Back from the wilderness

OK, so it has been for ever since I have visited my own blog! Shame on me!

Quick update:
I now own another horse, well half a horse, with my friend Wendy. He is a hunk of a quarter horse named Maverick (his registered name is Allergic Reaction in case anyone wants to look him up at http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/allergic+reaction . We wanted a project horse, and he is a keeper. 4 years old, LBE, lots of energy at the ready, smart, brave and athletic, but green, so we have a long way to go with him.

Walker is doing very well. At our last clinic, it was obvious that he still had lots of emotional issues, so I have been intentionally pushing his emotional buttons. That way he can get more used to being asked to do more. Lately, he has been giving me the loveliest elevated, collected canter. It feels like he really enjoys it.

I am having a neuroma removed in my right foot on December 22. It has really limited my ability to exercise, so I am looking forward to having it gone. Six weeks, no jogging on it, but I only have to be in a boot for a week or two, so that isn't too bad.

Going to another clinic with Kerri April next weekend, looking forward to it! It will be interesting to see if Walker's emotions are a little more calm this time with all the playtime we have spent shaping how he feels about what I am asking of him.

Reflecting on my Parelli Journey: From Green as Grass to Green String

On the road to New Mexico with Ben and Randy with little to look at out the window but mesquite trees, telephone lines and barbed wire, we are listening to Louis Lamour's Sackett. Gives me time to think about how far I have come since I started with Parelli Natural Horsemanship. I remember Ellie, the horse I leased and then bought seven years ago. She was a flea-bitten grey, a left-brained introvert/extrovert who would go anywhere I asked. She rekindled my passion for horses. She was only with me for less than a year before she died of colic, a terrible day. Would I have felt the need to know more about the soul of the horse if I still had Ellie? Our bond had developed quickly and was very strong. I might not have needed more than that then, so that question I really cannot answer without thinking it has more than one answer. Either way, my path took a turn when I lost Ellie.
I knew I would get another horse, sooner rather than later. Ellie had been such a wonderful horse, I thought another Quarab would suit me. If wasn't long before Walker and I crossed paths. One look at his beautiful face and I was hooked. I had no idea then that anyone who met Walker for the first often would remark that, "He's beautiful!" I would be thinking wryly in contrast, "Pretty is as pretty does." There were many moments when I would have traded pretty for calm and brave. Ellie would climb down any hill, no matter how steep. Walker couldn't walk up an incline without breaking into a trot or even a canter. Ellie had no problems with trailers, even a tiny little two horse divided straight load that was parked at the barn. Walker was so disturbed by trailers that he ran over my friend Nancy when she graciously agreed to help me with his trailer loading skills. I will never forget my heart go in my throat when in a quarter second Walker went from going in her trailer to spinning and jumping right over the top of her. Nancy, unharmed, thank God, got up, and as she dusted herself off, exclaimed, "Well, that didn't work!" Despite my shock over seeing what happened, I was amazed by her equanimity. Perhaps the fact that Nancy had trailer loaded hundreds of horses gave her a calm certainty that one way or another, she would find a way to convince Walker to get in her trailer (now my trailer). After four hours she did. Walker looked like he had run a 100 mile endurance course. It is about time to stop for lunch, so more reflections later.

Wonderful Weekend at Trails End

It may not be possible to have a bad weekend at Kerri April's place, Trails End in Leander, Texas near Austin. I always feel challenged to be progressive with my Parelli Natural Horsemanship and supported to do so. And as relaxed and comfortable as Walker feels there, I wish he could be there all the time! It reminds me a lot of how the horses feel and are treated at Starfire barn in Weston, Tx. Anyway, it was a wonderful two days of playing with my horse. And we had some pretty exciting firsts this weekend. Keep in mind as you read this that Walker is a right-brained extrovert, originally ultra spook prone and disdainful of all humans.
First, Walker allowed me to crawl under him at Liberty for the first time ever, and he was perfectly OK with it, did not move or shift his weight, lift up his back feet, nothing. He did not quite know what to make of it, but he had no problem with me under there, and for a horse with big zone 3 issues, this was fun stuff!

