Circling Is Not Longeing

Here is a summary and some notes on Circling Is Not Longeing by Linda Parelli
(November 2011 Savvy Times, Pg. 60)

• Keep your feet still vs. walking in circles with your horse.
• If you walk circles with your horse while he circles this acts as more of a Driving Game.
• Your movement is stimulating the horse, causing or supporting your horse's continued movement.
• Your horse's responsibility is to maintain gait/direction on the circle without coaxing from you.  There is a Send, an Allow, and a Bring Back for the Circling Game - by standing still and staying in neutral you are executing a proper Allow.
• Keep your hand in neutral.
• Do not hold your arm up and lead on your horse's halter.  Let your arms hangs by your side and pass the rope around your body and behind your back, letting the horse bring the rope to your next hand as he comes around.
• By allowing your arm to hang it puts some elasticity in the rope if your horse drifts in and out on the circle.  If the horse drifts out it will lift your arm and it will drop naturally as he comes back in.  This will help him become more consistent with his shape on the circle.
• Have some fun!
• Playing on-line is a warm up for your horse so allow him to express himself.
• Progressively give him things to think about rather than getting too concerned about the shape of his body or how he is carrying himself.
• As the circles become more interesting he'll naturally start to use his body more efficiently.  If you're too particular too soon then it becomes more like training vs. a warm up/game.
• Think about how you can make the Circling Game more interesting by doing things like:
• Walking from point A to point B while your horse circles around you (Traveling Circles)
• Asking for upward and downward transitions on the circle; you can even ask for different speeds within the gaits.  Put a little energy in front of Zone 1 to slow down (light, vertical wiggle of the rope/Carrot Stick) and behind Zone 5 to speed up (use your Stick/String out behind you, then to the side, then toward the horse - don't just aim for spanking him right away).  
• When it comes to Introverts, asking them to go as slow as possible can be really fun and good reverse psychology that actually makes them want to go faster!
• Put an obstacle in the way (pole, jump, barrels, something to go through/between, tarp, hill, water, etc)
• Changes of direction at any gait - changes of direction help calm a nervous horse and get them thinking, they help make things more interesting for a Left Brain horse.  They're also a good way to help build energy on the circle.
• After a certain number of laps do something unexpected - ask for sideways, to touch something with his nose/feet.  Works well for Left Brain horses but may be startling for Right Brain horses.
• Make it a Game!
• When your horse doesn't do what you want it's common to get frustrated.  Try to think to yourself "How interesting!" or "Oh Boy, I get to practice my (fill in the blank) again!"
• Consider standing in the center, relaxed and in neutral (leg cocked, arms down), and dare your horse to break gait or change directions!  It's quite a different feeling to think "I can't wait for my horse to break gait" as opposed to "Stop breaking gait!!!!!".  When your horse does break gait do something about it - not before he does it.  He needs to be allowed to make the mistake so he can learn rather than be micromanaged.  
• When you do something about it remember to have a plan and act fairly.  If your horse is an extrovert he will most likely break up in gait (faster), if he's an introvert he'll most likely break down in gait (slower).  
• If he breaks up in gait gently flick your Carrot Stick way back in Zone 5 as if to say "Yeah! You need to go faster, let me help you!"  
• If he breaks down in gait instead of trying to send him forward again ask for a change of direction.  If he's a Right Brain Introvert, ask gently for the right gait as he makes the change.  If he's a Left Brain Introvert once he's reversed direction tag the ground in Zone 5 just as he passes you - that means you need to run forward to that spot.
• If he goes faster or slower within the gait don't do anything!  Only do something and come out of neutral if he breaks gait.

 

Remember Zone 1 and Zone 5 extend a mile ahead of and behind the horse respectively.  On a circle Zones 1 and 5 meet at some point.

May 2011 Savvy Times

Ugh!  I am so behind on so many things, I finally had a chance to read all of the May 2011 Savvy Times today and really loved it!  There were a few articles and passages that touched home for me - either inspiring or educational - there is nothing not to love about the Savvy Times!



