Snacking lying down.

When I get to the paddock today I see Cici lying in the snow. And Casey also. I quietly open the gate and Casey gets up, shakes himself off and comes to greet me. Cici is still lying down. That large green mound in the photo is her. I don't know whether or not to be worried so I continue to quietly approach her. Then notice her jaws are moving. And then I see that she is eating the hay that is scattered around her! Just finishing up breakfast, in a very leisurely relaxed manner.

She allows me to approach before she gets up to say good morning. Halter her and using the tracks she has made in the paddock, that yesterday I tramped down with my snow shoes we walk to the gate. Now the gate opens a little bit less than the last storm, and the path wall are higher. I send Cici out and she walks up the channel and stops. I tell her just to wait for me to latch the gate, not to turn, and she obliges. And then its driving from zone 5 up and down the path to the indoor.

Lets see, its been two snow storms (2 days) and a shoveling day since the last time we made it into the indoor to play. And what a great session that was! She immediately makes for the pedestal once I get her blanket off, and up she goes. She likes just standing there. The step is so high that I am once again concerned about asking her to put her hind feet on it. Wait until Avery comes and see what she thinks.

I back Cici off the pedestal and I turn away, she goes back up. Laugh and let her stay there a while. I then walk behind her and pull gently on her tail and she moves sideways with her hind feet while keeping her front feet firmly planted on the pedestal. Hmmm how interesting.

A normal is in the ring with us today. She is going to be lunging her horse. This adds a level of distraction that I think will be interesting to see how Cici reacts. Before she gets started I do sideways with Cici, some backing, stick to me and then go play with circling.

By now the other person is lunging or trying to lunge. He is distracted by Cici, as she usually works him alone. And she uses voice commands. Trot, trot, trot, trot, terrr rot, and when he does something she likes there are all the good boys repeated over and over and over.

I've always wondered why Pat doesn't advocate voice commands. Today I could kiss him for that. So while she is walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, good boy, good boy, good boying I am slowly going crazy. Cici is also a bit distracted by all the terrrr rot as I am sure she was taught to terrr rot with voice commands. But she is listening to my asking for terr rot with a point of the finger and support with carrot stick if needed.

I try and block out the noise and wonder how much longer this will go on. Cici is not as focused and with me as she was on Monday. But then again I am not as focused and with her as I was on Monday. Hmmm, how interesting - another emotional fitness challenge! LOL.

I get out two cones to practice figure 8s and change of direction so change things up for both of us. Reestablish our connection and the other person leaves. Yippee. Sorry to be sooooooooooo well quiet I guess.

Now we get to play with circling and laps and quietness and responsiveness. Cici has a bit of attitude and I have her trot sideways along the wall. That changes her mind quickly.

Saddle her up, preflight check and get on. Again work on stick to rail and Cici has this idea down. No stops for grazing on the hay scraps on the ground by the stalls, just sticking to rail. At the walk. Trot is another matter. Here she has the tendency to want to cut corners, go on track two, and come quickly back to walk. But we are slowly making progress. A good thing as Avery is coming next Wednesday, provided no more snow storms. And I don't know if I will get to ride again before that.

Riding once again!

Today the stars were completely in alignment. No one was in the indoor. No riders, lessons, trainers, stall cleaners. Just me. And Cici. Oh yeah and Casey.

M told me he was going to "fix" the back gate to their paddock. Seems Cici popped open the gate this morning. Fortunately she waited for an audience and did it just to show she could. But if the gate is to be fixed - well I am taking Cici out but leaving Casey behind - just not fair to M.

A procession walk up the shoveled path - Casey leading, me in the middle, and Cici following. Oh how I love Parelli. Orderly, quietly, calmly. Once in the indoor - what to do with Casey. Can we close the doors to the indoor? Front doors close, but last door in back is stuck in a solid block of ice. Okay guess its stall time.

