It's The Little Things :)

I went back home last weekend and finally got some pony time in with my girls :) Friday afternoon I whistled and leaned on the fence, and Cheyenne cantered over to see me!! Six weeks was entirely too long to be apart, even for her :) Gweny was the second one over, and we just sat there and had a little love fest. Their feet were a little long when I got there, so I wasn't able to really do much with them until Sunday after the farrier came. It worked out well, since Saturday I ran in the Run or Dye 5K!! If you haven't ran one of these yet, you definitely need to check it out!

Sunday morning Ryan, our fabulous farrier, came and saved the day, and the girls were ready to boogy! Cheyenne (as always) insisted on playing first. She still isn't used to having to share her human, even though I've been playing with Gweny for quite some time now. I always like to see how little I can do with her after a long break. And Chey always impresses me. We could do walk/stop/back and walk/trot trot/walk transitions without having to touch the reins :) I was so proud! We just played around after that, and I introduced the first step of the Spanish walk on the ground. She really gives 110% with everything she does, which is such a great perk of an RBE. Yes they may be flighty and spooky when they see a leaf wiggle three miles away, but they really put their heart and soul in whatever you ask them to do.

Smiles from my bay-bies!!

Gweny, on the other hand, is an LBI and has a very definite "why should I do that?" outlook. Her and I have come a long ways, and she has gotten fairly willing on the ground. We did our OL warm ups, and even though I got some sour faces when she was asked to trot, she was really on cue after not being played with for a while. I hopped on, and she had a lot more forward than normal! Our second ride in a row when I didn't have to convince her that taking two steps wouldn't kill her. She started out really willing to trot, and even offered it once or twice, however after a few straight trotting lines, she became resistant. Maybe because we repeated it too much? I'm not sure, but we worked through it and no matter how few trot strides she offered she got a release, and she eventually decided it was ok again. 

Things were going well, and I decided it was time to introduce the HQ/FQ yield from her back. She did not agree. FQ was ok, but we had done a little of this before so I wasn't too shocked. HQ, however, turned out to be a little bit of a battle. When Gwen doesn't understand something, she throws a fit. And when Gweny throws a fit, she goes right to the extreme. She knows how to yield her HQ from the ground like a champ, but she didn't translate the cues once I was on her back. She pinned her ears, that didn't work, and then she reached back to bite my leg. This was a first! She was gentle, her top teeth just barely made contact, but she definitely made her point. My first instinct was to poke her cheek when she moved back with matched energy. It wasn't hard, and I was really proud of myself for staying centered emotionally. Pat says to take it as feedback, not personally. It was just enough to let her know that wasn't the right answer. I learned in the beginning that the key with her is persistence, no matter what sort of fit she throws, and she will eventually engage her brain instead of react and figure out what is being asked of her. She reached back to bite again, but this time I was expecting it and she got her cheek poke before she made it half way to my leg. I kept cuing, and she finally crossed her right back hind over her left hind. Wa-la! We had a HQ yield! I got two more nice yields, switched sides, and called it good.

I took her out to the back yard to work a knot of out of her mane, and Cheyenne was not amused. She kept looking over the fence, trying to use her Jedi pony powers to will me back and come get her instead. 

We took a walk around the yard to a downed tree that fell victim to a wind storm. I sent Gweny over it to think about foot placement in preparation for one day riding in the mountains, with hopes she would take it upon herself to jump it. After a few times over, she took a half leap! She was starting to get into it, but I only had my 12' line and wanted to see what she would do if she really had a chance to set herself up for the jump. We got a running start and she soared!! Zero resistance, all heart! She over jumped it by a mile, I'm sure just out of inexperience, but that was a huge mile stone for us :) We did it two more times and ended on that amazing note :) 

She had a wonderful expression on her face, and I couldn't have asked for more. I just chilled in the pasture afterwards and had some downtime scratching and loving on the girls before I called it a night. I am so grateful to have two such amazing horses in my life :) 

Expanding My Horizons

The great horseman today have all learned from multiple masters. Friday I expanded my learning bubble and attended my first Buck Brannaman clinic. Buck was highly inspired by Tom and Bill Dorrance, and rode with Ray Hunt for over 30 years. He learned from the best of the best, and has a Vaquero horsemanship twist to his style. 

