So first, must start out with the fact that there was a MOUNTAIN LION in Aspen's pen yesterday! Thankfully my very brave, and probably half crazy friend, Kirsten scared it away and most likely saved Aspen from danger!
Had a great warm up for my lesson with Lillan today. Just played with some simple things on my 12' line and then for the second time asked her to draw backward toward me from Zone 5 at Liberty - even had her following my slight changes of direction (think weaving backwards). Then I wanted to ask her to start to do a liberty spin - something we're just learning and I got a little out of position for it and instead in a sideways position of which she offered 45' feet of sideways! I realized it was my mistake for the spin and so encouraged her idea of sideways and off she went - stopping at 45' (which we've played with OL the last two sessions) and gave me a great question face, "is that what you wanted?"!
Also did a brief Freestyle warm up, just basic HQ yields (steering like a boat) for circles and F8's at the walk.
For my lesson with Lillan I wanted to focus on Lateral Maneuvers for my Finesse. My first exercise was to walk (and when that was good, trot) big F8's, asking her in soft touch to maintain an even bit height (level with her heart, poll slightly above the withers), and flex appropriately to be straight on the circle. I was to keep in mind that my outside leg should be creating the largest space for her ribs to flex into, I should see her nose and eyelashes, and she should be yielding away from my inside leg. We got some really nice circles, blowing out, and eventual yawning. I was surprised to learn that what I thought was a good stretch and head height was often too low! I knew nose below the knees was not ideal and could feel her reach down to peanut roll, but it was great to have Lillan there saying "too high, too low - sweet spot!". I could really see how controlling the power source and steering through HQ yields set this exercise up for success. It really allowed me to use my reins for shaping rather than micromanaging and control. So glad we had a chance to work on that before this lesson! A few things Aspen tried to do was pop her shoulder out and drift in which case I needed more outside rein, or lean on my leg and not yield (needed stronger phases with my leg/spur), or to motorcycle around the turns - which meant that she wasn't bending through her ribs but instead just diving into the turn or new bend without being upright and flexed through her whole body. This suppling exercise will be very beneficial in loosening her ribs for any other lateral maneuver and for helping politely encourage her to find the sweet spot and maintain even bit height.
Next we played with Shoulder In - weighting the outside stirrup*, moving it slightly forward, and turning my shoulders off the rail as if I was on a 20m circle. To exaggerate to teach we thought of putting the tail on the rail. This exercise was surprisingly easy compared to last summer. It wasn't perfect but there was SO much LESS tension in Aspen because I had sorted out a lot of emotional issues with my legs in the HQ yields and had spent some time loosening up her ribs. After that we worked on Haunches In - weight the inside stirrup, turn my hips but keep the shoulders straight. This is harder for horses as it asks them to step in towards the bend for the first time and I could tell Aspen was struggling through her tight ribs. It wound up being a little more of a sideways for her than a Haunches In - but it was good for beginning steps. We also did these on a circle, for S-In it was to step into the outside stirrup and let her drift out, her shoulders leading in on the circle but her body going in a straight line. The next for H-In was basically a bulls eye pattern but with the idea of her tail meeting the center first. Ideally in 4 - 7 sessions I should be able to move Aspen's HQ and FQ independently of each other and be working towards consistent bit height (what L4 is looking for in Finesse).
It was great to hear Lillan say how much more mentally, physically, and emotionally connected Aspen was compared to last time and that she was ready to move forward and do these things. She also commented that my leg was looking good! Finally! So nice to hear that since I've been working on my blasted legs for what seems like an eternity! :)
The thing that made me the happiest today was that this is the FIRST Finesse session I've had with Aspen where we didn't have any tension, bracing, tail swishing, or icky ears! Felt so nice! We are finally where we need to be to accomplish some lateral maneuvers!
Level 4 - here we come! :)
*The weighted stirrup helps create the bend and direction of travel.
