FEBRUARY 2012

FEB 2, 2012
Zaina will need to move in a week, due to foreclosure of the barn. Am very saddened, as Zaina has done so well over the past 8 months. She's gained a tremendous amount of confidence.
Lots of this is because of my increased savvy, but it is also because of Imogen's way of being, not just with her, but overall.
Her health has been excellent because of so much turnout time and mattresses with little bedding.

Lots to worry about with a move - trailering, separation anxiety, new hay, new people, etc etc.

I had thought this would be our forever home.

So, very anxious and upset. However, I'm able to pull myself together because of the emotional fitness I've developed through the Parelli program. Have to stay centred in order to find a new home and arrange the move. If I don't stay LB, Zaina won't either.


Feb 5: Online:  Brrrrr. Brief play, Circle with changes of direction to improve disengagement and connection, lead by the tail, and figure 8. Much better pattern, Zaina's starting to think her way through it, especially the second component, rather than just getting it done. Very interesting.

Liberty:  Started the play slow, with Zaina having lots of time to come to me on her own. Draw is very very good. But then she needed me to give her more leadership and when I did she put her front feet on the board/pedestal, let me stretch her legs off the ground, have started leading by the jaw - that's more difficult than the other body leads.


Feb 7: OnLine: Transitions on circle - very good, especially given we've only done this a couple of times before.

Change of direction on circle much much better.
 Excellent ride! My body is doing better - and thus so is my mind, and vice versa. Circling and figure eights very good, I'm using my body more and not pulling on her head. Used legs to back.Supple back and forwards (stillvery tight to right).
Sideways, after a sticky start quite good.
Friendly game with rope, swinging it above me, and around me.
Liberty:

Lead by jaw.
Lead by front legs using savvy string.
Friendly game with stick and string.
Sideways slow.

FEB. 9, 2012   MOVING DAY!
Trailering arranged at the last minute - details not for posting, sigh. 

I located a beautiful new stable for Zaina on Sunday. And part of the good thing is that Tago, Zaina's pasture mate can also move in! She stays in the area, so no need to change vet services. The facility has large coverall with excellent footing, outdoor ring, lots of turnout.

It's been quite the strain searching out and visiting possible homes in such a concentrated period of time. I've been fortunate to learn about this stable through a friend. Cannot do without that kind of support. Thank you, Patty!

New home was confirmed on Sunday, trailering confirmed on Wednesday, moving Thursday morning! 

Really, no time at all for extra preparation but I knew I could do it, and knew Z would give it her best. She did. Forty minutes of left brain trying her heart out to stay in the trailer. She walked in (big step up) - the recent play of asking her to step up onto a frozen mound of dirt paid off - but kept going off backwards as she was worried about being placed in the corner (slant parking). But she never went right brain, and kept following my ask.

Then a brilliant suggestion from the trailering gal, turn her and walk her out, then let her loose when she's willing to stay in, she can travel untied.

So she did. Would have been better to have had more play at it, but she never broke a sweat. On arrival at her new home she waited for me to clip on her line, and walked off calmly. Headed over to say hello to her new family.

Spent time with her walking around the area, and then leaving her with her pasture mate (thankfully he came along from the previous place) turned out. They munched hay, no one got right brained. Not even me.

Thank you to Parelli, for providing me with the education, knowledge and attitude that has transformed Zaina and me, and thereby making this move not only feasible, but possible. 

FEB. 10, 2012
Babysitting visit as barn owner at work and I want to make sure all stays well. Zaina and her bud Tago were very happy to see me, but they were also very settled. 

Bit of separation anxiety on both their parts, but nothing that can't be easily diminished with time. Was a beautiful sunny day, and I got to spend it sitting next to my beautiful gal as she pulled at the new grass peeping through the snow. Had a grand grooming session, and when she felt brave enough she took me on a tour of some of the property. Her new family called after her "Don't leave us already, Zaina!"

She is so settled that I felt comfortable leaving by noon. Can take a break tomorrow as she is in good hands. What a week it's been. I can use a break from driving and worrying.