The class was Horsemanship 1, so it was somewhat like the mounted portion of the old Parelli L1 clinic. The goal wasn't new, but the approach was definitely a different style. He really strove for responsiveness right from the get-go, and it had a big impact on the group. They transformed very quickly, and if you weren't properly executing what Buck asked, he would call you out on it and have you do it over and over until you communicated correctly and accurately. He kicked your butt, but everyone progressed quickly, and he had assistants that were able to run out and help riders who were having a more difficult time than others. He was extremely blunt about how and why he did things, respect for your horse, as well as being respectful to other horses and rider's bubble. When someone had a question he was blunt yet polite, and I really enjoyed listening to his answers. I personally appreciate someone with a no-nonsense attitude, because I am corrected quicker and feel I get more out of the experience. Oh, and by the way, he was freaking hilarious.

Students watching as Buck demonstrates

I brought my notebook with me to take notes when the wind wasn't trying to blow it away, and ended up making an entire column of silly/witty Buck remarks. A few examples were "Next time do that before you're ass deep in alligators!", "Kick a fart out of him!", and "I want you busier than a cat burying crap!". He kept the whole group of riders on task, productive, and lighthearted. 

I was surprised to find out he has an extensive hunter/jumper background, and had an impressive list of gold medal jumpers that use his methods. This really caught my attention. He is very anti-contact, and I'm interested to find out how he would get his horse to carry their frame without it. The more I can be out of my horse's mouth, the better. 

Below are some of my favorite Buck quotes from the day. Again, this was from his beginner horsemanship class, so they are things that I've heard before but from a different approach. Coming at an old technique with a new perspective in mind helps see things in a different light and sometimes helps grasp a concept. Here are some of my favorites :

* Mean what you say, say what you mean

* If a horse is dull to your legs, he will never be light for your hands

* The only time you can direct a foot is as it leaves the ground

* You want your horse's feet to be your feet. It's a dance. He's not your slave.

* Do less than what you think it's going to take and then in a moment or two, do what it takes to get a change. Sooner or later you'll do less than what you think it would take and he'll surprise you. You always give them that good deal first

A student practicing her one-reined stop

Buck will be back in WA in November, and I'm hoping to stay for several days this time instead of just half of the first. There are two other women that are L3+ Parelli people that go to Buck's clinics religiously, and I'm hoping to be able to meet up with them and pick their brains while he is teaching. I'm also going to save up and get his 7 Clinics DVD set, as well as a few of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt's DVDs. The more I can learn the better. 

I've heard Buck say to learn a technique from your mentor, but then find a way to make it your own. Tweak a method if you find it works better for you. I really liked hearing this, because one of my goals now that I'm branching out is to start finding my own way of doing things. Lorenzo The Flying Frenchman (the guy who rides roman style while communicating with an entire herd of white horses at liberty), Alycia Burton ("founder of Free Riding NZ"), Sylvia Zerbini (former Cavalia headliner), and many others taught themselves by just trial and error when playing with their horses. Each style is different yet effective in forming an amazing bond with their horses, and with little to no tack. I want to give myself the opportunity to find a unique way of conversing with my horses and not stay in the mental confines of one particular style.

Buck and his horse Reuben

I'm excited to continue learning and soaking up all this new information :) I can't wait for my bay-bies (;p) to come live with me again once we are able to get a place with property and really get this show on the road. Until then, I'll do as much as a I can when I am able to visit them at my parent's house (sadly 3 hours away) and make the most of our time. So much new stuff, and so much to play with!! :D

A Student of the Horse

This year I was chosen to be the summer intern at the Northwest Natural Horsemanship Center (NWNHC). Unfortunately due to my work schedule my "summer" there turned into three weeks, but I learned so much in that time. However, it wasn't my typical lesson. It wasn't about psychology, a new technique, or anything of the norm. It was about having an open mind.

