Parelli Connect

I'm really liking Parelli Connect, especially the task lists for each horse. I started one today with Copper, spending 15-20 minutes observing him in the round pen. I think I'll have fun going through them with each of my horses. We've even had some nice sunny and calm days so maybe I'll have time to play with a horse or two. Here's a few pictures of Summer and Shadow playing in the arena. :)

Waiting...

I've recently had to get a new computer and am not savvy with them at all! I've lost all my pictures at the moment but will have them back soon. I have lots I would like to share. Hopefully soon :)

New filly!

Back in may I purchased a gorgeous little filly! Lucky for me, I found quality breeders right nearby. It was hard waiting all summer to get her home, but at the end of august we finally went to pick her up. I got to meet her big handsome dad and a bunch of the other foals. They are all very nice looking horses. I was tempted to fill up my trailer with pretty babies! I'm really excited about her! She's my favorite color too, a lovely grulla. I couldn't have asked for a better horse, she's been a lot of fun and handles everything so well. I'm hoping the good weather lasts a while longer so we can continue to make progress. She's going to be a great addition to my herd! The first picture is her at a day old and then 3 1/2 months. I love her!

Updates

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. My journey is still going pretty good, slow but good. I'm trying to find time to play with all my horses but it hasn't been very consistent. I'm happy to say that we've progressed to the point where I feel like I now have 2 riding horses. My levels horse, Moon and my second horse, Buddy. He's coming along pretty good, I'm quite happy with him. I've really only started riding him this year and he's doing fairly well. I managed to get a few rides on him off the yard in the field nearby as well. True to his left brain self, he's taking things well and is nice and quiet throughout most things we've tried.
My paints are in another pasture for the summer but I had a couple good days with each of them. Everytime I'm with them I realize just how much I really like those 2, they are going to be some lovely riding horses someday. I had a first ride on Copper, just hanging out on his back and doing a few things. I can't help but like him :)
I'm also excited to say I have a new addition to my herd, a lovely new filly! I've had her for a month now and she's been a lot of fun. I can't wait to see where the 2 of us can go together.
I've even been invited to play with a few horses belonging to a friend. It's always fun to play with new horses and hers have all been great.
I've even found some new riding buddies this fall, that's always a bonus, can't have too many riding friends!
So to sum it up, I really can't complain about my summer. I'm surrounded by good horses and good people to enjoy them with! I'm pretty lucky!

Fun with our stump :)

It rained most of the day but after it stopped this evening I found some time to play with Moon and Buddy. Moon and I played around with sideways over the barrels online. We haven't been getting it yet, and last time I worked at it I think I made it stressful for both of us, so I made sure not to do that today. We got it so she could line up beside the barrels with a few inches of herself overtop in each direction. I had to remember to find a good spot, then stop and wait, not push for more. I was on the right track because I got more licking and chewing when I did that. She also stood with both front feet on our stump for me. I think this is only the second time without using a rope for support. She did great and even stayed up there for quite a while. I was able to drop the lead rope and walk all around her while flapping the string on the ground. I even asked her to lower her head enough for me to reach so I could remove her halter, walk away, come back with my hackamore and lower her head again to put that on, all while still on the stump! Finally I asked her to step off so I could step onto it to get on her. We rode around freestyle, me just getting some bareback practice in, before returning to it. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I asked her to step back on it while I was on her and she did!!! That was a cool feeling! We ended up doing that twice during the ride and it felt great :)
I also played with Buddy. He backed nicely through the gate, just like Moon had earlier. We played around with squeezing over the barrels. He was funny, pretty much doing anything but jumping over! He found out he could squeeze around the outside if I gave too much rope, push them out of the way with his nose, or jumble them around with his legs to create an opening to walk through. I thought it was pretty creative, but he did end up giving me a try at jumping in the end. I haven't done a lot of sideways with him, but we achieved some sideways over the stump today. That was a nice surprise. I used it again to also get on him for a short bareback ride. We did some follow the rail which seems to be improving nicely. I'm really loving my bareback pad and should use it more often. It was a nice evening to be out and the cooler temperature was a nice change.

Fun day!

