Day #9 - “Puzzle-solving Thursday,” September 3

3. September 2009 by Edie.

““Observe, Remember, and Compare.  Isolate, Separate, and Re-combine.”

“The Truth” continues . . .

Today we started in the lodge with John talking a bit about yesterday and what we learned.  We talked about competency levels and how they emerge in the following order:

- unconscious incompetence

- conscious incompetence

- conscious competence

- unconscious competence (it becomes second nature)

John talked about how the above are a cycle - when you get good at one level, you start over - it becomes an upward, never-ending spiral (you don’t know what you don’t know . . . until you know!).  He encouraged us to go at our own pace and to excel if we can - not to wait on instructors - we are empowered here!

Someone asked another question about how to deal with their LBI.  He told her to be interesting, or her horse might say “Your idea sucks!” and leave!  He once again said that we must cause OUR idea to become THEIR idea to motivate them - she said “how do I do that?”  and John replied “It’s a puzzle.”  That’s the only answer she got.  The philosophy here is to set it up so people can figure things out on their own - otherwise they are “robbed” of their own learning journey.

Then John talked about how often, we expect horses to do things in THEIR bodies (flying lead changes, changes of direction) that we can’t even work out/do in our OWN bodies!  I remembered doing canter lead-changes over poles at a Dan & Gretchen Thompson clinic in 2004 - it was very helpful to understand what needs to happen in your horse’s body to set this up.  John said “If you can’t do it on the ground, how do you expect to be able to do it on your horse’s back?”  This is where conga-horse simulations come in.

Then, he talked a bit about this Saturday - we can play Parelli Games again from 9am until around noon if we want to. I’m not sure HotShot will be “up” for this - depends upon his legs - they are still a bit swelled up today.  There is a folk festival going on in town this weekend if we can’t play, or we may take a day-trip to Mesa Verde to the cliff-dwelling ruins.

At around 10am we went out to the small coverall, where Kathy worked with four different horses on change of direction issues.  It was VERY informative.  She started with a sorrel LBI QH.  She reminded us that it is more important to move the front end (as opposed to the back end) on LB horses.  She said “start at “suggest” - if you start at “tell”, or even “ask,” these horses will HATE you!”  Also, it was amazing how LONG she waited on this horse to contemplate - 3 whole minutes at one point before she got a lick and chew!  SO HARD for my little extroverted self to do!  She reminded us that an LBI can easily and subtly go to the RBI side when stressed/learning (HotShot, for sure) and that if we push, we will damage the relationship!  We need to make sure that our horse(s) see the playpen/round pen as a “sweet spot” to be in - not a threatening/worrisome/stressful environment.  She reminded us - LOOOONNNNNGGGGG Phase 1, then quick 2,3, and STRONG Phase 4!   She suggested using cones as markers for point-to-point exercises (LBI’s HATE circles and boredom!) and to get interesting! She said that we’ll know we’re really getting somewhere with our LBI when he starts offering motivation and exuberance - then we must QUIT and leave him wanting more for the next time - so hard for us to do.

Then Kathy played with an RBE buckskin Walker mare - the polar opposite.  She said we must address the horsenality of a horse to develop “want” vs. “make.”  She talked about the difference between the cues for change of direction (run back) and “game over” (disengage) and how we should never even partially disengage to get a change of direction - confusing and sets up future problems.  She talked about backwards “S” patterns as drawing and falling leaf pattern as driving.  This horse had a tendency to come in with her ears back, and Kathy said “whether it’s a dominant behavior or a scared behavior, they shouldn’t be allowed to come in or be near you if they’re cranky.”

She talked about the differences between these two horses - it’s almost impossible to wear out an extrovert (Libby), but with an LBI, your BRAIN will wear out and start sweating first!  She said that if things are getting better, you’re on the right track.  If not, go back to where things are good - isolate the problem, separate, fix it, then recombine.

My favorite analogy that Kathy used was the “Thanksgiving Dishes.”  Do you wash the baked on pans from the oven first?  Or soak them while you do the “easy” dishes?  In other words - don’t “hammer away” at what you see as the “big problem.”  Just play at all the other, easier stuff and the big problem will just “slide away” like that baked-on scum!

