Loose Horses = Relationship Moments!

This morning when I woke up I saw my horses in a pasture that they weren't in last night. I realized that I had forgotten to close the bottom gate before turning my horses out and they had gotten loose and wandered around to a new spot on the ranch!

I ran outside in my pajama shirt and underwear to go catch them before they wandered off somewhere I couldn't find them (we live on a big ranch!).

As soon as Aspen and Taika saw me coming they came across the pasture and met me at the gate so I could bring them back to where they were supposed to be. 

It's times like this that make me really appreciate having a great relationship with my horses and therefore eliminating the need to further run around half dressed in the early morning chasing horses!  

Here is a picture of my sweet Taika coming to greet me. :)

15 Things To Do With Your Horse in 15 Minutes or Less!

We all lead busy lives, sometimes we only have a few minutes to spend with our horses.  It never feels like enough time.  Many of us will just bypass our available time thinking, what's the point?

I am here to tell you that even just 15 minutes MATTER!  Here are some ideas of things you can do with your horse when you only have a short while.

The important thing to remember is that each of these things take time!  Don't rush it!  Use your 15 minutes wisely by looking for small improvements and finding a good stopping place.  Don't expect perfection or get into a battle with your horse that you can't win, especially with limited daylight to burn.  Know that each of your short sessions are investments in your horse's future as the partner you've always dreamed of!

I highly recommend reading this second post about how you should be spending your time with your horse.  It's a short and sweet post- and will help put into perspective

1. Observe your horse in his pasture or stall, see what kinds of things he does when he's with other horses or alone.  Is he busy?  Is he quiet?  Did he notice your arrival?  Did he greet you?  The power of observation should not be underestimated.  Ask any great horseman how many hours they have spent watching horses in herds, in the wild, in their own in their backyard...
2. Take some time to sit quietly in your horse's personal space, this is undemanding time.  Be there for him if he'd like to come up for scratches or pets, and if he doesn't don't worry!  He values this time with you whether it is interactive or you are simply respecting his desire to maintain a larger personal space.  Horses hang out together A LOT, if we're trying to integrate ourselves into their "inner circle" of trusted herd mates then we should take some time to hang out with them too!
3. Groom them!  Check them over for bumps, scrapes, burs, ticks, dirt - whatever!  Gently detangle manes and tails, use soft, real horse-hair brushes to stimulate circulation and bring the oils up out of the skin and into the coat for a nice shine.  
4. Halter with savvy!  Does your horse put his head in the halter or does he stand perfectly still or even look away?  This is an area you can develop your horse's confidence as well as yielding to a feel (Friendly & Porcupine Games).  Teach your horse to put his head down and toward you, to seek the noseband of the halter.  Got kids?  Teach your horse to halter at their height (from your knees).
5. Develop your horse's hoof skills.  How responsive is your horse when you ask him to pick up his feet?  Teach him to do it from the snap of your fingers, a tap to the leg, a light squeeze of the chestnut, a tug to the fetlock - however you want to do it practice refining it!  Horses that have issues with their feet usually have some trust and/or respect issues with the human.  Take this time to see how your horse feels about yielding his only system of defense to you.  Giving one of your feet, your method of fight or flight, over to a predator is a BIG DEAL!  Don't take it lightly and respect how your horse feels.  Practice getting them holding their own feet up, simulate hammering on shoes (with you hand or rubber mallet), or putting them on a hoof-stand.
6. Bridling!  Same as haltering - is your horse bridling himself or do you have to bridle him?  Use cookies in your hand beneath the bit or molasses on the bit to invite your horse to take it voluntarily into his mouth.  Cause your idea to bridle to become your horse's idea by making this a fun, rewarding experience for your horse.  Keep this progressive by giving treats not just when he takes the bit, but let him take it and then treat afterward.  Then less and less.  It's not about bribing him with cookies to bridle, it's about giving him a reason to put that piece of metal in his mouth and feel good about it.
7. Get creative with teaching your horse to yield to a feel, the Porcupine Game.  Can you lead by the ear, lip, tongue, mane, tail, nostril, leg, hoof, from a neck or flank rope, or...?  Develop this over time so your horse maintains his confidence while you teach him new and interesting things.
8. Use simulations to get your horse thinking!  How can you simulate clippers, horse trailers, saddling, mounting, birds flying out of the bushes, etc. by yourself in 15 minutes?  Get a pedestal or object (even a paper plate) for your horse to put his feet on - something he has to do to get in a trailer, get an electric toothbrush for your clippers, get a plastic bag on a stick for your bird, get creative and use approach and retreat with rhythm and relaxation to help teach your horse to be a confident puzzle solver.
9. Heard of the Parelli Patterns?  In 15 minutes you can play one or even two of the patterns with huge success!  Aim to improve it each session with SADDLE.  A little more Speed, Accuracy, Distance (from your horse), Distance (you can go), Lightness, or Expression.  Read more about Lillan Roquet's SADDLE concept in the February 2014 issue of the Savvy Times!
10. On that note heard of the Parelli 7 Games?  Same as with the Patterns - pick any Game, get creative, and improve it with one of the SADDLE choices at a time.
11. Get savvy with Saddling.  What does your horse think about the saddle, let alone what he thinks about you putting it on him?  Go on, drag it out, put it down on the ground and send your horse to it.  Does he shy from it?  Hold his breath?  Try to attack it?  Ignore it?  Read his feedback and go from there.  Get him comfortable with your saddle on the ground before you offer to put it on his back.  Practice your technique and form, can you put it on your horse without the stirrup or billets smacking him on the side as you swing it over?  Does he move his feet?  Is he relaxed?  Practice saddling with quality in mind - quality of your horse's physical, mental, and emotional responses.
12. Get your horse and mosey!  Go for a walk!  Take him somewhere to graze.  Explore his thresholds and confidence around your property.  If it's hot, take him to shade.  If it's raining, bring him in the barn and let him dry out for a bit while you feed him some treats.  Herds travel together - even if you can only travel for 15 minutes, teach your horse that just because you catch him (and maybe even saddle him if you're ambitious) it doesn't mean you're going to get on!  It may mean a grazing extravaganza.... at least for a few minutes!
13. Practice your Mounting and Dismounting.  You don't even have to saddle!  Teach your horse to pick up up from fences, stumps, mounting blocks, etc.  Once you get on have him hurry up and do nothing!  Dismount smoothly, safely.  Do you know where your reins, hands, eyes, feet, and hips should be while you get on and off?  Is there a brace in your horse anywhere when you are getting up and down?  Assess him for pain, tightness, fear, relaxation, confidence, and willingness.  Does he want you to get on?  If he doesn't, practicing your skills and reward him for his efforts to be your partner.  This will help him realize you are doing this for and with him, not to him!
14. So now you're on - saddled or not - do you know your rein positions and techniques?  You can do this in your rope halter or bridled - lateral flexion, direct rein, indirect rein, jingle bell rein, suspension rein, casual to concentrated, California roll... the list goes on!  Get handy with these with your eyes open and closed, feel for a quality and positive reflex in your horse.  Another great benefit of this is that your horse will realize just because you get on doesn't mean it's going to be work, work, work.  This can be fun and relaxing for both of you!
15. Find your horse's itchy spots - and scratch them!  If your horse doesn't have any it may be that he just hasn't revealed them to you yet.  Earn his trust and confidence and all of a sudden some itchy spots will magically appear!