I had a fun day this past friday, playing with 2 of my horses and 2 of a friends. We started at my place where we ended up riding Moon and Buddy. Took them for a ride in the arena first, then all around the yard and pasture. Buddy's been doing good, I'm starting to feel like I now have 2 riding horses instead of a bunch that are not yet started. At the end we returned to the arena and I rode Moon around bridless for a bit. This time I rode with a carrot stick and we just played around with that at a walk. I thought it went pretty good. I was even able to guide her up to our stump and ask her to put one foot on it :)
At my friends place we played with and rode her 2 horses. She had a nice area set up for us and I had fun playing online with her main horse. He seems to be in the same area of level 2 that Moon and I are so that felt just like playing with her. He was great and it's always fun to play with a new horse! We also did some riding in there before going for a little ride down the road. When we came back we switched horses and I got to try out her mare who is the most comfortable horse to ride bareback on! Not so narrow like all my little horses.
I love it when I can get in lots of riding on lots of horses, and hope to have more days like that one soon!

Some bridless!

I rode Moon finally on wednesday. We used the cradle bridle for the second time too. Mostly following the rail, going sideways, backing and doing some weave patterns at walk and trot, and working on having a soft feel on the reins. It was a nice ride and I decided to leave the arena and ride her around the yard too. We rode around freestyle for a bit before returning to the arena. I got off, took the bridle off without putting the halter back on and decided to try something. I got my savvy string and put it around her neck and got back on. We rode around at a walk with me guiding her around things and changing directions with just that string and my legs. We even did a backup before I got off for the day. It was a really cool feeling to be doing that, we've never rode bridless before!
I rode her again today doing pretty much the same with the cradle and trying some more bridless riding at the end. It went ok, but there is lots of long grass in there that is tempting for her! I'm going to try using my carrot stick next time and maybe practice with a bridle/hackamore to make sure I keep things going good, but it's been fun so far!
I also had a nice ride on Buddy, I had a passenger lesson at the walk. We even trotted for the first time. I rode him with the cradle bridle on. He's never worn a bridle, so I used my halter with the savvy string attached and left the reins on the horn. I only used them a little at the end of the ride. He's doing good.
Copper wore my natural performer saddle for the first time today and looks good in it. He was accepting it real well so I sat on him in it for a while just hanging out.
It's so nice to be getting more horse time in now that the sun is back!

More firsts

In between all the rain I managed to get a few play times in with the horses. I was on Copper's back for the first time on may long weekend. He took it well. Shadow's been doing good too and we've had a couple more rides.
Today I drove my truck and trailer by myself for my second time. I took Buddy to a friends and we brought our horses to the town arena to ride. I'm happy with how nicely he took it all. It was his first time riding in the trailer, first time going to a new place and our first ride this year. I'm happy with how well he did, it was a good day and a lot of fun! I hope to do more of that.

Long time!

It's finally drying up outside! We had a couple weeks of rain making my yard very mucky and soft. I didn't get anything done outside. Now the sun's back and things are going well.
I've spent the past week playing with Shadow and putting some first rides on her. She's been doing great and it's been fun. I started just being a passenger and rubbing her all over, getting her to accept me on her back. The last few days we've also played around with lateral flexion, hindquarter disengagement and go and whoa. I'm very happy with how she's doing. She's fairly soft and everythings feels pretty good. Yesterday I rode her in my NP saddle for the first time. We've been using the bareback pad up until then. It worked well and seems to fit her good even though she's smaller. The more I use that saddle the more I love it!

7th key to success...

Pat says there are 7 keys to success, I found out I have a lot of the 7th, support.
I was feeling frustrated and like I had failed with my horse. I had let my emotions get out of control to a point of being no good for me, but my wonderful savvy friends were there, offering the support I needed, when I most needed it. It's amazing how that positive encouragement can lift me up and keep me going. I felt like I was stuck in a rut and they were there reaching out a hand to help me out. I realized that even though we are all on our own journey to personal excellence, we are also in this together, and it's a great feeling to know I am not alone.
I went out today and just spent time with my 2 mares. No expectations. We did lots of grooming and grazing and only for a few minutes Moon and I practiced some sideways over a small jump. I feel better and am happy to have finally gone back out. I will keep working at improving the relationship and also go back to my material to keep improving my savvy as well.
Thank you to everyone who offered help, support and someone to talk too, it really means a lot. My success will be because of you!

Take the time it takes...

After playing for a short time today, I realized I might have been getting ahead of myself thinking we're more ready than we actually are. At first it was pretty depressing. I ended up finishing what we were doing and taking Moon to graze, there's no point trying to do anything when I'm feeling frustrated like I was. I'm really bad for letting negative thoughts, people etc. get to me and that's really not helpful.
That was a few hours ago. Thinking on it more, I don't know why I was in a rush all of a sudden. I also realized I haven't actually spent very much time on some of the tasks. So I really shouldn't be focused on a video immediately but instead just be happy with where we are. I'm still going to have that as a goal this month, but now I'll go out thinking about progressing towards it, rather then thinking we're still not good enough. Maybe if I would take the time it takes, then it will take less time...
Where have I heard that before?!