FEB. 14, 2012 PHASE 2 REVELATION
Fantastic day online. First real play with Z in her new home. She was very relaxed in the arena, even with the door shut, away from the other horses. She put herself on a trot circle, we played with some transitions. Played touch it with z4 and 5 on the wall. Sideways game. All at phase 2 maximum.

I've figured out that if she's getting right brain, that if she can't do something at phase 2 I have to retreat. Moving up the phases just makes her frightened, and she might do it, but it doesn't "stick". 

Even able to play at some liberty. Arena is set up so can block it off. Played friendly games, stick to me, circling. Zaina had a fun time turning stick to me at the trot into circling at the canter!

FEB. 16, 2012
ONLINE: Nice slow and easy online  play today. Stuck to my plan rather than doing too much of old stuff, or too much of new stuff. Instead focused on my list of tasks to accomplish this month. Very much better figure 8 at the trot, sideways game has improved a lot, much more confident with z4 and z5 at the wall.

Liberty: Played touch it from 6 feet. Awesome, Z even happily put her front feet on her board, and waited. Stick to me is returning (lost it during the move!); extreme friendly game; sideways slow.

FEB. 19, 2012
Played with the weave pattern, excellent at walk. Interesting at trot. Z would blow through it after the second marker, but when I Promised her to stop she started paying more attention to me and the pattern. So I asked her to trot the first 1 1/2 parts, then transition to a walk to come toward me, then trot away, etc. It was really neat to see and feel her shift her mind/emotions as we repeated the pattern this way.
Also, neat was when I asked her to touch a letter on the wall from 22 feet away she went right to it - bullseye! My focus is better and truly, the natural power of focus works!

   

First ride in the new arena! Because it can be roped in half I had a about a 50' area, which was fantastic, as I could focus on being calm rather than directing Zaina. Long walking passenger lesson, then decided to give the trot a go. Z did lots of speeding up but I was persistent in not releasing the flexion on a brace. Soon lots of blowing and blowing and blowing. Every time I found my balance point she slowed down. Was able to maintain a sitting trot for 10 minutes with Z relaxed. Super.

Short liberty as Z had given me a lot online and freestyle. After she rolled and rolled and rolled, played lead by the jaw, backing away, HQ yields.

FEB. 23, 2012
I was moving my feet too slow for Z today, so she moved hers fast! I got it, moved mine faster than hers. Boy did that get her more interested. She had fun with me during the trot-weave pattern, big left brain play time at the canter instead. I got more provocative and switched to circling over a ground rail, then lots of changes of direction, and sideways along the wall. Then ended with trot-walk weave. Took a few times, but then she "got" it - ie, relaxed and let me direct her.

FANTASTIC freestyle day. I'm finally getting the basics. Best deal, 20 minutes of pushing passenger lesson at the trot! Finally! 

 I've been able to borrow the old level 1 pack from my friend Shelley, and found a lot in there about the passenger lesson, more so then in the old level 2. One big lesson from watching was that I had permission to slow Zaina down when I felt unsteady at the speed of her trot. Doing that was a key to managing my emotions and able to then let her decide where to go and when to stop. Keeping her pace slower also kept from falling forward and worrying her and me even more. 

I learned a lot doing it, including how much brace I keep in my lower back and in my eyes! I'm looking forward to the next time when I'll be more mindful of that tendency.

Something I figured out by doing simulations was that if I think about breathing in at the "up" part of posting, and breathing out when going "down" I naturally do the Parelli post, and don't have to think about shaping my back correctly. Impossible to stick one's back out going "up" and breath in at the same time!

Then went on to circles, backing, then follow the rail. Did lots of disengagement for practice and relaxation.

 Short liberty session to finish our day together. Just asked for connection and relaxation during extreme friendly game. Quite a bit of approach and retreat today, but it was worthwhile persisting.

