Preparing for L3 Riding

It is time for me to become more conscious of the cues that I'm using while mounted.

I tend to ride intuitively - more from 15+ years of pre-PNH muscle memory and reflex then from any systematic awareness of what I trying to achieve and how to go about helping my horse to succeed. This has been ok for puttering on little trail rides in L2 style, however Guinness & I seem to be progressing past this despite ourselves.

This evening, after playing liberty porcupine & driving, I decided to tack G. up with a bareback pad and halter/rope. We played with trying to figure out what I was asking him to do with just my shifting focus, my weight, and using my thighs to cue him. (I didn't pick up the reins at all except when I needed to help him to figure out that I was asking him to back up.) Wow, how revealing..

He was very eager to earn his treats (Blue Seal hay stretcher pellets) and acted just like a kid playing charades. Turns out that when I stop to think about it, I'm not all that clear about the cues that I'd like to teach him for certain behaviors. I intend to use the Parelli system, especially since one step builds upon another to form a comprehensive, well-thought-out whole. I've absorbed most of the overt cues over my years stuck in L1/2 limbo, but my vision of how to progress from here is muddy!

My intent is to go back to the pocket guides for the old PNH video packs to get clear about what I am trying to achieve. (I realize that some of this information has been updated, however they are still excellent well-written resources.) I'm going to aim to teach 1 or 2 behaviors at a time as a continuation of what we are playing with on the ground in short, sweet sessions. I'm also going have some L3/4 friends watch me ride in order to help me sort things out.

Tonight, my homework is to read "Chapter 12: Working Under Saddle" in the clicker training book, Getting to Yes by Sharon Foley!

4/4 Time

Over the last four days, I've somehow managed to play with Guinness a little on the ground four times in a row. This is truly amazing since it has been months since we've had time together. During one recent stretch, I sat on him twice (once on a trail ride, and once bareback for 15 min. in the rain) during a 5 WEEK stretch of time.. I'm pleased that we made it to the ACTHA ride last weekend and survived. ;-)

Here is a little of what we've done over the past few days:

10/21: Intended to play with Fig 8s, and instead played with circles on & off line. Once at liberty, Guinness left on the send, but I waited and he came around as if nothing had happened. ;-) Walking was good. Tried changing directions with he broke gait at a trot and darned if it didn't improve his motivation! Also played with sideways toward & away, the pedestal, and jumping. It was a good session.

10/22: I visited with two friends, and then arrived home around 9:30 pm. Played with Guinness' "energy bubble" while we watched Smokey finish his dinner. I can see the wheels in his brain turn as he works out how to move his body sideways toward me from either side. He can easily do it when I'm to his left, but has to flip everything mentally when I'm on his right and it shows! Too funny. We also played with spins at liberty while in the run-in (close quarters).

10/23: Went out into the back field (more like a dry lot) to goof off for a few minutes. No halter or rope. Just a stick & treat pouch. Played with gesturing and then waiting for G. to figure out what I was asking for - with treats to reinforce "yes." Oh what fun!! He circled at a brisk walk with changes of direction. He sidepassed over objects both toward and away from me, with just a gesture of my near hand over his back. He backed up like a champ with me 20 ft away in Zone 5 with me lifting my hands high to wave him back. Slow spins are merely an extension of what he already knows..

Afterward, when handling Smokey & Cody, I really realized how differently Guinness responds to me. There is almost no resistance to my requests to change direction, to move specific parts of his body, or to slow down or stop. Plus, only one time *ever* has he offered to walk a few steps away from me as I approached him (when Smokey was telling him to avoid me in order to keep eating some yummy grass in my front yard). However, he does sometimes think twice before following me into "danger" (ie; the river) and he doesn't respond much when I ask him to go faster (probably due to operator error).

My level 3/4 buddy Alyssa has agreed to play with us to give us some feedback in these areas and to help me to progress my riding. I am now officially in uncharted territory in terms of my knowledge and skills. It is simultaneously intimidating & liberating..

Our 2nd ACTHA ride & sideways toward!

Hi folks. I'm so happy to have a chance for a blog update! Life has been NUTS for me since starting my new job full time..

Last Saturday, Guinness and I participated in our first *judged* American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) ride at the Horse Center in Lexington, VA. (The first time that we rode in an ACTHA ride, it was an unjudged "buddy ride.") We rode with our friends Diane & Ivan and Joanne & Noble.

Here is a list of obstacles & how we did:

• cross a deadfall of logs & pause straddling the last one - G did great!
• dismount on the off-side and remount from the off-side using a bench - great!
• cross a small shallow pond - per the rules, I didn't allow him to nose the water, so he said "forget it" and we maxed out our time without him setting one foot into it..
• walk up an embankment and then down again - G went RBE over the sight of some horses on a ridge line about 1/4 mile away. I still got him up the embankment, but had to dismount after that to help him work through his feelings.
• weave at a gait through a line of pumpkins and halt at the last one - G did fine, but I forgot to halt until a horse length past - oops.