Inspiration

I love it when I find a video or something to get me re-inspired to continue in my journey. Today I was watching some level 2 on line auditions from fellow savvy club members. They were great to see and got me excited to try making one of my own! I think with some practice, Moon and I might actually be able to submit one this spring. Who knows if we would pass level 2 but it would be good feedback I'm sure.
I went out with that in mind today. I had some obstacles in the arena and played as if we might do our audition, trying to include what was needed and checking out where we are. I don't think it was too terrible, and am even thinking of having a video done tomorrow just for fun and so I can see what it looks like. She's skeptical around the tarp so I only asked her to check it out once and then waited, she looked at it, hesitated, and then on her own crossed it slowly, no nervous rushed leap. I think in the past I was causing that panick by not realizing her horsenality and pushing instead of giving her time. Now it seems to go much better. She even offered to put a foot on the stump without me using a rope to help. We also got some sideways over a log both ways. I tried some figure 8's at a trot. It was ok except she was very full of energy leaping and flying around on the pattern! She doesn't have lots of room to move around where the horses are kept right now so I can understand that.
I'm surprised to say I feel more confident in our ability to do our level 2 online audition, and possibly this month too! Now that I seem to be doing better knowing her horsenality and with some more play time, this might just work! Level 2...how exciting!!

Paint day

I had some good "firsts" with both paint horses today. I saddled Shadow for the first time. She was good and didn't seem bothered so we went around the yard checking things out. We did some touch it with the logs and she even offered to go over one for me. She did it nicely too, slow and careful, not rushed. Last time we were near there she was a bit nervous but today it was better.
Copper wore the saddle again today. I've been using my old saddle but it doesn't fit the horses too well so I'll probably get out my natural performer soon. Can't wait to see how that looks on them! We tried our figure 8 pattern. This time I used bigger objects instead of my little cones. Maybe it will help him get the idea better. He can go right over the cones so it might seem pointless to him. I also paid attention to my communication, trying to be clear. It wasn't amazing, but it was better than our first attempt! He was also willing to check out and touch everything I asked. He put a front foot on, and was confident around the tarp. I liked that confidence so decided not to push for a crossing today. I went through some more ride preps. putting the end of my 22ft. through the stirrups and flapping them around. I played approach/retreat with my foot in the stirrups, hopping up and down, standing in one stirrup, rubbing opposite side etc. No problems there. It was going so well I ended up getting all the way on him! Just long enough to settle in the saddle, rub him, think "yay!!" and get back off :D I did both sides, he did well and that felt like a good place to quit. I've finally sat on my lovely paint, and it was great!! :)

Preparation is the key

It's still mucky but if I let that stop me I won't play until July! Last week I spent a little time with the horses. Some highlights were getting Buddy to cross the water in the ditch confidently, doing a slightly more extreme bag shaking around Shadow with her confident and starting to teach Copper to line up beside me standing on a log so one day I can mount.
Today I had a saddle, some cones, and a few other things out. I want to eventually ride a lot this summer and thought I should start some riding prep. now. I've had saddling issues with Moon in the past but we've done well in overcoming them. For some reason after winter I still expect them to come back. I thought she might get tight and explosive, but she stood fine while I saddled her. Once saddled she can become very right brain especially with things touching her. I rubbed her with the bag and stick and she did ok, I watched to see that she wasn't standing frozen, she blinked which was good. I think I was wrong when I pegged her as right brain extrovert, she seems to lean more towards right brain introvert. So now I'm learning how to play with that horsenality and I think it's helping. A big thing is to wait and I make sure to do that a lot. After saddling and rubbing her I stood back and just waited and sure enough eventually she licked and sighed. I think I might be on the right track now. We'll see how it goes. She was still a bit tight so I drove her to a couple obstacles for something to focus on and we did some figure 8's at a walk around cones which felt pretty good. They were nice and light and she pivoted away from me and around the cones nicely. They almost felt like the best we've done. I let my horses graze a lot when I take them out, and I was using that to see how relaxed she was. When we started she wouldn't eat when I knew she would have if not saddled, but after our figure 8's she did. We made our way to a log which I stood on and asked her to line up as if I would mount. I've done it from the left but not the right. Today I tried the right and she kept defaulting to the left! She also kept putting a foot on the log beside me! We did figure it out eventually and that was where we quit for the day. I feel much better knowing things aren't as bad as before and that my preparation is paying off with improvement. Now I can spend this year moving foward even more with her.
I played with Copper too. He's been a lot of fun, I really enjoy his company. I saddled him for one of his first times. I think I've saddled him once before. He did well, I'm happy with how well he accepted it. He wasn't bothered with me rubbing the stick or bag on him or moving stirrups around. The grass was more important than being worried about that! I got him moving around, we checked out some obstacles, then tried a few figure 8's. We definitely need work there! But I know where to improve our communication to help with that for next time. I want to continue what I started with teaching him to position for mounting, so we also went to the big log. I stood on it and got him to come over quite nicely to the left again. Both horses did well today. Doing a lot more preparation is really going to help them and me keep confident about everything we do.

