Oh What A Feeling!

I am just giddy. There's no other way to describe it. Giddy as a school girl.

I wasn't going to ride last night. After my Pilates session, I'm usually pretty wiped out. When I arrived at the barn, another boarder was there and the company incentivized me to pull out my horse.

We started with a fantastic ground warm-up. We played a little on-line and then moved to liberty. I had so many fantastic moments, I could go on for days describing each of them. One of the coolest things, Cricket offered a flying lead change on a liberty circle in the open arena. Too freakin' cool!

I pulled out my saddle and asked Cricket to stand for saddling. Advancing our saddling friendly is one of my current "sub goals." She stood stock still. Never moved a foot. My pony girl ROCKS!

Mounted up and did our "hurry up and wait." Nice relaxation. Headed out on the rail at the walk. She was soft and easy so I transitioned her up to the trot. Soft, cadenced and relaxed. We did a circuit or two and she just felt wonderful. And the moment was right and my horse felt connected and we came around the corner and I just asked for the canter. She picked up the canter and we cantered down the rail on the right (as in correct and right fore) lead. Downward transition not the most graceful but who the hell cares! More trotting and then a right lead canter that took us most of the way around the arena.

Back to the trot, change directions. The left bend. My current Achilles heel. Decided to go back to the Question Box. Only one problem - the pattern had been disassembled. No worries. I found the middle, where the box used to be and stopped. I asked Cricket to trot out to the rail and follow the rail around back to the imaginary box. All systems go. Out at the trot, through the "box" and ask for the canter. Easy upward transition into the canter onto the correct lead.

We finished with a little trotting and walking. More on our program of "gate friendly." With only one correction on a totally freestyle rein, Cricket stood while I swung the gate back and forth. She protested slightly when I asked her to walk off from the gate. I need to work that one out and I have some ideas.

Our only "issue" the whole session is Cricket's attitude about being on-line. She just doesn't like it. And I'm not sure what to do about it. Cantering on the 22' she gives me a choppy, four-beat canter. It's ugly. At liberty it's a soft, forward three-beat movement. Same under saddle. So what's up with the on-line thing? I think I know but I"m not sure how to fix it. Might be something to address with Carol when I'm at camp.

So my big realizations: I'm not afraid and Cricket's canter now feels like just another gait. How cool is that?!

The Game of the Game

Horsenality is not an excuse. It is a piece of information that gives us a strategy.

~ Pat Parelli, The Game of the Game, Mastery Lesson, Issue 1

I've been off in my program with Cricket. No worries, I'll just pick it back up. I spent last night watching the first Mastery Lesson. Wow!

The first lesson, entitled "The Game of the Game" was about the circle game. But not just about sending your horse in a circle. It was about offering the horse choices so she could be an active participant in finding the circle and playing the game. Towards the end of the lesson, Pat talks about the mare's horsenality and the results of the session. And the above quote struck me.

Horsenality is not an excuse. It is a piece of information that gives us a strategy.

It is rare that I will make excuses for Cricket based on her innate introversion. In so many ways, she defies the LBI - to the point I think she is more on the cusp of extroversion than previously thought. But how often do I use her horsenality to shape my strategy towards any given goal or task?

As a LBI, Cricket needs puzzles to solve and she needs to feel clever. She needs time to think, to make the less desirable choice and discover, for herself, why she ought to consider my ideas. How often do I set up the game so she can find it? Not as often as I should.

I've struggled with motivating Cricket on the 22' and the 45'. Some days are great but others, not so much. It's hit or miss. I need to look at the space in which I play and find - as Pat set up for Sam - a way to offer Cricket a puzzle. When she feels smart and successful, she'll offer me more. Just as Sam's horse - a mare similar to Cricket in disposition - began offering more to him.

Forging Forward

So with my new thought of "just do something" I went out to the barn on Wednesday.

First thing was to pull out all my gear to eliminate any excuses later in the session.

I brought Cricket out at liberty. She ignored the hay bales, the feed cans and stopped when I did on the verge of the grass. Beautiful obedience!