The Match Report is something, after having read the Meet Your Match article, that I definitely want to do for Aspen and myself.  I'm trying to decide if I have enough information and know enough about Aspen to fill out the report accurately on her...I've had her home in Montana since February which is ample time to figure her out, but I find her to be somewhat complex - getting more simple for me to read by the day - which  makes me second guess the quality of my information filters.  How well am I actually interpreting her behaviors?  When I see left brain, right brain, extrovert, and introvert qualities, expressions of confidence and fear - how accurate are my assessments?  Do I really know what her body language is telling me?  I think the answer is yes, most of the time I get her, but in my true-to-form ways I just can't make up my mind!  Perhaps after a lesson or two with a PP I will have more clarity on the behaviors I'm seeing and be better able to identify her Horsenality based on her innate characteristics, learned behaviors, environmental stimuli, and spirit level.


Sarah Grimm, 2-Star Parelli Professional's section titled An Amazing Apprenticeship had a lot of thought provoking and aha moments for me.  I have tried to live by the saying 'expect a lot, accept little, reward often', but I never really thought about the types of expectations I had.  I guess for each horse I play with I have been developing a different set of expectations for each horse - after all, they're individuals.  In the past my expectations have been somewhat limited or shallow, setting goals for each horse based on what type of Horsenality they have and what I think they're capable of....

"A big key to horse development is to have a deeper understanding of what it means to "expect a lot" from the horse.   When you have high expectations for a horse, it doesn't matter if he is spooky or sensitive or scared or playful or pushy or Right Brain or Left Brain.  It doesn't change what your expectations are for the horse, as you can help a horse through issues and make big changes."  Wow.  That instantly spoke to me because I have yet to really set high expectations of my horse.  I have yet to see the ultimate end result for every horse I play with.  I have been expecting only a medium amount from my horse and then accepting (and pushing) for much more than 'just a little' effort to reach my (only) medium expectation... Hmm... How wrong does that sound???  In my mind because my expectations were lower I felt I was still being fair in the acceptance part, that I was still 'accepting little'.  After all, I wasn't asking for very much so why shouldn't she put in a little extra effort?  How wrong (and more importantly unfair) have I been all these years to my horse??  Expect a lot, accept little, reward often. Sounds so simple. 

My expectations will undoubtedly develop and evolve as my goals and level of savvy grow.  But my core expectations of a calm, willing, and motivated horse should not change.  My expectations that my horse at least attempt what I ask should not change.  My expectations do not necessarily include that my horse perform whatever goal I have for the outcome of a task, my expectations are that my horse try!  Accept little...and therefore reward often.  Yes reward at the slightest try.  Expect, Accept, Reward - not in equal doses.  This is not Love, Language, and Leadership in equal doses.  This is the leadership part - which requires a much more specific formula - Expect A Lot, Accept A Little, Reward Often.

Sarah also continues on to write about Principles, Purpose and Time.  As she talks about young horse development she poses the question when playing with horses on the ground, "Would I accept his behavior from the horse if I were riding?  Would I feel safe if my horse did this while I was riding?"  For anyone who's been following my journey with Aspen you may have guessed that she doesn't always exhibit safe behavior on the ground, and subsequently in the saddle.  She, if my judgments are correct, is an RBE (perhaps on the cusp of LBE) - and has a tendency to become frightened or bothered easily and resorts to bolting or bucking and spooking.  When ridden if she isn't struggling with her confidence she gets quite dominant and then gets to being humpy and threatening.  I have always known, since beginning Parelli, to play with my horse on the ground 'hard' to ride 'soft', to ask myself 'does this horse look ridable?', and not to get on until I have a LB horse.  But I have never specifically thought about molding and shaping and disallowing certain behaviors on the ground because I would not tolerate them in the saddle.  I know when I play with Aspen next I will have a keener eye for more specifically breaking down and reshaping her negative behaviors on the ground with the ultimate idea of being able to replicate the same situation on her back. 


I also want to note that the article Troubleshooting, What to Ask When Things Go Wrong by Christine Massinger is a great read.  I really liked the break down of The Plan, Making The Right Decision, and The Real Learning added by Linda Parelli. Also by Linda was Needs & Imagination, What Does Your Horse Need was awesome!  I love anything to do with Horsenality and I love the model she created on page 65 with the different Horsenalities and how they express their individual needs.



Check out our accomplishments on Parelli Connect and keep track of where we're at and where we're headed! :)  Speaking of where we're headed have you seen the new Parelli University website?  Aspen and I are aiming to go to a Fast Track in Colorado in 2012!