Next, Walker got up to his barrel in Kerri's creek. Now, he did bolt out when he got that far, but the fact that he got that far is pretty amazing. Hey, Nancy C., remember Walker's bolt?! We then followed that with walking through a more shallow area that he had had trouble with earlier, and he walked through that area of water with great confidence, so we had another breakthrough there. I love Kerri's Creek, it glistens under the influence of limestone rocks, and the trees surrounding the creek give relief from the Texas heat. It is perfectly situated along Kerri's challenging and varied playground.
Walker followed that with putting all four feet on the horse teeter totter. Thanks to my iPhone, I got a nice picture of that! Now he did not go over it, it still upsets him when it starts to move, but four feet on it is much further than he has ever gone, so happiness was followed by lots of cookies, of course!
Then we started a new task of flank rope circle game. It is done with two 22 foot lines, one attached to the halter, one surrounding the barrel. The idea is to at some point be able to lead the horse with the barrel rope only. Initially, the first rope is shorter, and I used it to lead Walker on the circle, which he did very well. In fact, he actually seemed to like it. It went so well, in fact, that we were able to move to the next step, which is to make the flank rope shorter, so that Walker was being led by that rope, with the halter rope for support. We even made transitions by raising the flank rope to slow for downward transitions. Walker did it all like a champ!
Finally, Walker and I rode bridle-less and bareback (with a bareback pad) at the walk, trot and canter! The upward canter transition was not very smooth, but that had more to do with my lack of confidence bareback riding than anything Walker did or did not do. That is why I have committed to doing a lot more bareback riding to get me passed my fears. 
But perhaps the best part of the weekend was Walker and I demonstrating how to do the circle game at Liberty in the middle of all the other clinic participants and their horses in Kerri's arena. Walker is well on his way to being a Liberty super star.
I have become more aware of how amazing this weekend was thinking about it and writing about it. At one point, Kerri asked us if any of us would sell our horses for $10,000. I love my horse so much, we have had so many wonderful moments together, we have traveled such a difficult road together at times, that I can't imagine selling Walker ever.

Two great days, trail riding and naked riding (the horse is naked!)

Wendy and I had a great weekend starting with a lovely trail ride along the levies surrounding the Riverstone subdivision in Missouri City. There are miles of wide open grass to ride along where these levies exist! It is just fabulous. Walker and Bingo both trailer loaded beautifully, thank you, Nancy C. It was a very hot day, with a hot wind, so the horses were happy to get home and hosed down. The shower when I got home felt like heaven on earth.
Then yesterday, Wendy had her first naked riding experience with Bingo. She voiced aloud that Bingo felt calm and happy enough to ride without his bridle, and I encouraged her to try. The worst thing that could happen is she might have to hop off, and he did appear very calm. It's great to have an iPhone so I could tape her experience. What fun, as Walker was also "naked" so this was my first experience as videographer while riding my horse naked. They did great, and now I have a record of it! I still remember the thrill of taking Walker's bridle off for the first time, walking, trotting and cantering. There is no feeling quite like it, that combination of trust and connection with your horse. I told Wendy that she was now part of a very small number of horse owners/riders who have ridden their horses in such an intimate way. She could not get the grin off her face!