All of these ideas will help you build your foundation and your relationship.  The next time you do have a full hour or two to ride and play with your horse you will reap the benefits of all the extra moments you spent with your horse.

Teaching something new with a few extra minutes!

Going for a mosey on a day I didn't have time to ride.

Hanging out builds Rapport.  Rapport, Respect, Impulsion, Flexion...

Investing my time wisely has created a relationship with Aspen where she will leave her friends and grass and meet me in a 100 acre pasture on her own!

Jake Biernbaum's Savvy Moment - Following a Feeling / Driving Game / Zones of a Horse / Liberty / Parelli

Check out another awesome video from 3-Star Parelli Professional Jake Biernbaum.  In this Savvy Moment Jake discusses the Zones of a horse and how to affect them through a suggestion - the horse following a "feeling".  This isn't a physical touch it's managing the life and intent in your body to influence your horse through the Driving Game.  Jake finishes this video by playing at Liberty and demonstrating how to move your horse without actually touching him.

When applied correctly your Driving Game can really help your Draw, getting your horse's respect from a greater distance, and allow you to communicate with the subtlest of suggestions!

One of my favorite Driving Games right now is driving Zone 3 on a circle to help Aspen relax her ribs and become more athletic.  I also love the Rockslide!  Have you seen this?  Check out the Parelli Theory / Study tab at the top of this blog to see the Rockslide pattern diagram at the bottom of the page!

Aspen and I at the Parelli Ranch in Colorado during a Liberty Spotlight in 2013!

