Level 3/4 Freestyle Audition, The Filming Process, and What I Learned!

Sooooo this is definitely cause to celebrate!  I FINALLY got my Freestyle filmed to submit for the Externship requirements.  You may be wondering why I filmed a Level 3 audition when I've already passed L3, let me tell you why!   Parelli now doesn't just assess you as Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3, you can now be a L2+ or a L2++ OR you can be L2++ On-Line, L2 Liberty, and L3+ Freestyle.  Yes, it's true!  You can graduate different parts of multiple levels all at the same time AND you are now given the opportunity to see how close you are to achieving the next level by the (somewhat subjective) "+" scores that can be added.

So in August at the Fast Track I graduated with a 3+ On-Line, a 3+ Freestyle, and a 3++ Liberty.  For the Externship you need a 3++ in the first three savvies to qualify for acceptance.  I decided to go big and film the L4 requirements for On-Line and all the L4 requirements for Freestyle with the exception of the flying lead changes - though I did get changes over a jump which I felt was a step up from simple changes though not quite a real, unassisted FLC.  I submitted the OL for L4 and the FS for L3 - hoping that I'll get a 3++ in both - you know what they say - shoot for the moon and if you fail at least you'll land among the stars.  So that's what I'm going for here :)  I've posted some trial run videos that I took during the audition filming process on my YouTube channel - so check 'em out and let me know what you think!  I love comments and feedback, it's always so fun and inspiring to connect with other Parelli folks on the internet and share our experiences with each other!

The process to get the video was a challenge in and of itself.  Starting with the fact that my camera fell lens down in the arena a few weeks ago and now doesn't work.  I asked all my friends, no one had a camera, their camera was broken, or whatever - it just wasn't happening!  I finally decided to use my best friend's camera that takes TERRIBLE video - you'll see some of them on my channel - half the image is yellow all the time!  But, I decided a yellow video was better than no video because I had to get something turned in to Parelli ASAP.  Next I had to find a day that my friend - and newly appointed videographer - as well as myself had the same day off of work.  Now on that day we also needed some decent filming weather.  I'm not talking 50 and sunshine, I'm just talking no snow, no ice, no tornado force winds, and no freezing temperatures.  Because in Montana April is still WINTER friends.  Then on this day, with the recently found camera and videographer, with decent winter weather, I also needed my right brain extrovert 'impulsa-pony' (as I fondly call her) to be in the right frame of mind for bridle-less riding.  Taking the bridle off a right brain extrovert in a big arena is exhilarating, rewarding, and telling of where we're really at.  But it's also scary - especially with a horse that likes to go and sometimes likes to think about becoming ninja-pony and bucking.  So when all my stars aligned we were ready to film Freestyle! :)

I got some great things right from the start, I had never tried jumping a single laying down barrel before but I did it in the video for the FIRST TIME EVER and BRIDLE-LESS!  I also jumped the water tanks bridle-less for the first time in the video.  I was totally blown away with Aspen's try and focus.  But at the same time when replaying the video could really see how evident it was that I was relying a lot on my carrot stick for steering and that she didn't really KNOW the patterns I was filming (corners, clover leaf).  I shared the video with my instructor who was honest when she said that it probably wouldn't pass with the marks I was looking for.  I was frustrated and disappointed but at the same time I realized this was an opportunity for improvement.  The deadline to audition really focused me and I began getting results!  I will try and organize some video clips that show what I had going in the beginning with the patterns to what I ended up with in about 10 days of FOCUSED riding. What's that responsibility we have as humans?? - USE THE NATURAL POWER OF FOCUS??  Yes, it's about looking and focusing where you want to go when you're riding but it's also about focusing on the goal and using consistency as your friend!  BE CONSISTENT WHEN YOU'RE TEACHING SOMETHING.  Be consistent.  Be consistent.  Be consistent.  Do the patterns over and over until your horse sees it as her responsibility.  And for me, visualizing really helped.  I began dreaming about riding the patterns, I'm not even kidding.  I was dreaming and feeling what it would feel like if we were in harmony.  I began seeing where I had to start turning in my body to get Aspen to be more fluid and consistent on the patterns and it really helped.  My friend who was videoing for me came out to film again, and this might have been the 3rd time she'd been out to help tape or watch me ride over the course of a couple weeks.  On this day it was the day after one of my freestyle dreams and I really was imagining and feeling in my body all day how I wanted my ride to feel when I got on Aspen.  And during that ride my friend remarked that she was really impressed in the sudden dramatic improvement Aspen and I had made in a few short days.  She could see that Aspen and I were really more in sync with each other and that it looked like Aspen was finally thinking ahead to where we were going and I wasn't constantly steering her through the cloverleaf.  A neat compliment and observation and testimony to the power of focus!