Horsenality challenge and breakthrough

So, I decided I needed to ride Walker yesterday, as I have had a terrible cold, and it had been about a week since Walker and I had ridden together. Haven't had a cold like this in so long, it has been no fun. Anyway, wow, was Walker relaxed yesterday. As time goes by, Walker displays more the traits of a left brained horse, and yesterday was a good example of that. We have been playing with his trot and canter departs on the ground to get them to be snappier. Walker is really starting to much more balanced whoa vs. go. Some days he is definitely got more whoa than go, and my friends at Starfire barn north of Dallas would be amazed by that development! They were witness to the crazy Walker, the horse who ran over my Parelli instructor Grady attempting to get him to jump barrels and my friend Nancy in a marathon trailer loading session. On both counts, Walker just lept over them in a right-brained demonstration of pure fear and athletic ability. Not fun.
We played with the question box until he calmly did some simple lead changes, then we played follow the rail. One area of the arena he consistently does not like is the judging stand. Today, as we passed by it, he moved sideways away from it. You have to understand that for Walker, this is a mild response to what he might see as a danger to him. At times, I have been surprised by Walker spooking at something, most often something I don't ever see, feel or hear, with a sideways four footed leap of 4 feet. I have to admit, I have not always stayed in the saddle when he's done that! So a small sideways move is nothing for Walker. Based on his mild response to something fearful, I decided to handle the scary judging stand differently today. I asked him to go sideways back towards the judging stand, all the way to the fence. He was obviously not comfortable as his nose was in the air and he got bracey, but he did not move away either. I stroked the fence for about 20 seconds, then asked Walker forward, which he did happily, anything to get away from the vicious, mouth breathing, claws extended judging stand. The next time by, he was much calmer standing there, even putting his head down as I stroked the fence again. The third time we went by, he offered to go sideways to the judging stand and then he stopped there all by himself! What a breakthrough for Walker and me! I fed him cookies, hopped off and gave a nice hosing down. Then I hopped back on bareback and we had a very slow, relaxed walk out to the turnouts.
Who would have thought seven years ago that my crazed right brained extrovert would ever have been able to walk relaxed bareback with me anywhere?

Online Zone 5 driving

This is an area that Walker and I have not played with much, and it is a little confusing for him and me, mostly I think because I am still figuring out how to use my tools properly to get things done. I never thought I would be leading my horse from behind his tail with one rein, but here we are now doing a weave pattern, going over cavalletties (at a trot) and over a false bridge, all with one rein with me as the cart! Much of the time lately, Walker has been behaving more like a left brained introvert than a right brained extrovert, so I have had to change how I play with him, even slowing down to get things done with lots of breaks in between. He gets nervous when he has to stop on the bridge, but after playing with it over and over, he is getting better about it. The more he has time to think about it and realize it is not going to kill him, the better he gets.
We have been playing with the trailer more lately also, getting him more used to going deep into the trailer, and that is getting better as well though he does not like to stay in long when he is deep in there. I am confident that as we play more with it, he will get better with that as well. I have to remember to get my energy up when he gets nervous like this, as trying to slow him down or get in his way just make him more nervous. The total opposite of how I have to deal with people when they are nervous about seeing me, the dentist, although the confidence and leadership is important in both situations.

Walker and Ellie

In the last couple of days, Walker and I have been playing in the outdoor arena where there is a very thick stand of trees and brush along the eastern side. Two nights ago, Walker was very unhappy about "the forest" as everyone refers to it. There were strange noises coming from within it, and Walker can be very reactive to noises coming from dark places, so it came as no surprise to me that he was nervous. Last night, the reason for the noises ventured out far enough for me to see and it was an averaged sized armadillo! They are shy creatures, so it did not stay exposed long, but Walker did take a look at it and when he did, I urged him to chase it away. He was much calmer after that. The first night, we did lots of partial disengagement of the hind quarters and small circles all along that part of the rail, and it really took about an hour before Walker got softer as he went by. This is why sometimes, it takes so much longer for us to do what I had planned, and then sometimes what I had planned goes out the window! I just tell myself to take the time it takes so it takes less time. Otherwise, we would never be playing bridle-less, or doing long distance weave patterns on the ground, or all the other lovely things we can do now that would have been impossible even two or three years ago.
One thing I am trying to figure out is getting more impulsion out of Walker on the circle game. Even when I change it up, he does not seem very interested in it. I am playing with backing him up on the circle to see how that works to want him to bring up his life, and that did seem to get him more connected to me. The bulls-eye pattern seems to help as well, so I will continue to play with it, and try to remember not to make it a job!
I also got to play with Ellie the yearling last night, and she is really getting into the program. We played friendly game as I rubbed her all over, which she is accepting nicely now. She still wants to play dominance games with her head, but we continue to play with that and I am sure it will get better with time. We played porcupine game, and she did a couple of lovely cross over steps, forehand around the hindquarters and hindquarters around the forehand, so I did not stay there long. Circle game is getting better as well as she circled once in each direction, one lap without me following her! I am not entirely confident in her draw to me yet, but it is pretty good, so I took the rope off and she followed me all over the arena and went over a series of poles, all without any rope! She no longer squeals or whinnies to the other horses, so I do think she is feeling much more confident in my presence. What fun to be able to play with a horse someone has not already ruined.