FEB. 26, 2012
Picked up my pace today to be a better leader for Zaina and she was appreciative. At first she was surprised that I was moving my feet faster to get things done around her, and not being so wishy washy. The outcome was a horse confidently trotting over a crossrail, more confident backing, and giving me a good figure 8 at the trot. She also squeezed through cavaletti blocks (fairly wide) with me from 12 feet away. Need to work up to 20, and transfer this to liberty.

Short freestyle session because very windy. I got to practice power position disengagements. Only 10 minute trotting passenger lesson (which Z wanted to do as a follow the rail game) and then an emergency dismount when Z got worried because of the coverall noise. It is still hard to get off rather than try to work through it just a bit more. But Linda's voice was in my head, and I'd already gone past the time of "Get off the minute you think of it", which resulted in Z needing more disengagement. Lesson learned, at least not hardest way.

Played stick to me, first with carrot stick and string to help Zaina focus. Lead by the jaw, HQ yield, then TERRIFIC walk, trot AND canter circles! Awesome, totally awesome. Real canter and trot circles, not ones where I turn her trot or canter into a circle.

Interesting, though - she did NOT want to disengage while I was standing between cavaletti blocks. I think she figured that if she did, and came to me, I'd send her on a figure 8.
She did all kinds of maneuvers to prevent me from positioning myself to send her on the pattern!

Feb 29, 2012
Wow. What a play session. On-line Zaina went sideways 20 feet along the length of a raised jumps, then forward through a squeeze. Our sideways has improved so much. I'm still flapping around a lot, but she knows what I'm trying to say and tries to follow my instructions. Even when she started to turn the wrong way I was able to keep my feet still and have her move back into position.

Trotted over a crossrail, and low vertical. This is the first time I've put out more than one jump, as part of the task of jumping multiple obstacles in level 3. She got right brain going over the crossrail after the first time. When I changed to being near the wall she was able to quietly walk over it.

Spent a long time playing friendly game with the saddle pad and her left eye. She kept blocking me from moving with it to that side, so I backed up and had her follow me and it. I had to keep a long way from her for quite awhile before she stopped blocking. It was excellent practice in being persistent in the proper position and respecting her fear. After probably 20 minutes of approach and retreat she let me stand with it on her left side.

Another friendly game was asking her to walk over the two strands of electro-tape that are used to divide the arena. They were down on the ground and I asked Z to squeeze over them toward me. She was worried, so I made a game of it, keeping the rope simply hanging over my palm. I stroked her toward me and every time she made an effort I allowed the rope to slide down. Slowly she stopped bracing, and took a more confidant step forward. I stopped when she stepped onto one strand of the tape and didn't pull back. Wow, what a super brave and trusting pony.

Then on to liberty. No riding because of snow slides off the coverall. Amazing time - even when the snow slides happened Z stayed in tune with me. Only gave one big jump, but looked at me and settled. For all the other times she continued on task. I love the emotional fitness Parelli has given me, I stayed focus, kept my emotions in check, and so did Z.

Interesting, Z did not want to put me on her right side, so it was difficult to have her circle to the right. I persisted in disengaging her, moving her into a position until she was at the wall and used the wall to help turn her. Once I did this a couple of times she was able to circle to the right. I only asked for a partial circle before disengaging her, to keep her confidence.

Then I really challenged her by playing stick to me. The arena was all available, so I used lead by the mane to help her keep a focus on me at the trot. Amazing, I was able to keep her with me, including jumping over the cross rail!  Oh, she did not like that - gave me lots of neck swings, so I swung back! I made it up to her by asking for stick to me at the trot again, she was skeptical, and I didn't disappoint her. We did lots of big changes of direction but not jump.

As I put away the equipment I kept going to her and asked for lead by the tail. Each time she did it. First just thinking about it. Then a bit of a step. Then a step and thinking. First time without her pulling sideways. Her face was soft - she's getting it. I'm thinking she likes these varied play sessions, as she stands and waits for me to do something else, rather than walking away and making her own fun, or just wanting to get back to the others.