I groomed her at liberty, allowing her to roam around the paddock. At first I was content to just watch her graze. Finally I grabbed my CS and we played a little at liberty. After she left twice, I put the 22' on and continued our warm-up on-line. She comes back easily but this is not a pattern I want to re-establish.

After her stretches, I took her into the arena and saddled her up. Started with some walking and trotting the rail. Incorporated some friendly game with opening the gate. I've taught Cricket to become emotional and now I need to help her understand what I want. I used a savvy string to control the gate and, when Cricket could stand still while it opened, I gave her a cookie, re-latched the gate and moved on. When she gravitated towards the gate, some slow but intense HQ yields convinced her that it was only good when it was my idea.

We used the Question Box pattern to work on transitions - gait and direction. She was very responsive using trot - drop to walk - trot in changing from the left to right bend.

Our first attempt at canter was choppy and unharmonious. Our second attempt was soft, rhythmic and relaxed. I cantered her 8-10 circuits on the right bend of the question box. I don't know that I've ever cantered a stretch that long. She broke gait a few times but eased back up at my request. She even blew out during the canter. Called it a win and quit for the night.

In reflecting, I know I need to find a way to work on the left lead. Some of it's in my head but my Pilates instructor has verified that some of my issues are definitely in my butt - my left hip, to be specific. I'm going to start expanding the circle to go all the way to the rail. Cricket will be on less of a bend and that should help me get in harmony with her. It will also help me start getting comfortable with cantering on the rail, a skill I would like to have solid before heading to camp.

I feel much better about just moving ahead with Cricket. It doesn't matter if we hit more rocky spots. I've come this far and truly feel the sky is the limit.

The Other Shoe

Damn that shoe. That blasted "other shoe."

Last night was beautiful. After our freak cold snap on Monday, the temps climbed up into the 60s. The sun broke through the clouds. When I arrived at the barn, it was quiet. Cricket greeted me willingly at the door. And yet all I did was brush her and then feed all the horses. Didn't pull my saddle out. Didn't clip a line on her and play for a bit. Nothing.

My motivation has been stalled. I promised myself something every day until camp. But yet I just balk at getting back on her unless someone else is there to kind of push and prod me. Didn't have this problem during my 30 day program last fall. So what's the problem?

I'll tell you what it is. It's that shoe. That blasted "other shoe." And waiting for it to fall.

See, every good thing with Cricket has eventually been squashed by that other shoe, falling when I least expect it. And I'm afraid. I'm afraid the beautiful things we have achieved will be mashed when that other shoe drops. So if I don't do anything, the shoe will have nothing to squelch. We can rest, albeit lightly, on our laurels and I can say, "this is what we have done."

Unfortunately, resting on laurels leaves you stymied forever in the past. There's no new things to talk about, no new adventures to have, no new accomplishments. That's not what I want.

The trust I must find is not necessarily in Cricket but in us. I need to believe the foundation we are building is solid. I need to believe what she is offering is not a fluke. I need to believe in our partnership. It's hard.

So I have a new goal for my program with Cricket. To do something. To not be paralyzed looking skyward, wondering where the "other shoe" might be. If it does happen to fall, leaving tread marks on my head, then I'll get up - as I always have - and figure out how to move on.

Falling In Love

Every day I spend with Cricket, I fall more in love with my beloved girl. I cannot put my finger on when things changed from frustration to fascination; from fear to fun. Six months ago I was ready to retire her and get out of horses all together. Today, I cannot wait to see her and find out where the next bend in the road will take us.

Cricket and I are at such a wonderful place in our relationship. I feel the trust developing between us. I feel that Cricket is becoming more mature and more emotionally fit. I finally feel I'm at a place where I can work on me and not be constantly worried about her.

I titled my blog Violating Principle #7 because that particular Parelli principle talk about "horses teach humans; humans teach horses." The idea is that a novice rider should choose an experienced horse. I blew right through that when I bought Cricket as an unstarted 2 yr old. I cannot help but feel, however, that I bought the exact right horse for me. Cricket has pushed me to accomplish things I never dreamed possible. She has been patient and tolerant even when I didn't realize it. She has imparted more to me in the past six years than I could every hope to teach her. I am honored to have her as my partner. I am blessed to have her in my life. I am a better person because of her. I love her so very much.