So happy to be blogging/plans can change

I just realized that I have really grown in my horsemanship since the fall, and the only way I really know that is by reading some of my posts from back then. I find myself disagreeing with some of the things I said and the filter through which I was seeing things. How funny is that? And a little embarrassing! And great, all at the same time. I so wish I would have started doing this six years ago when I first got my wonderful RBE cusp LBE Quarab.
Last night a newcomer to the barn came up to me in the arena to ask for help with her horse. I told her that she could bring her mare into the arena and I would be happy to help her with whatever was going on. She told me that she did not feel comfortable even putting the halter on her, her horse was so agitated in her stall.
So, I took a deep breath because I had had all sorts of plans about what I was going to do playing with Walker last night, but in moments like those, you have to ask yourself, what is the right thing to do? The answer, of course, was to help these two, even if it completely derails my plans (Walker, my air pad, my Parelli dressage pad, saddle, tack kit, carrot sticks, 45 foot line and mind were all ready to get started in the arena). So, I told her sure, I would help her. I gently rubbed Walker on the neck, slipped the 12 foot line from his back and put him back in his stall. I think his disappointment matched mine.
This lady is as green as grass. She is "trying out" this horse, Flicka, for a week to see if they are a good match. The problem is, she does not know enough about horses to be able to judge. Makes me sigh just thinking about it. She expressed surprise that a horse would have issues, like being afraid of the all of the things at the barn. When we approached Flicka's stall, she had her back side to us. Didn't exactly look like an invitation to me, so I asked if we could just walk 10-15 ft.away from the stall and just chat while she got used to our presence. After coming to the stall door 3 times, she finally stayed there as we approached, looking intrigued. I am thinking LBI or RBI, as she is pretty low energy at this point. It took about 10 minutes before the owner was able to put on the rope halter Flicka came with, which begged the question in my mind, "Why didn't someone show her how to do this before they dropped Flicka off at her new home?"
Then we walked down along the barn, stopping at every threshold, lots of silence between the notes, explaining what I was doing as we went. We got all the way to the arena, about 150 ft. or so, which all together took about an hour (take the time it takes so it takes less time). At this point, Walker was about to burst out of his stall when he saw me, nickering like crazy. He was definitely saying, "Me, me, see me? Let's play!" Flicka had sighed and been doing a lot of licking and chewing. The new owner asked what they should do now and I told her let Flicka do what she wants to do. She was so low energy, I did not think this would be a problem, and sure enough, Flicka just stood there, looking at everything while the new owner chatted with people that walked by. My good deed for the day was done.
Then, Walker and I played Liberty and On-Line for about 45 minutes, which was about all the time I had left after playing with Flicka. Walker was full of energy, so I matched his energy and we had a wonderful time together. He is a Liberty superstar! Even with all of his energy, he was able to gather himself and yo-yo over a pole from about 20 feet and Sideways around a pole square, all the way around, traveling circles at a trot and canter. Playing with the canter on line with the figure 8, and when my communication become more clear, he did both sides very nicely. Still amazes me how far we have come!

Secular and Sacred

A patient was curious about my Level 1 Parelli Natural Horsemanship award I have framed and mounted in my dental office, and she wanted to know what I "did" with my horse. I have thought quite a bit about this, how to tell people the depth of how I feel about this journey I am on with my horse without having to spend an hour or day or week doing it. So, I told her that our world is a secular world. When I am with my horse, I want to feel we have something of the sacred between us; an island of sacred in a sea of secular. She told me, "Wouldn't it be nice if the hold world felt that way about something or someone?" We both agreed it would.

So much to blog about, so little time . . .