Then, she played with a “middlevert” (on line between LBE?LBI) - a grey mare.  This horse found her SO boring, that she simply waited in zone 5 where the horse couldn’t see her, then developed some draw/curiousity by doing squirrely things back there.  Funny and this horse just couldn’t figure her out!  As soon as she changed her expression to one of interest/willingness in this session, Kathy quit!

Lastly, she worked with an RBE, pretty, light sorrel gelding who goes RBI while learning).  She was very gentle with this horse and gained his confidence quickly.  Again, she created draw with backwards “S” pattern change-of-direction, and said that if a horse starts to get pushy or invade your space, you simply switch to walking forward instead of backward (falling leaf).

After this, we broke for lunch.  Instead of going to eat right away, I got Hotty out and went into the small coverall 50′ round-pen to immediately cement some of this stuff in my brain!  We had a great session on-line with lovely change-of-direction at walk, trot, and even flying changes at canter (just a couple - he is still a bit sore).  After he OFFERED me amazing impulsion and willingness, we QUIT and I let him eat grass for about 15 minutes, then took him to the (yummy) molasses water, then cold-hosed his legs again - his left hind was a bit warm, but I still don’t think we need a vet or anything - he seems to be getting better every day.  I gave him a treat, put him in his pen, and went to lunch.

This afternoon was AWESOME!  We had a choice of two focus stations:  falling leaf and backwards “S” in the grassy meadow, or changes of direction in the large honeycomb.  HotShot and I walked up to the grassy meadow with me driving him from zone 5 with one 22′ rope - he was wonderful and focused, as he just about jumped out of his pen when he saw me coming to get him!

I didn’t want to tax him physically too much with changes of direction, so just ran him through a few patterns of falling leaf (driving) and backwards “S” (drawing).  He did them both SO PERFECTLY that I just stopped and let him eat grass for awhile.  Then we went into the large honeycomb and played “stick to me” a bit - he was very focused on me and happy to be with me, even with a bunch of other horses passing by and working in the small round-pens around us. We waited our turn to get into one of the round pens that had two barrels inside - bonus!  We practiced figure 8 on-line and at liberty around the barrels, side-passing over the barrel, and his favorite - half-jumping over one barrel in the middle of the round-pen - cool!  Then we came back outside the round-pen and I thought well, there’s no better time to find out - the TRUTH!  We went outside the gate and into the large (open) grassy field.  There were people all over with their horses, but I noticed that Ash and Libby were now gone (they had been up here earlier).  HotShot and I were the ONLY ones up there at liberty in the big field and he never even THOUGHT about leaving me - I was so happy! He could clearly see his pen (food!) about 1/2 mile away on the hill and could have left me to go there at any time, but he didn’t.  We played with the pedestal (he can get three feet on now, but not quite all four yet) and I took a bunch of photos of some of the other people and their horses who were up there.  Then, we went back on line and moseyed (drove) back to the pens - a perfect session!  I cold-hosed his legs again (2nd time today), applied more Derma-Plast, fed grain, cleaned pens, filled water, and went to dinner.

I realized today that my horse is SO bonded to me - that he gets his bravery from ME and apparently, me alone.  I guess that’s not surprising, given our history, but it really makes me aware of my responsibility to him as a leader and alpha human.  He is SO WONDERFUL!

Along the lines of wonderful-ness, I have decided to take on HotShot and Libby’s sire in October.  His owners need to disperse all of their horses, and they are willing to GIVE him to me.  This is pure-bred Arabian Baron Von Black, Wisconsin State Horse Council Horse of The Year a few years back when he and Al Bluhm single-handedly chased down a runaway draft team in the Janesville Labor Day parade. Al did everything with Baron - he was featured several years at the Midwest Horse Fair on Stallion Avenue, did cowboy mounted shooting, trail riding, etc.  He is 22 now, but in good health.  This will be my first experience actually owning a stallion and his owners would like to see him remain intact, so as long as he behaves himself, I’m agreeable.  Besides, HotShot is 10, Libby is 13 - it’s probably time for me to think about creating one more “horse of my heart” and I can’t think of a better sire - just need to find a nice Percheron mare to cross him on.

With that, I’ll close tonight and head off to the condo. for a hot bath.  Hug your horses, everyone!

Edie

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