Passive Persistence...

EDIT: To see the published version of this blog, please go to http://central.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com/2012/12/passive-persistance-asking-for-the-try/

Expect A Lot, Accept A Little, Reward The Slightest Try.

Reward the slightest try: a Parelli-ism I had always tried to live by for my Right Brain Introvert horse. I was doing it all by the book, giving her time, using approach and retreat, and waiting for her to build her confidence. For the past year I have been trying to live by this motto (I even have a bracelet with the saying to remind me), yet last night I came to a realization that sheds a whole new light on what it means to reward the try. 

In order to reward the slightest try, you must first ask for the horse to try. 

This, my friends, is the basis of my revelation. In the past year, as I began to get more involved with many Parelli Professionals in clinics and lessons, a reverberating theme has been incorporated in all of their advise to me. I must not be afraid to ask more of my horse. In other words, (for lack of a more imaginative way to put this), I must expect a lot. This in and of itself is not a major epiphany. I've said it here, and here and probably even more than that, and yet, today it makes more sense. The real understanding for me comes from what it means for my horse to try for me. I titled this post "Passive Persistence"because this is what is required from the horsewoman (or man) as she asks the horse for the try. In the past, if Rydel showed opposition to something (say, for example, an upward transition in the saddle) I would avoid doing it, I wouldn't push her because I didn't want to compromise our relationship. I figured it would come in time, I wanted it to be her idea. I don't think this was a wrong way of thinking, but I understand now that it was not the best thing for my horse. You see, in avoiding all the issues we would have when asking for higher gaits, I compromised my position as the best leader for my horse. So long as I use passive persistence in the proper position, anything I ask of my horse would be an appropriate amount to request her to try for me. So long as I keep myself centered and my emotions out of it, I should ask until my horse responds with the slightest try. 

That being said, the way you ask for the try will be different if the horse is left or right brain at the moment. In my case, Rydel would buck or throw her head when asking for an upward transition to the canter. I first got off and assessed if it was pain, fear, or defiance and discovered online that it was the latter. Knowing it was a left brain behavior, I felt confident addressing the issue from the saddle. First I asked her to change gait using my focus, energy, a smooch, and then a tap on the rear with my hand. She would respond but would buck, spin, and stop in every effort to avoid actually going forward. In an effort to be more effective I grabbed my carrot stick and played plink, plink, keeping passive persistence in mind, I did not give up even when she bucked. I stayed calm and kept asking for her to find the right answer. After all, we are still playing the seven games, right? It was a long, painful few minutes as Rydel tried all the tactics that had worked for her in the past to avoid going forward, until finally she cantered a few strides without protest. And that was it. We ended the ride. Rydel licked and chewed after our ride, but it was me who had more to think about after our ride. I've said constantly that I want to be the best I can be for my horse. Well, unlocking this part of the leadership, relationship, partnership puzzle is one huge step closer to achieving that goal. :)

Rydel and me when I was in High School, we've come so far!

Attitude

"Our mood changes more often than our fortune"

How can I even begin to catch you up on the details of the past month of my life? It started out like any other month, full of work and not enough time for my beautiful equine partner. And just like every other month, it started out with me hopelessly battling a fungal infection on Rydel's legs. the fungus comes and goes with the changing weather and I have never been able to get the upper hand. This month I decided to try treating it with a combo of triple anti-bac ointment, and anti-fungal cream. After the first few days I was seeing great improvement, only to come out the next morning and to my complete horror find Rydel's leg swollen and bloody! After further inspection, I found a few more spots on her stifle that were oozing a yellow liquid. Mortified, I cold-hosed her leg and cleaned her wounds, vowing to call the vet if things weren't better in the morning. Well, the next morning things had only gotten worse, Rydel's leg was as swollen as ever, she had a fever, and was dragging her foot as she walked. After completely and utterly freaking out the vet assured me, Rydel's ailment, known as Equine Cellulitis is fairly common and her leg would go back to normal with treatment. 

After weeks of cold-hosing, compression wrapping, administering Bute, and antibiotics daily, Rydel is finally back to normal and able to slowly start increasing her activity level. Yesterday was the first time we actually played together since the Cellulitis and we had an absolute blast! You see, during her treatment my mission was to get her better, I had the same routine everyday and I did not take the time to focus on our relationship and I was definitely not tuned into how she was feeling about all of this. By the end of her treatment, Rydel was literally "screaming" at me with her body language. She was so agitated and unhappy and I felt awful and discouraged at the same time, it was not a healthy combination. 

Parelli teaches us that the attitude with which we approach the horse is so crucially important. It can mean the difference between a fantastic day and a horrible one and that is so true for Rydel and myself as well! Last night my mood was lighthearted and happy and I was not weighed down with the stress of worrying about her leg. We spent a lot of time just being together and then played "Stick to Me" online and at Liberty and I felt so connected to her! She tried so hard to stay with me and mimic my energy level. Then I got on bareback and bridleless and we just walked, followed the rail, and worked on our downward transitions and back ups. Such a simple task but it felt SO good. She is a super star horse!

With October right around the corner, I feel energized and ready for fall with Rydel. While, I certainly cannot control my fortune, I can control the attitude I have in response to it, and that can make a world of difference!

Their Story

A while back I posted about how my boyfriend got his very first horse, Lilah Rose. Well, this is their story...

Evan has always been allergic to horses (in fact, the first day I came home from the barn and stepped in the house he began sneezing immediately as I walked in the door!) but as he became more and more interested in horses and natural horsemanship, we started researching possible options for him. Naturally, we came across the only hypo-allergenic breed in existence, the American Bashkir Curly Horse. Relatives to America's Mustangs, Curly Horses are a rare breed. Eventually, Evan's horse fever got this best of him, and his parents knew they were going to have to do something about it. After doing a lot of research and promising his parents he would make an appointment with an allergy specialist, Evan was finally given permission to buy a curly horse of his own.

Unfortunately, Curlies who have had any formal training or have been in the show ring are very expensive, so our only choices within price range were untrained brood mares or babies. So, despite Pat's famous saying of "green on green, makes black and blue," I pushed for getting a "fresh canvas", rather than a horse who has altered opinions of humans. Lucky for us, we found Silver Storm Farm in Tennessee who seemed to have exactly what we were looking for. The choice was between a 1.5 year old mischievous colt, and a slightly younger sweet little filly. It became clear during observation that Lilah is an introvert, but Left or Right brain we weren't totally sure. Regardless, she stole Evan's heart, loaded perfectly and took the 9 hour ride back to Ohio like a champ!

It didn't take long to figure out the Lilah is a LBI/LBE cusp. She has so much energy but only wants to use it if it's her idea! Evan began teaching her the 7 games and soon enough she had them learned and was figuring out ways to get out of them. She was smart, and we knew we had to increase our knowledge if we were going to keep up. This June Evan decided to participate in the Level 1/2 clinic with Jesse Peters. It was such a great decision and a huge confidence builder for Evan.

Focusing on learning

A private lesson with Marie

Using phases effectively.

The bareback pad is a non-issue.

Her headband says "princess" :)

Post clinic, we are focusing on the basics and getting Evan prepared for his level 1 audition. Lilah has already learned so much, I am so excited to see just how far they will go in the future!!