Finishing the Externship & Putting the Relationship First
Hello! I've been posting videos to my YouTube account and trying to keep up on Parelli Connect as well but haven't had much time to sit down and properly write anything. A lot of people have been asking me about the Externship - my experience, how it turned out, and what they could expect if they were to attend one. Definitely leave me a comment if I can answer anything for you
Let's see where to begin? I met so many amazing people and made some lasting friendships here. Yes my horsemanship improved and yes I learned a lot about Parelli Professional conduct but when you think of putting the relationship first, you can think of being at the Parelli campus. There is nothing competitive about people all striving for a common goal of good horsemanship and good teammanship. I had some things crop up in my personal life about half way through the course and without the support of our instructors and the entire Extern group I couldn't have finished out the class. For that I am so grateful - I have really come to appreciate the good hearts of nearly everyone in the Parelli community... Can you be a part of something bigger than yourself? Sometimes that's simply being there no matter what for someone else in need. So if anyone from my Externship experience is reading this, thank you for everything. You'll never know how much you all have meant to me in this part of my journey.
Now, on to the course! First exciting bit I should share is that I passed my Level 4 Liberty while there! I decided to film a trial run for an audition just to see where we were at and it turned out to be really great. Aspen was connected, playful, and full of try so I sent it in and passed with marks about half in L4 and half in L4+! Totally awesome! We also got our first Freestyle (pushing) and Finesse (light seat) flying lead changes. I was also introduced to Finesse which we spent quite a bit of time on throughout the course. I have a totally new respect for lateral maneuvers!! I was lucky enough to be chosen for a Finesse lesson with Pat Parelli which was filmed for a DVD series. I'm not sure if it will be used or not but it was a really unique experience to see all the behind the scenes filming process and naturally it was really fun to ride with Pat. That's a whole other blog post in itself! I can tell you that while Aspen was a total Right-Brain fruitcake up there with all the people and cameras, I learned a lot and am still processing all the information I received! A theme for me in the course which also came up in my lesson with Pat is that the horse should take you in the direction you have requested - it shouldn't be you pushing, pulling, dragging, or begging the horse to go forward, backward, or sideways. At one point Pat fairly chased me down on Slider and really got Aspen moving sideways to show me the feeling that I'm looking for. At first it was chaotic and bracy but all of a sudden I felt like she weighed 10 pounds not 1000 pounds, she got light on her feet and fairly hovered sideways. It was a really neat and eye opening experience to realize how ineffective I've been for so long and how much I have to look forward to in lightness in the Porcupine Game. I believe I mentioned it before, either here or on my Parelli Connect, but Porcupine Game is the second game for a reason. It's so important - you really win the horse's mind this way. We also got the pleasure of having Linda come and ride with our class and teach a handful of times. She's really such an amazing horsewoman and teacher - what an eye for picking out the one thing that will make the biggest difference for both the horse and the human! She introduced us to advancing concepts in Finesse including the very beginning ideas of Game of Contact. I will also have to write a post on our Linda visits :) Aspen and I went on our first trail rides, open area riding, and galloping - all exhilarating experiences that pushed me out of my comfort zone and really helped me grow in my horsemanship and leadership! As a class we were invited to participate in the first few days of the Colt Start course with Rob McAuliffe - it's amazing that it's all about relationship and doing the simple things really well. There were a couple extra colts and I had the opportunity to play with one for an afternoon with the Colt Starters - really showed me where I'm strong and where I'm weak in my horsemanship. Rob is truly a horseman and it's always a privilege to be around people like him.... Try to soak up some talent! The Externs also got to sit in on a few days of Pat's Western Performance class - again such a learning experience. Simple things done well. Own the hindquarters. Win the Porcupine Game. For some fun weekend activities we put on a Parelli Games weekend and an Open House in which I was asked to do a Liberty Spotlight! We did a cool 4-Savvy closing Spotlight - everyone did awesome and it was such a fun time visiting with the community and other horse lovers! Our last weekend of the course we went and did a demo at the county fair - I did On-Line and Liberty with Aspen. She was a total rock star and everyone loved her! The Externs also raised just over $1,400 for the Parelli Education Institute! Super awesome!
To wrap it up testing went well, I got a 100% on all written exams and was recommended for 2* instructorship pending the successful submission of my Level 4 Freestyle audition! I promise to write in more detail on some of the things I mentioned above - if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Also - I have too many pictures to post on the blog but friend me on Facebook and check out all the photos from the Externship!
