattern looks something like this: 

- Halter, scratch itchy spots etc

- Back out the gate (first day on the 12ft line second on the 45ft line) to the end of the rope and then I allowed Prince to graze for a little bit. Then we went over to the drive way (Yesterday, day two, was in the garage because of the bugs) and we played with creating positive patterns regarding the bridle. After that we went out, I allowed Prince to eat a little bit more and then headed back to the corral. 

That is the overview, each day looked something like this :) 

Day 1, May 30, 2011

This, being day one, I decided to keep things fairly short bridling wise and not do a whole lot other than the basic. Prince came over to me and so after I haltered him and scratched him for a while we backed out the gate (like I mentioned above) and we played the game, you back out to the end of the rope and then you can graze, Prince put a lot of effort into backing up and we ended up backing up all the way across the from yard (about 80ft), after some shorter yo-yo's of course. 

Here is my new strategy for bridle, I talked to a three star Parelli instructor yesterday and got some great advice, after guide the bit into Prince's mouth give him lots of cookies or treats, one or two isn't enough for some horses, some will need ten or maybe even more until they start seeing the bit and being bridled as a good thing. Also it will help counter-balance Prince not liking me asking him to yield to the pressure of the bit, even the slightest amount the next time he will want nothing to do with the bit. Since I didn't have cookies (planning on making some soon) I cut up some carrots and used them, Prince isn't used to getting carrots for a treat so it was extra special! 

Today all I did was bridle Prince four times, each time I did the same thing, guided the bit in, put it on loosely and then gave Prince lots of treats than unbridled. On the forth time Prince knew what was going to happen (he likes those carrots!) and he reached right for the bit and took it right in his mouth right away, didn't even bother to lick the little bit of honey off of it, so I gave him extra carrots, scratched some more itchy spots and then unbridled and allowed Prince to graze for a little bit before going back to the corral. 

Once Prince is more accepting of the bit going in and all I will start just doing lateral flexions and getting those really good. Once that is going well... well I am not exactly sure what I am going to do next. I will figure that out then :) But for now I know what my goal is and I want each session to end with both Prince and I feeling like winners! 

Day 2, May 31, 2011

Day two!! Today was interesting because the horseflies where out in full force (they about 10x bigger this year also) and it was 35 C. (95 F.) at 8:00pm... so it was hot!! I was hoping to ride Prince a little and play with opening and closing the gate (my youngest brother and I fixed it yesterday evening so it now can swing) but since the horseflies where biting something fierce we were fortunate enough to even be able to play with bridling! 

We were able to back all the way out to the end of the 45ft line and Prince grazed for a couple seconds before we made a V-line for the garage where the bugs wouldn't be so bad. We only had about 4ft (if that) of space because we have hay in there right now but Prince was a champ and we got relief from the bugs! 

Bridling went fairly well. On the third bridle I decided to do the bridle up. As soon as I did the chin strap up Prince's mouth went completely quiet! Hmmm.... that is interesting! Prince was still a little bothered by the bit though so I found a really, I repeat REALLY  big itchy spot and scratched, and scratched and scratched! Prince was enjoying that so much that he completely forgot about mouthing the bit and lifted his hind leg up way  high and completely enjoyed it. 

Then what I did next was I would lift up the reins and run my hand down it (like in level one you start your lateral flexions) and I kept doing that until Prince tipped his nose (or even ear) towards me. I rewarded the slightest try and then I would drop the reins (like they were hot) and then scratch the itchy spot again. Pretty soon Prince figured out what to do and I would pick the reins up and run my hand down the rein once and Prince would bring his head around the whole way. 

We ended there are it was getting windy and it looked like it might rain plus it was getting late and I needed to get some other chores done before going inside. I decided to do the other side tomorrow.

Prince grazed for a little bit before we went back to the corral, the other horses had left so we didn't spend to long grazing. I unhaltered Prince and he stayed with me for a little while before heading off to find the other horses. 

I was really pleased with how session two went and hopefully tomorrow we can build on today. I am thinking about purchasing a snaffle bit and bridle from Parelli.com, another thing that the Parelli instructor I talked to suggested. But I am going to give this a little longer to see if I can save $200 and just use my Cradle Bridle. But I am willing to do what Prince needs, we shall see :) 

Naturally,

~Keri