Spring water crossing

This is the only time of year I have water nearby so I like to spend some time playing around with water crossing with my horses.
I brought Moon out so she could graze on the yard and I worked on our friendly game with the bag. It's not bad but she's still flinchy now and then. I drove her from zone 2 until we made our way to our "water crossing", the front ditch. She's been hesitant to go in water before so I wasn't sure how it would go this year, but she went when I asked and was calm about it. That was a nice relief. I took her for a walk down the road a short distance and we crossed back and forth occassionally. She even did pretty well with a couple vehicles going by. We returned to the yard and played a couple figure 8's at a walk on the 22ft around some small evergreens. Making our way past our fire pit which has 2 bigger logs for sitting, (or jumping horses over!) I thought I'd try another thing I've been working on a little. I stood on one and asked her to line herself up as if I was going to mount. It worked well, she came over nicely and the best part for her was I rubbed her then walked away, and didn't get on. Now I need to remember to get it good on the right side as well.
I played with Copper for a little bit too. We moseyed around the yard, him doing some nice touch it's at my cones and barrels, and made our way to the water. He also crossed a couple times for me. That felt good, at least I know I can ask two horses to go through on line for me. :)

Muck...

The weather is so nice in spring but I always forget how mucky and wet it gets until it's here and that makes it hard to play! The water has gone down since my last post but it will take a while for all the snow to melt and the ground to dry up. Because of this I almost didn't play today. But I'm happy I did because I had a good time with Copper!
I gave him a good grooming, he's shedding a lot and seemed to like it, rocking back and forth against the brush strokes! I found a grassy area that wasn't as mucky and set up a few cones. I wanted to see if we're anywhere near level 1. I haven't put a lot of time in with him and would really like to change that and see how much progress we can make. I checked out all 7 games, except sideways, forgot that one, and played touch it with the cones. We found a few places that could use some practice but it wasn't horrible. Now I know we have some basics and can go from there. My friendly game with the plastic bag felt good. I was happy to get a few steps in our yo-yo's at phase 1. Circling needs improvement, but we really haven't done much of that up to this point. After the circling I noticed we were really tearing up the grass so I moved onto the driveway. I need all the grass I can get on my small yard so turning it to mud in spring isn't a good idea.
I switched to my 22 ft., brought some cones with and played with circles on the gravel. He stayed out longer this time, I think he was having fun exploring in the snow piles on the end of the longer line.
He wasn't worried about being away from the horses or pen so I took him for a walk to the front of the yard. We even made it to the ditch which is full of water now. I really like that he's interested in checking everything out. We played some squeeze games near the water and he went in and crossed through a few times nice and calm, which made me happy! At least I can make some use of all the extra water! :)
I really like this horse and hope to gain enough savvy for him, he's a nice horse just looking for leadership, but then again aren't they all?! :)

Dwell time in the Sun

I haven't taken time recently to just be with the horses and that's something I think that would really help, especially with Moon. I went out today and decided to stay in the pen with her for 1/2 an hr before haltering. It usually seems like she's thinking what's up, but in a skeptical way not curious or interested. Today I did see her look at me a few times out of the corner of my eye. Everytime she looked I looked away. We eventually got together, her checking for treats I assume and headed to the round pen. I had our "toys", barrels and the green ball out today. We spent a minute checking things out. I had the bag on the stick again but found her a little worried so I played with that until she was alright. I moved it around and swung it over our heads with it ending up on her withers. She did pretty good, even lowering her head nicely at one point. I got a lot of licking/chewing and felt that was a good place to stop. Then we played with driving from zone 3 with the stick in the harmony spot as Pat calls it in the new Level 1. From there we walked around the driveway and yard for a while, finally stopping at a patch of grass. I sat down while she grazed around me. We spent a while there just hanging out in the sun, it was nice. :)
I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow...after our grazing time we went to go back to the round pen and found the whole yard, pen included, flooded and under a foot of water! My green ball had floated right out of the pen! That was the only bad part of my day. I hope the water leaves soon or I might have to play with watercrossing with the horses for the next few days!