Mountain Lion! & Lesson with 3* Lillan Roquet

So first, must start out with the fact that there was a MOUNTAIN LION in Aspen's pen yesterday! Thankfully my very brave, and probably half crazy friend, Kirsten scared it away and most likely saved Aspen from danger! Had a great warm up for my lesson with Lillan today. Just played with some simple things on my 12' line and then for the second time asked her to draw backward toward me from Zone 5 at Liberty - even had her following my slight changes of direction (think weaving backwards). Then I wanted to ask her to start to do a liberty spin - something we're just learning and I got a little out of position for it and instead in a sideways position of which she offered 45' feet of sideways! I realized it was my mistake for the spin and so encouraged her idea of sideways and off she went - stopping at 45' (which we've played with OL the last two sessions) and gave me a great question face, "is that what you wanted?"! Also did a brief Freestyle warm up, just basic HQ yields (steering like a boat) for circles and F8's at the walk. For my lesson with Lillan I wanted to focus on Lateral Maneuvers for my Finesse. My first exercise was to walk (and when that was good, trot) big F8's, asking her in soft touch to maintain an even bit height (level with her heart, poll slightly above the withers), and flex appropriately to be straight on the circle. I was to keep in mind that my outside leg should be creating the largest space for her ribs to flex into, I should see her nose and eyelashes, and she should be yielding away from my inside leg. We got some really nice circles, blowing out, and eventual yawning. I was surprised to learn that what I thought was a good stretch and head height was often too low! I knew nose below the knees was not ideal and could feel her reach down to peanut roll, but it was great to have Lillan there saying "too high, too low - sweet spot!". I could really see how controlling the power source and steering through HQ yields set this exercise up for success. It really allowed me to use my reins for shaping rather than micromanaging and control. So glad we had a chance to work on that before this lesson! A few things Aspen tried to do was pop her shoulder out and drift in which case I needed more outside rein, or lean on my leg and not yield (needed stronger phases with my leg/spur), or to motorcycle around the turns - which meant that she wasn't bending through her ribs but instead just diving into the turn or new bend without being upright and flexed through her whole body. This suppling exercise will be very beneficial in loosening her ribs for any other lateral maneuver and for helping politely encourage her to find the sweet spot and maintain even bit height. Next we played with Shoulder In - weighting the outside stirrup*, moving it slightly forward, and turning my shoulders off the rail as if I was on a 20m circle. To exaggerate to teach we thought of putting the tail on the rail. This exercise was surprisingly easy compared to last summer. It wasn't perfect but there was SO much LESS tension in Aspen because I had sorted out a lot of emotional issues with my legs in the HQ yields and had spent some time loosening up her ribs. After that we worked on Haunches In - weight the inside stirrup, turn my hips but keep the shoulders straight. This is harder for horses as it asks them to step in towards the bend for the first time and I could tell Aspen was struggling through her tight ribs. It wound up being a little more of a sideways for her than a Haunches In - but it was good for beginning steps. We also did these on a circle, for S-In it was to step into the outside stirrup and let her drift out, her shoulders leading in on the circle but her body going in a straight line. The next for H-In was basically a bulls eye pattern but with the idea of her tail meeting the center first. Ideally in 4 - 7 sessions I should be able to move Aspen's HQ and FQ independently of each other and be working towards consistent bit height (what L4 is looking for in Finesse). It was great to hear Lillan say how much more mentally, physically, and emotionally connected Aspen was compared to last time and that she was ready to move forward and do these things. She also commented that my leg was looking good! Finally! So nice to hear that since I've been working on my blasted legs for what seems like an eternity! :) The thing that made me the happiest today was that this is the FIRST Finesse session I've had with Aspen where we didn't have any tension, bracing, tail swishing, or icky ears! Felt so nice! We are finally where we need to be to accomplish some lateral maneuvers! Level 4 - here we come! :) *The weighted stirrup helps create the bend and direction of travel.

Impromptu Liberty Fun!

Playing with Aspen at Liberty in the pasture. This was the first time she's offered some really nice draw backwards from Zone 5!!! Totally cool! I got a little greedy with the jumps towards the end, kept offering and she wasn't ready for them... Remember if it doesn't work two times in a row at Liberty, GO BACK ON-LINE! Which is what I did at the end to make sure Aspen felt clear and confident about my request for her to jump. I loved her draw in this video, her playfulness, and her connection. It's the second time we've played at Liberty since August and one of very few times in an open, grassy pasture. What I see for myself in improving is my timing and my phases, I think my Phase 1 could be lighter and more subtle... and who knows why I was crouched over when yo-yoing her up the hill... lol Didn't even realize I was doing it. Oh the beauty of videoing! If you liked the video, like and share it, or leave a comment! :) Thanks!