I started my natural horsemanship journey when I was about 11 years old through Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Up until now, I've had Parelli tunnel vision and nothing else was even worth looking at. Before I discovered Pat and Linda, I had checked out Monty Roberts, John Lyons, etc, and although they were good, they weren't great. I felt I had done enough research and found my "way". I am now playing in level 3 in the Parelli program and I feel I have a good foundation stuffed with problem solving skills, psychological approaches, tool handling skills, and confidence. However at NWNHC, they are open to all trainers, not just Parelli. They have clinicians such as Craig Cameron, Jack Brainard, Sylvia Zerbini, and many other accomplished horse men and women come in and teach, and the new information people seemed to have gotten from them is incredible. Dorothy Coomer, the trainer at NWNHC, had the chance to ride with Craig Cameron, as well has learn from Alice Trindle for 11+ years, who learned first hand from Ray Hunt. Hutch, the center's founder, and his girlfriend Karen had influence from Sylvia Zerbini (a former Cavalia headliner) about liberty, and insight from many other trainers which gave them new perspectives and strategies. 

This reminded me that I am a student of the horse, not just Parelli. I still plan on officially passing through L3 of the program, and one mythical day I still would like to attend Fast Track. Parelli is always going to be part of my life and continue to influence my horsemanship, but I need to remember to not have a closed mind when so many other incredible horsemen have so much knowledge to offer. Just because it isn't endorsed by Pat yet doesn't mean it's wrong.

So after mulling this new information around in my head, I finally sat down and watched the movie Buck. Yes, I know, I'm like the only horse person who didn't see this movie it's first week in theaters lol. But I honestly thought it was a waste of my time. 

The movie didn't really teach anything, but it gave a background of who he is and where he came from. He learned from the same masters Pat did, and has many of the same philosophies, just a different style of getting there. The way I look at it is two people can attend the same class and pull two different lessons from it. Buck still puts the horse first, and still accomplishes great things with his horses while nurturing their confidence and putting their needs first. 

Buck Brannaman

I have the opportunity to see Buck teach a clinic tomorrow at the Washington State Horse Park, and I couldn't be more excited! One great thing about him is that you learn directly from HIM, not one of his instructors. Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing Parelli instructor and have learned from many incredible other instructors, and I'm not putting them down in any fashion. But the chance to learn from our modern day master vs. his student is a huge advantage. He will have two Horsemanship 1 classes tomorrow, which is perfect. I can see how, what, and why he introduces ideas and methods to horses and owners and get a good idea of his way of teaching. Even if I don't come away with any new knowledge, or even if I decide I don't agree with his approach, I'm really excited to be branching out and taking steps towards making myself a more well rounded horse woman. Again, Parelli Natural Horsemanship will always be in my life, but I need to remember I'm a student of the horse first and foremost. A closed mind won't get me anywhere.

Another reason I'm branching out is because of the levels program. Up until now I really had my sights set on becoming an instructor. I created this "you must pass level 2 officially, then level 3, and by the way all these other students are performing well so your performance better be freaking perfect". It's made my life all about the 7 games, accomplishments, and work instead of play. As a fellow LBE Emily states in her blog,  "I like to go out to the arena with a plan and be a good leader. What I am now realizing are that those goals are turning me into a direct like thinker. Whatever I plan for the day, that’s exactly what I do. Rather than let my horse determine the principles and the time, I push to accomplish what I have in mind." I feel like I get too focused on passing levels and accomplishing goals instead of putting my horse first and having fun! I need to have horse ambitions and play time that isn't related to Parelli, that will snap my mind out of its direct-line-edness and back into having fun, being creative, and coming up with my own ways of problem solving. Never ending self improvement, and never ending fun :)