Since I rarely have large blocks of time to write down my thoughts regarding my Parelli Natural Horsemanship journey, I have decided that sometimes just small tidbits would be the best. So this is one of those.
Wendy and I went to the Parelli Beaumont Event, and what a blast we had. It has really inspired us to start playing with a duel spotlight performance starring Walker, Bingo, Wendy and me to send in to ParelliTube and, who knows, that we might get to perform in front of a Parelli audience some day. Maybe we could inspire others to do the same. But first, we both committed to getting our videos done for our Levels audition so we both officially graduate to the next level, 2 for Wendy, Level 3 for me. With Walker and Bingo, we could call the duo Ebony and Ivory! We brainstormed Saturday night for more than an hour figuring out things we could do as a tandem with all of the Parelli games. Stay tuned for Friendly Game Tennis (with the big green ball :)
I also saw many of my new Parelli friends from my clinic group that I started with Kerri Joosten last month. I saw Kerri there also, and it reminded me again how blessed I am to have become part of this Parelli family, a group of people who truly put the relationship with their horse first.

Amazing fun in the round pen

I AM AT KERRI JOOSTEN'S PLACE IN AUSTIN THIS WEEKEND TAKING PART IN A THREE DAY LEVEL 3 CLINIC. HAD A GOOD DAY WITH WALKER TODAY . . . WE DID SOME THINGS REALLY WELL AND WE FOUND SOME HOLES IN AREAS, AND THAT IS AS IT SHOULD BE. BUT I am WRITING THIS ON MY iPHONE WHILE THE DAY IS STILL FRESH IN MY MIND, because the most amazing thing happened in the round pen today. ONe OF KERRI'S HORSES, TONY, DID SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER SEEN A HORSE DO. DURING A GAME THAT WAS BEING PLAYED IN THE ROUND PEN WHERE SEVERAL HORSES WERE SENT IN THE CIRCLE GAME SIMALTANEOUSLY. The point of the game was THAT ONCE THEY WERE out THERE, THEY WERE TO FIND THEIR HUMANS WHO WERE ALL STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROUND PEN, KEEPING THE HORSES GOING AT AT LEAST A TROT. TONY WAS THE FIRST OF HIS GROUP TO COME TO HIS HUMAN, KERRI. WHAT WAS REMARKABLE WAS THE FACT THAT TONY DEMONSTROBAlly PROTECTED KERRI'S SPACE FROM OTHER HORSES THAT TRIED TO COME TO KERRI INSTEAD OF THIER OWN HUMANS. The second time he did this, he was very clear about his communication. He spun around in a very small tight circle, teeth bared and ears pinned. The other horses got the message loud and clear: This is my little herd and you are not invited.
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First coming fast and often

Wendy took Bingo and Walker out today, so I volunteered to bring them in. As I approached the turnout pasture, I saw Walker slowly pacing along the fence line. Bingo was standing along tbe fence in anticipation of someone's arrival, but he did not show any anxiety by pacing. Both of them popped their heads towards me as I came closer, and they started moving closer to the gate. By the time I was opening the gate, they were both there calmly waiting for me to pass through. Since Walker had been pacing, I thought I would go about bringing them in a little differently, a little less direct line in my approach. So, once I had gotten their halters on, I threw their lead ropes over their backs and opened the gate, walking toward the barn. Lo and behold, they followed me! They followed quietly and with no impulsiveness. When we got to a muddy area of the third turnout, they stopped to eat some especially tasty shoots of spring grass. I sat on the fence next to the water trough and marveled at two things: 1) That these two who were clearly anxious to see me arrive not five minutes earlier were calmly choosing to eat grass instead of stampeding in the direction of the barn and 2)Walker chose to step into the muddiest, wettest area of the turnout to eat grass. Just two months ago, he would have taken the widest possible route around mud or water!

So, after watching them in amazement for about 5 minutes, I approached Walker and led him to the water trough. He drank deeply, and when he seemed finished, I then led Bingo to do the same. He also drank a lot of water and then Walker continued to drink right next to him. Bingo did not push him off, he was too busy enjoying the water! When they were done, I lead only Bingo with his rope, and Walker folowed along quite willingly. Fun!

Once we got to the last gate, I backed both of them through and closed it while they waited. After a calm walk back to the barn, they hungrily tucked into their food. 

While Walker ate, I set up the the arena to do some more weave pattern on the ground. Once I had him tacked up, we walked out to the arena, and it was so nice to be leading a horse that wasn't completely wound up from not being allowed to be a horse for months on end. We started with the weave on a circle, which Walker picked up on very quickly. He was so calm, it was time to ride. 