In the final video you'll see that I'm not yellow and it's because our memory card malfunctioned and we couldn't use her camera so we were forced to try a cell phone to video.  We tied my iPhone onto the camera tripod with my hair tie and wouldn't you know that it took some really nice video! The whole time in our pockets we had a tool that would have worked great for filming and didn't know it until we were forced to become inventive by necessity.  Isn't life grand? :)  So my video isn't yellow and it turned out pretty nice.  I believe that as nicer weather comes around and I can ride more I now have the focus and more tools to make more steady progress and by the time of the Externship I will be a lot closer to Level 4!!  As stressful as it was to try and audition under my current circumstances of malfunctioning cameras, weather, work, and a right brain extrovert Thoroughbred I am so glad that I did.  I learned so much about myself as a horsewoman and my shortcomings in consistency, focus, and using the patterns to my advantage.  Aspen and I are closer as a team and I know she's happy that I'm finally figuring things out and allowing her to make the progress she's ready to make!

On a final note HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY (yesterday) to my wonderful horse.  She's worth her weight in gold to me and I'm so thankful she's not easy and she challenges me to better myself all the time.  When I'm an instructor my students can thank Aspen for teaching me some very valuable lessons in horsemanship.  <3

Ride your neutral!

Progress Entry: Wed 27 Feb 2013

Online Level 4
45 minutes

FreeStyle Level 3
25 minutes

Notes:

Did our warm up of backing on a circle today keeping in mind that backing is a GAIT and therefore the horse should maintain it on their own (thanks to the reminder from 3* PP Jenny Trainor). I have started to realize that I must have some life in my body when I ask my horse to move his feet and maintain it in order to eliminate the need for a stick and rope in the future. Now this doesn't mean nagging or coming out of neutral - I can be neutral without being a sack of potatoes. It's like riding - you ask your horse to canter and while you don't keep spanking and kicking him to go you do RIDE the canter not just SIT the canter. So in effect I must "ride" the gait I want from my horse while on the ground... I hope this makes sense! So for me I wanted to work on being more conscious of my body language, energy, and intent and for Aspen I wanted her to up her level of responsibility. I moved away from the fence a little farther this time and asked for her to back up - I really only needed to use my stick once or twice to reinforce that she should maintain backing on her own (while I kept my life up in my neutral body) and twice to protect my space a little as she wants to get really close to me while backing around. I think she's trying to offer sideways toward me here - and I fully recognize and appreciate her offer and effort but this is where I need to be more clear about what body language means back around me and what means come to me. I was really pleased with the circle today and pretty proud of both of us for being able to do the majority of it without the rope or stick! We also did a little sideways toward me as we have been for part of our warmup... I think that this is better done after playing a little bit to get her interest up and having established a little draw. She's getting the steps down but they aren't as fluid as I'd like and I think we've stalled out on being progressive with it. So next time I'm going to do this toward the mid-end of our session and be more particular about not drifting forward and getting a full side step rather than FQ and HQ coming over. Had some great changes of direction and transitions on a circle today (45' line). She even offered to start backing on the circle at one point after I'd asked her to halt. It's cool she's putting things together and she's giving me lots of positive ears and green lights to keep teaching her things. It's been very rewarding to have her confidence up as much as it has been lately. I really had to work hard to learn what to do with a RBE when I first bought her and now it's nice that I've learned so much from her but we're getting more centered so she's more often Left Brained and easier to teach. The figure-8 is going well. I think now what I need to focus on is straightness in our back up to start the pattern and a better send. The quality of the circle or pattern will not exceed the quality of the send so next time I'm going to have a stronger focus on this and I think the continuous nature of the figure-8 will be more apparent once we have established a better send off. She is getting her lead changes effortlessly and it's so fun to watch her display her natural athleticism in this way. She's also been a super star about jumping the single down barrels - she's getting two in a row now (in a line) so may have to see about what we can do to be more provocative and progressive here as well! And the last thing I did today was to start teaching Aspen is to back up between two barrels so I can mount. To begin this I made sure we could back between the barrels on the ground. Then I stood on one barrel and had her yo-yo a few steps back and forth between the barrels. Next I got her to go pretty much all the way out so just her tail was at the edge of the barrels and got her to back up between them to an appropriate position for me to mount if I had one foot on each barrel. At one point she got too far out and couldn't figure how to get herself back in. She got worried and tried a lot of things besides going backward. I finally got her to stand perpendicular to me and then with the moves we've been developing with backing on a circle and sideways toward we had enough tools and techniques to get her to step her front end around so she was now parallel to me (we're both facing the same way, me standing on the barrel and her tail pointed between the two barrels) and got her to back up to position. It was very challenging for both of us and it's safe to say we both did a lot of licking and chewing after that. Aspen also did lots of head shaking, yawning and blinking too. A big moment for her! With all that we played with on the ground I wanted to keep our ride pretty simple. I just asked for some backing, HQ and FQ yields all with the neck string or stick, and then a little FTR at the trot and a circle at the canter (yes! bareback!). She was great, albeit a little distracted by some rogue antelope running around, and I have high hopes for continued progress on our next ride. Have I mentioned I love my horse yet? Because she's such a super star with a big heart! Love this girl!!