Let's see where to begin? I met so many amazing people and made some lasting friendships here. Yes my horsemanship improved and yes I learned a lot about Parelli Professional conduct but when you think of putting the relationship first, you can think of being at the Parelli campus. There is nothing competitive about people all striving for a common goal of good horsemanship and good teammanship. I had some things crop up in my personal life about half way through the course and without the support of our instructors and the entire Extern group I couldn't have finished out the class. For that I am so grateful - I have really come to appreciate the good hearts of nearly everyone in the Parelli community... Can you be a part of something bigger than yourself? Sometimes that's simply being there no matter what for someone else in need. So if anyone from my Externship experience is reading this, thank you for everything. You'll never know how much you all have meant to me in this part of my journey.
Now, on to the course! First exciting bit I should share is that I passed my Level 4 Liberty while there! I decided to film a trial run for an audition just to see where we were at and it turned out to be really great. Aspen was connected, playful, and full of try so I sent it in and passed with marks about half in L4 and half in L4+! Totally awesome! We also got our first Freestyle (pushing) and Finesse (light seat) flying lead changes. I was also introduced to Finesse which we spent quite a bit of time on throughout the course. I have a totally new respect for lateral maneuvers!! I was lucky enough to be chosen for a Finesse lesson with Pat Parelli which was filmed for a DVD series. I'm not sure if it will be used or not but it was a really unique experience to see all the behind the scenes filming process and naturally it was really fun to ride with Pat. That's a whole other blog post in itself! I can tell you that while Aspen was a total Right-Brain fruitcake up there with all the people and cameras, I learned a lot and am still processing all the information I received! A theme for me in the course which also came up in my lesson with Pat is that the horse should take you in the direction you have requested - it shouldn't be you pushing, pulling, dragging, or begging the horse to go forward, backward, or sideways. At one point Pat fairly chased me down on Slider and really got Aspen moving sideways to show me the feeling that I'm looking for. At first it was chaotic and bracy but all of a sudden I felt like she weighed 10 pounds not 1000 pounds, she got light on her feet and fairly hovered sideways. It was a really neat and eye opening experience to realize how ineffective I've been for so long and how much I have to look forward to in lightness in the Porcupine Game. I believe I mentioned it before, either here or on my Parelli Connect, but Porcupine Game is the second game for a reason. It's so important - you really win the horse's mind this way. We also got the pleasure of having Linda come and ride with our class and teach a handful of times. She's really such an amazing horsewoman and teacher - what an eye for picking out the one thing that will make the biggest difference for both the horse and the human! She introduced us to advancing concepts in Finesse including the very beginning ideas of Game of Contact. I will also have to write a post on our Linda visits :) Aspen and I went on our first trail rides, open area riding, and galloping - all exhilarating experiences that pushed me out of my comfort zone and really helped me grow in my horsemanship and leadership! As a class we were invited to participate in the first few days of the Colt Start course with Rob McAuliffe - it's amazing that it's all about relationship and doing the simple things really well. There were a couple extra colts and I had the opportunity to play with one for an afternoon with the Colt Starters - really showed me where I'm strong and where I'm weak in my horsemanship. Rob is truly a horseman and it's always a privilege to be around people like him.... Try to soak up some talent! The Externs also got to sit in on a few days of Pat's Western Performance class - again such a learning experience. Simple things done well. Own the hindquarters. Win the Porcupine Game. For some fun weekend activities we put on a Parelli Games weekend and an Open House in which I was asked to do a Liberty Spotlight! We did a cool 4-Savvy closing Spotlight - everyone did awesome and it was such a fun time visiting with the community and other horse lovers! Our last weekend of the course we went and did a demo at the county fair - I did On-Line and Liberty with Aspen. She was a total rock star and everyone loved her! The Externs also raised just over $1,400 for the Parelli Education Institute! Super awesome!
To wrap it up testing went well, I got a 100% on all written exams and was recommended for 2* instructorship pending the successful submission of my Level 4 Freestyle audition! I promise to write in more detail on some of the things I mentioned above - if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Also - I have too many pictures to post on the blog but friend me on Facebook and check out all the photos from the Externship!