He nicely trotted in-hand for the final lameness check. Then I gave him some "tea", brushed him, and put him loose in the trailer to munch hay while looking out of the windows.

After lunch, I put him on a 22' line and reapproached the water obstacle. This time, I clicked/treated (with mints - a first) as he neared the water and within 5 minutes he was willingly cantering circles through it to earn a mint! He was energetic but didn't spook at anything (seemed more LBE at the time). I allowed him to graze a while, then we loaded up and headed home without incident. Loading is a complete non-issue. :-)

I've inserted some photos of the event. Plus, click here for a slideshow! (Photos 269-273+ depict Guinness refusing the water obstacle.)

Almost as fun, was the opportunity to play horsey in my own backyard this evening before dark. It has been MONTHS since I've done this..

I went out to the roundpen with a fanny pack filled with Guinness' dinner. I stood in neutral until Guinness "found" me, than I closed the rope gates to keep the other horses out. Guinness looked hard at me and looked as though he wanted to play circling game, so I gestured for him to circle. He eagerly walked around and I strategically clicked to tell him that he was on the right track. Once he passed my shoulder on the 2nd lap, I brought him in and fed him a little feed from my hand. We repeated this on the other side. I was *really* impressed because it has been almost 3 MONTHS since we played with this at liberty!! Click here to read about the last time.

Next, I decided to play with a very light driving game - more like gesturing to him and him interpreting what I meant and earning periodic treats after a series of multiple clicks. So awesome!

I decided that it was time to try something new: Sideways toward me. Easy as pie with clicker training; it took all of about 5 minutes!! All I did was to stand parallel to him facing the same direction as him. I started by crossing my legs and stepping sideways toward him, as he moved sideways away from me.

Next, I draped the string over his back near his flank, and stepped away from him in the exact manner as before. I could see the wheels turning in his brain. As his front end moved toward me, I clicked/treated. Then I gestured a tiny bit with the stick on the off-side at the flank and his rear stepped toward me - click/treat. After about 3 tries, his whole body was moving sideways toward me! We repeated this about 5 times and ended with a jackpot in his food bowl.

Guinness was very pleased with himself. I will be sure to never reward this behavior without my having cued it first, since I don't want to teach him to crowd me. This is why I've waited until he was really responsive to teach it. Yippee!

Guinness has now been seriously "under saddle" for about six and 1/2 months. It is so easy to take it for granted now that we are riding.

I am so grateful to have him in my life. Rockies Rule!!

Time Management & Tools

My new job has now officially gone full time, so I'm now experiencing time constraints like I haven't in years. I'm so grateful for having had the opportunity to play intensively with Guinness from April to July. It has really allowed us to establish him as a useful riding horse!

I've booked a standing date on Friday evenings in a friend's lighted arena for as long as the weather cooperates (end of November?). Early next spring, Guinness & I will probably sign up for more practice sessions in the indoor arena of our local riding stable. My goal is for us to be prepared to participate in Carol Coppinger's L3-4 camp in Bristol next May!

Lots has been happening over the past couple of months. The biggest one is that I coordinated our local fair's horseshow for the first time. It was a blast & a great way to expose local folks to applied Natural Horsemanship. I promise to blog more about it.

I've also discovered a wonderful tool called a "jumping hackamore." I purchased mine from Amazon. (See the photo at the top of this page.) Since I've never ridden Guinness in a bit, and ACTHA prohibits riding in a halter, this has been the perfect solution! It is even milder than riding in a rope halter (which hasn't been an issue for us), and provides instant release unlike my experience with bitless bridles.

Also, have you guy noticed what a great value the "Get Started" equipment kit is on the Parelli website? $60 for a stick, string, halter and 12' rope (Savvy Club price). My stuff is finally wearing out (8 years later) and I'm thinking of springing for one or two of these!

Well, that is it for now. I'm planning to take Guinness on a little hike this afternoon, so I'd better get moving. We have signed-up for another ACTHA ride next Saturday! :-)

My Life..

Hi folks. I just wanted to update you on what is up with my life and why I haven't been blogging (or reading my email)!

About 6 weeks ago, I accepted an exciting almost FT job. Now, I'm working this in addition to helping with our family's small business. Consequently, we've enrolled our son into private school (a huge transition from homeschooling).

Wow. Lots of life changes!! Today, I got to sit on Guinness for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks. (We went for a fun little trail ride with some friends.)

I have lots to blog about and hopefully will have some time soon. :-)

Learning Together

This afternoon, I found a little time to play with Guinness. It started off with my husband climbing onto the roof of the run-in to clean out the gutter. Guinness stood in absolute amazement as my husband scaled the ladder and began to walk on the tin roof (with associated bangs and thumps). Guinness took turns standing just behind be and staring, or nonchalantly hanging out inside the run-in as I groomed & scratched him. It was *very* interesting to observe his reactions. I wish that I'd had a camera..

This morphed into a liberty clicker training session in the paddock where we mostly played with posing, and turns on the forehand. "Posing" is when Guinness parks-out and holds his neck arched, head lowered, and lips away from me! He is totally getting the hang of this and is very proud of himself.