Vet visit

I finished a long night shift yesterday. Normally I would sleep then, but it was so nice that after going out to feed the horses I stayed out!
I spent some time with my paints. They both got a good grooming and checked out the yard again. They're also doing very well with the bag. I managed to rub it all over Shadow again and everywhere on Copper except his head and lower legs. I also flagged it a bit harder and swung it around overhead. I'm very happy with both horses reactions, or lack of! Now to get the same results with the other 2.
Shadow banged up her knee a while ago, she's not lame but I wasn't sure what might have been damaged so I had the vet come see her today. Turns out she should be just fine, so that's a relief. She was also very good for us and the vet commented on her being a nice little horse. She asked me if she came that way :) I got her as an unhandled weanling that was unloaded by backing the trailer to the barn door. I'd like to think that I've at least played a small part in helping her confidence in people. But the vet's right, she is definitely a lovely filly. It's always nice to have a successful vet visit for all involved. I'm glad today went as good as it did. Now as long as she recovers fast then everything is good!

Good days with the boys

I spent some time with Buddy yesterday and Copper today. We checked things out in areas of the yard that aren't snowed in. Copper kept checking in with me, that was nice. They both chose to have a snack at the bales in the back and I used that time to play with my stick/bag. They did well with me moving it around and then eventually rubbing it on them. Buddy wasn't sure at first but did good, even allowing me to touch his belly a few times. I thought Copper might react more but he was great. I rubbed his withers, back and rump both sides. Now I can say I've been able to rub all 4 horses with it. One tiny step foward!

Good day with the girls

It was nice out today, nice enough that the cleared area in front of the barn wasn't slippery.
I spent some time with Shadow, took her blanket off and groomed her which she really seemed to enjoy. Because of the better footing, we left the pen and wandered around checking things out in front of the barn for a while. Found some thresholds but just kept retreating and coming back until she was ready to go further. It didn't take her long to want to check things out, snow banks, the trailer, burning barrel, and the bales in the back. She really spent some time poking around the trailer hitch. I had my carrot stick with me and it still had the plastic bag attached. After she finished exploring I walked backwards away from her while waving it softly back and forth. She followed fine with that, even coming right up to me. Then she stood very nicely while I rubbed her all over with it!! Even her belly, chest, legs, nose and forehead! She was willing to reach out and touch it herself too. What a lovely little horse:)
After putting Shadow back I took Moon out. I removed her blanket and groomed her too. She wasn't as worried about leaving and headed straight down the driveway. We walked all over anywhere it was cleared. I was the one to ask her to turn around. She checked a few things out then found the bales in the back and decided she wanted to eat. So I used that time to play with the bag, waving it around while she stood there. I even got to where I could move it past her side very close without touching her and without having her flinch. Once she was relaxed with that I rubbed it on her. She was ok enough to continue eating while I approached and retreated to the point of rubbing it on her withers, back, butt and under the belly. She wasn't sure of the belly but didn't take long to be ok with that too. Then I did the same with the other side and got the same results there. I was actually surprised and happy to have even gone that far with her today.
I'm very happy with how both girls did, they surprised me again! Making progress is fun!

Blankets

It's supposed to get real cold and windy tonight and tomorrow. The horses have started to shed and the pen their hay is in isn't very sheltered from wind if it gets bad. Because of this I decided to put their winter blankets on this evening. I was worried about Moon and Copper's reaction since they both haven't worn one yet, but they proved my worry unnecessary. I brought in 2 at a time to feed, groom and blanket. Everyone did great, standing nicely for me, and Moon and Copper didn't get bothered at all the way I thought they might. Moon wasn't completely sure but I'm happy with how she did. I love when my horses surprise me in a good way! Plus now I can sleep tonight knowing they won't be standing huddled up shivering against the bad weather.
Other than that I haven't done much with the horses the past few days. They do seem to be getting slightly better when I'm out there with my stick and bag at feeding time though. Friday I was able to rub Moon and Buddy on one side of the withers at liberty again. What I liked about that was that Moon wasn't standing frozen, she had a better look about her and was blinking. It just felt more relaxed. This horse is a challenge for me but in a good way, she's teaching me to be a much better horseperson!

