Level 2 Online Pre-Audition :)

Here's a video I took a few days ago to see what we look like from an outsider's perspective. I think we are ready to go!! I noticed from the video however that when we do sideways I can probably do it from the end of the barrel instead of having to be right up next to her to give her some space, any feedback and/or comments are always appreciated! :)

Bridless video

http://youtu.be/yqCPhZU10b0

Bridless riding... CHECK!

RODE CHEYENNE BRIDLESS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER TONIGHT!!!! It was the last minute of our ride :) I removed the hackamore from her back, and we took a lap around the pasture. Asked her to stop and reverse a few steps, and called it a night :) Short, positive, and AWESOME!! For an RBE, that was such a big deal, and so so rewarding! =] It took a lot of prep work, and it all payed off tonight :) First thing off my 2012 Goal List!!!! Yipeeee! 


Before that we did about 30 min OL working on thresholds, and used sideways w/o a fence, squeeze, and the f8 pattern to help relax and refocus her. Rode for about 60 min after that, working on steady rein and point-to-point to help relax her in the trot. Haha it was so cute, at one point she put her nose right next to the top of a cone and exhaled, and found out it made a funny noise! So she sat there for about 30 seconds making nostril music, it was the cutest thing!! Then she had enough and started chewing on the cone lol. She also started chewing on the barrels tonight in the middle of our f8 patterns :) She is so curious. Lots of blowing again tonight under saddle, followed immediately by licking and chewing. She seems to have had a lot of breakthroughs yesterday and today, and has been the epitome of LB while under saddle. I've also notice i'm more relaxed, detail oriented, and flexible in our game plan, and that has made a huge difference in my entire night with the horses. Today and yesterday have been the easiest it's ever been for me to live in the moment, stay completely at ease, and play with whatever comes up. Using patterns and not emotionally reacting has come naturally, and I'm really hoping this change is permanent :) I feel so much calmer, and it has a ripple effect onto my horses that is making every night 10x more effective.


My Gwenasaurus Rex did good tonight, too :) Just 15 min OL, working on extreme friendly game again with the carrot stick and savvy string slapping the ground while I walk around her, sideways for the first time, and driving from z3. Driving went well, and i'm hoping that improves our Freestyle dramatically. I'm going to hop on her tomorrow for the first time in about a month to see how much our OL has helped :) I can't wait to see how it goes!

I Dream Of Fast Track

Knowing I will be graduating L2 by summer, dreams of the Fast Track in Pagosa Springs come flooding back to my mind :) If you pay in full 6 months prior, it is only $3500 to attend! This isn't counting board for myself or Cheyenne, or the diesel to get us there lol, but those are minor details! ;p And I would have another 6 months to save up for that. 


Can you imagine?! Being in CO at the Parelli University, learning from the best of the best :) And to be able to come back home and make a living teaching these life changing methods to other people in my area, and watch their horsemanship grow. Can you think of anything cooler to do with your life?! Because I can't! 


I'm starting to save up, and hopefully attend FT next spring. By then I should be pretty far into L3 in all four savvys, and that in itself is exciting! Cheyenne and I have been having some amazing sessions lately, and it's been months since she's gone RB for more than just a few minutes, and even that is becoming rare. I really think we are ready for this :) Oh man... so much to look forward to!!


I've attached a video below from Sharon Tiesdell Smith talking about her experience during the Fast Track, and how she was even presented with her green string at the end :) Hats off to you, girl! 


Fast Track student review

Had a great day with both girls :) Rode Cheyenne today, and we had a LOT of relaxing moments, and she did a lot of blowing/relaxing today, which was great! Played with thresholds working on becoming relaxed outside of the pasture. Figure 8 pattern is becoming our best bud, I can't believe how quickly it calms her, focuses her, and gets her back to LB.

Gweny was great! Kept it short and sweet, and I'm feeling very relaxed tonight, and I can see how it really reflected onto my horses. I kept everything really slow, and after me pushing Chey too far last week, "reward the slightest try" is my main motto. I did extreme friendly game for the first time with Gwen, as well as porcupine game off her two front legs and she picked it up very quickly, and very willingly, which is surprising for an LBI!