Finishing the Externship & Putting the Relationship First

Hello!  I've been posting videos to my YouTube account and trying to keep up on Parelli Connect as well but haven't had much time to sit down and properly write anything. A lot of people have been asking me about the Externship - my experience, how it turned out, and what they could expect if they were to attend one.  Definitely leave me a comment if I can answer anything for you

Let's see where to begin? I met so many amazing people and made some lasting friendships here.  Yes my horsemanship improved and yes I learned a lot about Parelli Professional conduct but when you think of putting the relationship first, you can think of being at the Parelli campus.  There is nothing competitive about people all striving for a common goal of good horsemanship and good teammanship.  I had some things crop up in my personal life about half way through the course and without the support of our instructors and the entire Extern group I couldn't have finished out the class.  For that I am so grateful - I have really come to appreciate the good hearts of nearly everyone in the Parelli community... Can you be a part of something bigger than yourself?  Sometimes that's simply being there no matter what for someone else in need.  So if anyone from my Externship experience is reading this, thank you for everything.  You'll never know how much you all have meant to me in this part of my journey.

Now, on to the course!  First exciting bit I should share is that I passed my Level 4 Liberty while there!  I decided to film a trial run for an audition just to see where we were at and it turned out to be really great.  Aspen was connected, playful, and full of try so I sent it in and passed with marks about half in L4 and half in L4+!  Totally awesome!  We also got our first Freestyle (pushing) and Finesse (light seat) flying lead changes.  I was also introduced to Finesse which we spent quite a bit of time on throughout the course.  I have a totally new respect for lateral maneuvers!!  I was lucky enough to be chosen for a Finesse lesson with Pat Parelli which was filmed for a DVD series.  I'm not sure if it will be used or not but it was a really unique experience to see all the behind the scenes filming process and naturally it was really fun to ride with Pat.  That's a whole other blog post in itself!  I can tell you that while Aspen was a total Right-Brain fruitcake up there with all the people and cameras, I learned a lot and am still processing all the information I received!  A theme for me in the course which also came up in my lesson with Pat is that the horse should take you in the direction you have requested - it shouldn't be you pushing, pulling, dragging, or begging the horse to go forward, backward, or sideways.  At one point Pat fairly chased me down on Slider and really got Aspen moving sideways to show me the feeling that I'm looking for.  At first it was chaotic and bracy but all of a sudden I felt like she weighed 10 pounds not 1000 pounds, she got light on her feet and fairly hovered sideways.  It was a really neat and eye opening experience to realize how ineffective I've been for so long and how much I have to look forward to in lightness in the Porcupine Game.  I believe I mentioned it before, either here or on my Parelli Connect, but Porcupine Game is the second game for a reason.  It's so important - you really win the horse's mind this way.  We also got the pleasure of having Linda come and ride with our class and teach a handful of times.  She's really such an amazing horsewoman and teacher - what an eye for picking out the one thing that will make the biggest difference for both the horse and the human!  She introduced us to advancing concepts in Finesse including the very beginning ideas of Game of Contact.  I will also have to write a post on our Linda visits :)  Aspen and I went on our first trail rides, open area riding, and galloping - all exhilarating experiences that pushed me out of my comfort zone and really helped me grow in my horsemanship and leadership!  As a class we were invited to participate in the first few days of the Colt Start course with Rob McAuliffe - it's amazing that it's all about relationship and doing the simple things really well.  There were a couple extra colts and I had the opportunity to play with one for an afternoon with the Colt Starters - really showed me where I'm strong and where I'm weak in my horsemanship.  Rob is truly a horseman and it's always a privilege to be around people like him.... Try to soak up some talent!  The Externs also got to sit in on a few days of Pat's Western Performance class - again such a learning experience.  Simple things done well.  Own the hindquarters.  Win the Porcupine Game.  For some fun weekend activities we put on a Parelli Games weekend and an Open House in which I was asked to do a Liberty Spotlight! We did a cool 4-Savvy closing Spotlight - everyone did awesome and it was such a fun time visiting with the community and other horse lovers! Our last weekend of the course we went and did a demo at the county fair - I did On-Line and Liberty with Aspen.  She was a total rock star and everyone loved her! The Externs also raised just over $1,400 for the Parelli Education Institute!  Super awesome!