I have never put Casey in stall. And I find out why - he starts kicking the walls, stamping his feet, screaming, oh and there is an empty water bucket that he can practice his drumming skills on.

Now my thoughts of having a quiet time to play and ride Cici are fast disappearing. Every time Cici and I get close to the stall the racket inside escalates. She is concerned about his distress. Her head is up. She is listening to him and not to me. Emotional fitness? I scream at the top of my lungs. Then I take a deep breath and begin to play with Cici.

Again I start out with liberty - lead over her neck. Pedestal - up she goes. Figure 8 around the cones. Sideways. Even a bit of backing. Online to sideways down the long side without me moving my feet. Then to Circling Game. She goes out on the circle and walks. Really walks. I remember when I could not get more than two steps without a stop or turn and face. It is amazing to realize how far we have come.

Get 4 circles at the walk, trot for 4 circles and canter for 3. The pieces are coming together. She is beginning to understand. If she does turn to check with me I can correct her by just pointing. Both directions walk trot canter. Ask her to trot and then walking circles over to barrels. She trots, jumps over and trots away. Woohoo!

Tack her up, a bit of sideways, backing, circling. She is listening. Its time to get on. I remember what Pat said about stick to rail - having his mastery students spend a day on it. So today that is all we do. Stick to the rail. All the way around the whole arena. There is hay on the ground outside a couple of the stalls and Cici stops for a bite to eat. I back her. Only takes 2 times of her stopping to eat and my backing her for her to just keep walking. Its been so long since the last time I rode and it feels like yesterday.

Way too cold

It is 12 degrees when I leave home to drive to barn at 9:00 this morning. And watch the car temperature sensor drop to 5 in some cold areas, go up to 9 and then settle at 7 as I drove up the driveway. How could I do anything with Cici? It is just too cold! Look at Casey - his forelock is frosted - its all white not the usual henna touch ups he has done (and yes that is a piece of hay in the middle).

Watched the latest Savvy Club DVD with Pat a couple of nights ago. He had three of his students riding patterns. And he talked about the important of riding the pattern until the horse gets it. The importance of the circling game - maintain gait, maintain direction, look where you are going. And the importance of stick to the rail. Again maintain gait, maintain direction, look where you are going. That the horse should say, Oh I know this pattern, as long I as stay on it she will leave me alone. And it clicked. Finally clicked with me.

Dilemma, do I play with Cici or not. Decide to as yesterday she made it very clear she really wants to move her feet. Start slow with backing. Being inspired by Kim's postings recently, and other blogs - doing the littlest, and practicing what not good at - I play with backing. Cici is classic introvert and backing is oh so slow. I want to get it better. Play with my energy as well as intent. And slowly achieve 5 to 6 nice steps backwards. Steps with energy. Steps with intent. Wow.

Then over to the wall to play with sideways. Cici does a nice sideways, but her hindend lags. Today is about being particular, not critical. And lo and behold she can move front and back together.

Then circling game. And I decide to see how many laps she can do. At trot I get 1-1/2 and she turns in behind me. I send her and get another 1-1/2 and she turns in behind me. I send her again and canters behind me. Hmmm, how interesting. She is not maintaining gait or direction.

Now she comes in and licks and chews, and when I back her she shakes her head at me while I shake my finger at her LOL! She is feeling more comfortable, more dominant, more LBI.

When she is on the circle and decides to come in and I send her back she is bunching up for a gallop. And off she goes for a few strides before she turns in to me again. I send her back out - this is very provocative for both of us. Then I think of Avery having me slap the savvy string back and forth over my head while I ask her in using porcupine on the lead rope. She is cantering, having ignored my request for trot when I start swinging the carrot stick and porcupine the rope. She has a momentary hissy fit and I swear she is stamping her feet as she turns in and stops facing me with both eyes.

I can see we need to play with circling more than 2 to 4 times. Its that balancing act of boring her and getting through to her. Realize I've been afraid of boring her and clearly have not gotten through yet.