Tonight was great, and I had a lot of fun "playing with whatever horse showed up". Just living in the moment has changed everything for me. I'm not direct lined, because i'm not out there with a specific goal in mind. I just go out with a few rough ideas in mind, and play with whatever I get. And half the time it turns out to be a play session about something completely different :) Just changing my attitude made a world of difference. Tonight rocked ;)

Had a great ride on Chey tonight! She started out RB and very spooky.. she had a lot of thresholds even in her pasture because the neighbors were moving things around their property all day. The second she got her halter on she calmed down, and we did some F8's, weave and sideways over a log and the change was instant! Head down, LB, and focused. She has never made the switch so easily and calmly! We also did Approach & Retreat with the spooky saddle pad in the corner. The rest of the night she was very laid back, had a slow, lumbering walk and offered a nice relaxed trot :) Transition into canter is pretty ugly lol, we definitely need some work on that. But I was so impressed on how she started out so spooky, and how quickly she became and STAYED LB, acting like she hadn't a care in the world :) Especially since they've been getting some alfalfa thrown in their meals lately I figured she would be extra spooky, but the last few months we've been focusing on groundwork and it has really payed off! On a side note, tonight when I was cleaning out her feet before the ride, she was an angel about all of them except the one I was using to teach her to lay down on command :/ I feel so bad. She would resist giving me the foot, and when I did get it she would just rip it out of my hand. I feel horrible for pushing her too far the other night. She eventually let me clean it out, and I gave her lots of scratches on her leg and belly to try to reassure her that me picking up that foot is a positive thing again. I think I'm gonna back off the laying down for a while and come back to it when she is confident with me playing with that foot again. This is definitely a lesson I'm never going to forget. It hurts that I pushed a horse too far that always gives me so much effort, and always tries so hard to do whatever I'm asking. I feel like I took it for granted, and that's not acting like a partner on my end. I'm so lucky she is such a forgiving girl :) I don't know what I would do without that little lady!

Zen Pony

Had a lot on my mind today, so I threw a savvy string around Chey's neck and just sat there while she finished her breakfast and walked over to her napping spot. She wasn't quite sure what to do at first, for about 10 minutes she just stood there with her head up waiting for me to ask something of her. Once she realized I was just an oversized fly perched on her back for a bit, she acted like I wasn't even there and just went about her business. There is no better confidant than your horse :) I can talk to her about anything, she never tells my secrets and never gives bad advice ;) She is pretty much my zen garden on four legs. Today, quiet time was more valuable than clearing a 4' jump into a water hazard. Just what I needed.

Practicing L2 OL

Day #2 of teaching Chey to lay down.. she was getting SO close, I can bring her so her chest is almost touching the ground, but I pushed it too far and she started resisting giving me her leg :( I did a lot of friendly game and just chilled with her after that. Sat there and rubbed her leg to let her know every time I touch it I'm not going to ask her to lay down, and also to say I'm sorry. We just chilled for a bit, I itched her favorite spots and called it a day. Before that however, we had a fab day rehearsing L2 OL :) We did sideways over everything imaginable today, including the barrels which was hilarious because my "vertically challenged" mustang's belly hardly has any clearance, haha, so that was fun to watch. Weave was ok, and she got pretty spunky doing F8's! I widened the barrels to give her more room to drift which was a great improvement, but she got pretty energized and starting bolting around the pattern. Oh, you want to run? Let's DO IT!! I had her to the end of my 22' line running like a lion after a gazelle, and put the 3' jump in per path. She was zooming for about 5 or 6 laps/jumps and started slowing down. Once she decided trotting was definitely the preferred gait, we attempted the F8's again, and she was calm and LB this time :) We did some stm @ liberty through two pastures and over a jump, and I put her back to bed staying at liberty :) She is doing so well, and we haven't had an episode of RBE Hysteria in quite a while! (knock on wood!). She is such a little rockstar <3


I feel like we are ready to film L2 OL, I'm just nervous it's not perfect yet. But I think it is time :) After my trip to Scottsdale, I think it'll be time to submit my video and keep fingers crossed!! Shooting for a 2++, we can do it!! WOOT WOOT!! =D