Small successes

I have to remember to notice and be happy with small successes at first, rather than thinking, "I'm still not there...". In this case "there" being the fact that I still can't strongly wave the bag around or walk up and rub the horses all over without them getting bothered. When I think about it, it's only been a few days and I really just need to take the time it takes. Plus I know, even if it's a small difference, things have progressed at least a little bit.
I spent a few minutes with Moon and Buddy yesterday rubbing them each a little. They'll stand for it but are still worried, tense, and not very confident at this point.
Remembering that, today I tried not to be so direct line in wanting to rub them right away. I spent some time wandering around waving the bag softly. Buddy's very quick to follow and check it out. I went too quickly to touch him at one point though and he had to leave. We played some more until he was following again and then did lots of approach retreat until I could rub him again. That took a while, but in the end he was doing alright, just wasn't sure of my intentions at first.
Moon will sometimes stand but it's more of a frozen in fear rather than calm. I played around a bit then asked her to yield her hindquarters. She did and that helped get her unstuck and able to follow me a short distance. I didn't try to touch her today, just played with being able to bring the bag close to her without causing a big reaction. With lots of repetition she was able to check out the hay on the ground even as I was near her with it.
Copper was around through all this and is getting brave enough to check it out, and everytime he does I retreat more which is helping.
I even spent time with Shadow and she did great. It wasn't a problem for me to wave it back and forth and even walk towards and around her with it, she was much more interested in the hay. Both her and Copper I have not tried to touch yet.
I finished the session by going further away from everyone and flapped the bag harder and softer, harder and softer for a few minutes.
It doesn't feel like I've gone far but at least no ones running around with high heads anymore. I'll just have to take the time it takes and it should take less time, right?!

Approach and retreat

I had another good session with Moon and the plastic bag today. It was short but fun. I repeated the same idea from yesterday, using approach and retreat with her at liberty in the pen. Almost right away she was following me. Within about 10 minutes I was able to have her stand still while I went over and rubbed her withers and back with the stick and bag. She seemed more confident than yesterday and it felt great!
I also spent a few minutes doing the same thing with Buddy. He's inately more left brain and did pretty good with it too, I rubbed one side of him in the short time we played.
I was so worried about this bag and expected it to be such a problem, but am feeling much more confident about it myself now too. :)

Confidence...

This time of year I have trouble getting motivated to go out when it's cold, but after the short time I spent with the horses today, I'm glad I did. The mare I'm using as my levels partner happens to also be my most challenging horse. She's inately right brain and anything new or different is a big deal for her. On top of that, I'm only at a level 1/learning level 2 skill standard. We've really got some room for improvement! This past summer we managed to overcome some saddling and riding fears which felt great. My goals for this year will be gaining confidence. Confidence in new toys/things, confidence in our saddling/riding, confidence in new places, confidence, confidence, confidence!
I've started carrying my stick & string around with me whenever I go feed the horses, just as another way to have it seem more a part of me and not a foreign object I only have now and then. Lately I've added a plastic bag to the end of it. 3 of my horses didn't take long at all to be fine with that, but my mare wasn't having any part of it! So today I decided to wander around her pen while waving it around. I ignored her while making big loops back and forth a ways behind her, (she had put herself in a corner). Anytime she even made a try to look at me I would step further out of my little looping pattern and then return, approaching and retreating. Surprisingly it didn't take her long to end up looking at me and then pivoting to face me, the whole time I kept retreating when she would look my way. Even better, she started taking a step forward (yay!), I retreated more, until she followed me for one lap of the small pen. I ended by standing off to the side with my feet still and moved the bag toward her withers and away again, to the point of being about a foot from touching her. I decided this was a good place to quit when she begin licking and chewing and trying to look at the bag, rather than standing completely tense with her head way up which is what I usually see with her. The cool thing was this happened within minutes, when I wasn't even expecting her to relax enough to even look at me at all today. Even though it's a small thing, it felt great, and I'm a bit more excited to see just how far we can go. I'm really trying to keep the balance of being a good leader for her and helping her gain confidence, while also not having her feel like her life is in danger everytime she's with me. So here's to more confidence in 2010!!

Introduction

I have been a fan of horses for a while now, and would love to try as many horse related sports and events out there that I can. Parelli is helping me continue to put the horse first, while learning how to give them a great foundation. With this I will be able to go on and do all the fun stuff available to us! I'm currently studying level 2 with my 4 horses. Can't wait to see where our journey goes in 2010!