For "turns on the forehand" I decided to try break the task down into parts that I could more easily convey to him. He has the idea to yield his HQ down pat, but doesn't get that he needs to keep his inside front foot still. I found a piece of rubber mat and asked him to put his foot on it. Then I asked for his HQ to move over one step while keeping his foot on the mat (I stood in zone 3 with my stick in my inside hand pointed toward his nose, while my outside hand reached around to press gently on his side and I looked at his HQ. It worked really well! We played with me on his left side today. For the Fair next weekend, he is supposed to be able to keep one foot in a hula-hoop for this task. I don't know if I can get him ready in time for that or not..

After a while, I was getting tired of playing in the paddock, but he was still happy to be with me, so I tacked him up with his bareback pad and halter/lead rope. I brought him out of the paddock and into the front yard, where I pulled up a plastic chair to mount and then allowed him to graze. (Smokey called and called to him, but thankfully Guinness didn't seem to pay him much attention.)

Eventually, I directed him to a recently mowed path through the woods. I practiced asking him to walk by lifting my reins, bringing up my life, moving my rear to suggest a walk, and then clicking him when he was on the right track. I was careful not to escalate my cues and not to use my lower leg except to steer him. Once he'd willingly walked several paces, I would halt him with my seat and then cue him to eat (by pressing on his main near his withers). We also played with trotting and cantering in the same manner.

I love the idea of using grass as the "green carpet of motivation" and it really works! Plus, by putting his grazing under saddle on a cue, it seems to have reduced his determination to argue with me about it and instead to seek to gain it as a reward. I used almost no rein during this ride except for a few times to rate his speed by lifting one rein or to reinforce a halt cue (again using one rein). This was really the first time that I have consciously used CT to reinforce gait and speed cues. For this (and other tasks) I click with my tongue periodically to signal that he is doing the correct thing (when he seems to be hesitant), and then I multi-click when he has earned a treat. It is working great - no resistance from him at all.

One of the most important things to me about today's session was that I played approach and retreat with my OWN anxiety about riding at home! I know that this sounds silly, but I'm way more comfortable and have had much more practice riding Guinness elsewhere. At home, things tend to get in the way of my riding, plus I have baggage associated with Smokey getting herdbound and going RBE (my least favorite state of horse brain). (See previous post "Backyard Bravery" - I haven't ridden at home since I posted it on May 31st..) Guinness was actually more comfortable with this than I was and we had a great time looping around out in the woods for about a half hour.

Afterward, I slid off over his rump and sat on the ground as he grazed on tender grass behind the barn. Eventually, I lay down and dozed and looked at the clouds & trees as he munched and stood guard several feet away. At the time it occurred to me that this was a very herdmate-like thing to do together. I often see one horse laying down on the field while a buddy acts as a lookout. I even crawled UNDER him for the first time. :-)

When I returned him to his pasture, I went with him to the dusty spot and suggested that he roll, which I did with him. What a fun afternoon!

****************

PS - I'm reading a new book: Reaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor (author of "Don't Shoot the Dog" - recently recommended reading by Pat Parelli). I'm sure that I will be posting more about it soon. So far, it is totally fascinating.

PPS - Guinness won 2nd in that little trail class competition last week and we took home a basket of *wonderful* homegrown tomatoes for our efforts.

PPPS - Just watched this clip and loved it. Especially that last part with the bowing and laying down!

Turns on the Forehand

This evening, just before dark, I decided to play with Guinness with emphasis on practicing turns on the forehand. In preparation, I chopped up some carrots and bagged up his dinner, then went to the roundpen to wait for him.

After a few minutes, as I was dozing, he briskly walked over to the roundpen and stared at me. I invited him in and he offered circling game. I encouraged him to walk around me and he did 3 laps in both directions, no problem.

Next, I asked him to do a little sideways over an object. He has the sideways down, but doesn't get the "over an object" part yet. He tends to trample all over it. We need to practice more with barrels..

Then we approached a large pink hula-hoop with the intention of eventually having him turn on the forehand with one foot planted within the hoola-hoop. Fortunately, the rattly noise didn't bother him a bit. We practiced with me in zone 3, lifting the rope with my inside hand, turning and looking at his HQ, and porcupining him a little with my outside hand. He would swing around well, but a bit too quickly. Next time, I'm going to have him take one step and then stop (repeat).

We played with the same task mounted and I got him to pretty much plant his inside front foot, however he was still too quick to be precise.

When I asked him to back up, he offered me a lovely parade-style rear, which cracked me up. However, I didn't dare click it or he'd be offering it to be every time! I think that I must have cued him too strongly considering that I was sitting directly on him bareback without a pad..

After walking forward a bit, I dismounted and asked him to sidepass over some cones (laying down). Eventually, he did it pretty well and he won his grain.

In hindsight, I think that the carrot pennies that I took out for treats today were too yummy for him to concentrate well. I need to go back to cheerios.

Tomorrow evening is the final trail obstacle class and I believe that there will be a little competition. We'll see how it goes!