To wrap it up testing went well, I got a 100% on all written exams and was recommended for 2* instructorship pending the successful submission of my Level 4 Freestyle audition! I promise to write in more detail on some of the things I mentioned above - if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!  Also - I have too many pictures to post on the blog but friend me on Facebook and check out all the photos from the Externship!

Level 4 Liberty Videos!

Lots of new videos up on my YouTube channel but here are two from today!  This is my trial run Level 4 Liberty Audition - what do you think? :)

Extern videos!

Level 4 Mock Liberty Audition!

Trailer loading fun in the playground!

Big log jump in the playground!  Go Aspen!

Single down barrel jumps in the playground!

Liberty!

Had an awesome day today with Aspen.  It was mock audition day in a Savvy of our choosing with both of our instructors watching us and providing feedback.  It is such a great opportunity to evaluate where we're at, how it feels to be observed for an audition, planning our alloted time well, and of course, demonstrating the best that we can do with our horses in that moment. 

I got to watch a handful of other student's go ahead of me in different Savvies and everyone did really well - trying their best and with a positive attitude.  Kristi Smith sat in for about half the day which was awesome.  A fresh pair of eyes does everyone good and she had some great insights and techniques to offer each of those she watched to get a little farther in their horsemanship. 

Aspen had a bit of a tummy ache last night and I was a little sick today - on top of my nerves - so I was a little fizzed up before my Liberty audition.  But I really tried to just be in the moment with my horse and realize that I could only do the best I could do, and it's best to have things go wrong now than at the end of the course when we're headed home.  With Amanda's encouragement I decided to start my audition in the arena which was a bit of risk as it allows the opportunity for Aspen to run away from me if she's not feeling connected or I put too much pressure on her.  Doing the whole thing in the round pen would have been easy - but I know I can do everything there so I thought it best to test our limits in a larger space.  Susan asked me what kind of music I wanted to play during my time and at that point I was so excited and focused and nervous that I didn't care.  I honestly have no idea what songs were on when I was going - if it was fast or slow, country or jazz, I just tuned everything out and focused on what was happening between Aspen and I.

While it wasn't a perfect audition it really went so much better than I had anticipated.  I couldn't be more pleased that my horse wanted to be with me and was putting a lot of effort and positivity into what I asked her to do.  We had walk/trot figure 8's, stick to me at the walk/trot/canter, backing in an arc by her tail, the beginnings of our Spanish walk, and a single down barrel jump.  I then moved to the round pen to do our flying lead changes and close range circles.  I could have tried it in the big arena but those I know are hard and it is easy to push a horse away with too much pressure - so to set it up for success I wanted to be in the round corral to reinforce the maneuvers where Aspen and I could both feel good about it.  She got both her flying changes, some good sideways toward me, and offered some close range circles too! 

At the end Maurice said I did very well and was very encouraging and supportive of me reaching my Level 4 Liberty before the Externship is over.  After today I know that I need to work on keeping my neutral a little better in the Figure 8, getting all maneuvers at phase 1 and 2, and keeping the respect and leadership when I asked for the canter. 

I really feel so lifted up by all the students and our instructors - it's really great that we can maintain our support and optimism for each other while also keeping things real and in the now.  Horses are wonderful but we all have less than perfect days and we all have areas we can grow stronger in - the Parelli ranch has just been the absolute perfect place to do this.  This week Kristi told us about her journey to becoming a Parelli professional and that it wasn't always easy and it took a lot of dedication, perseverance, and belief in herself regardless of what anyone else thought to make it to the top.  If she had given up when things got tough the Parelli community would be missing out on a very wonderful instructor.  It's so encouraging and inspiring to see people rise up to the challenge and succeed.  It's good to think of these things when we're not getting what we think we should out of our horses or ourselves.  Keep striving forward, you can only go up from where you are if you're trying!

To summarize today I would say for me it was about challenging my confidence in myself and in my partnership with Aspen, pushing the limits and testing the waters.  Maurice likens our interactions with our horses like a rubber band - how far can you stretch and expand and push before the rubber band breaks? You don't want to break it but you sure want to see what you've got and you won't know unless you try.

An Afternoon With Emily & Velvet

Yesterday I got to spend an afternoon with a friend of mine and her extreme RBE Tennessee Walker  mare, Velvet.  These two have an absolutely beautiful partnership and have come so far since I met them four years ago.  Emily is a fellow Natural Horsemanship student from the University of Montana-Western, she's graduating this Spring and then is off to start a wonderful career with horses.  I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!