Walker started as he usually does, trying to work his way into the middle of the arena. His constant desire to move the the middle of the arena has been a frustration for me for a long time. But this time, I had three ways to play with that. First, we did several partial disengages towards the fence. Walker was really starting to understand how to do this yesterday, and it went even better today. This gave Walker the idea that I might ask for this at any time. Also, whenever Walker turned into the center of the arena, I went with the "and more" technique of doing what he wanted, but more than he wanted to. So I said to him, sure, go to the center, but in a very tiny circle. He soon decided he did not really want to go into the center. And if those two tacks did not do it, I finally went to phase four when he strayed into the center of the arena by trying to stop him with my leg first and then using my carrot stick with a sharp tag on the neck. I only had to do that once. After one more time on the rail, Walker went around the arena on the rail at the trot and the canter without ONE SINGLE CORRECTION. First time it's ever happened. I still don't know exactly why today, but what a glorious moment.  I immediately stopped with Walker, hopped off and fed him lots of cookies. I took him back to his stall where I took off his saddle. He was so calm, he had barely sweated, so I brushed him off and asked him back into his stall and gave him an extra bit of hay. He's not much of one for scratches and hugs, he prefers food as thanks. So I stroked his neck briefly and left him to his hay. I walked away thinking, "Perfect afternoon . . . "

Evening on the levy

After being cooped up in his stall all day on Wednesday, I took Walker out on the levy to graze. I am sure the women at the barn who saw me walk into the dark and across the bridge thought I was crazy, but since the athletic lights were turned on the soccer fields, I knew Walker and I would see well enough to enjoy our evening "out". After just 15 minutes of grazing, a few deer emerged from the brush and trees that line the Brazos to join us along the levy for a drink of water and to enjoy the fresh glistening green spring grass. Walker was very curious about the deer, but quickly returned to feasting on the grass after giving them an intense scrutiny. I assume since I did not seem the least bit concerned, he felt he did not have to be either. Since I had my ever present fanny pack filled with horse cookies, he checked in with me every few minutes to get a cookie and make sure everything was OK. He never strayed more than a few yards from me. The air was cool and there was a light breeze blowing in from the coast. A soft mist began to gather as the soccer players were practicing, and shouts rose up from the baseball fields on the other side of the road. While controversy and conflict was going on all over the world, our own little corner of the world seemed very far away from all of that.
We moseyed back to the barn after about an hour on the levy. By the time we got back from the levy, there was no one in the two indoor arenas, so we had the large arena to ourselves. I am using the 45' line now as much as possible, and it is a new challenge for me. But that is all part of my own personal journey of never ending self improvement. We played with sideways on the circle game and the bullseye pattern, both of which looked a little better than the night before. I tucked Walker back into his stall when we were done, gave him some hay from my trailer and a bucket of molasses water. After giving him a few more cookies I told him goodnight. When I hit the road, the mist had gotten very thick, creating a halo around all the traffic and street lights. It made for a quiet, pretty drive home . . .

A weekend at Trails End

There are so many things to say about our weekend at Kerri Joosten's place, Trails End, near Austin, Texas. There are so many things to think about, I will have to organize my thoughts as I go.
The energy at Kerri's place was peaceful and relaxed. It was very good for me, as life in the last months have been anything but peacful and relaxed. My challenge will be to bring a little of that home with me so I can draw on it when I need it. 
Spring was starting to show there just like here in Houston. Kerri's playground was covered with the most wonderful spring green grass. Walker loved it there. It was easy to find a way to reward him as we were playing together, I just had to point to the grass all around us. At the same time, it was a little hard to compete with the grass for his attention but I could not give him to hard a time about it. Once we started to play and he was connected, it was a great place for both of us to learn. 
Walker being Walker, he still has lots confidence challenges, especially when it comes to zone 3, the area between the break in his withers and the point of his hip. The good news is that Walker is gaining more confidence the savvier I get. Any foreign object that comes under zone 3 makes him very nervous. Kerri determined early that he was not ready for even small barrels, so the first thing we played with were many of the obstacles scattered all around her horse/human playground. I asked him to put the obstacles under him, like a giant tire pedestal, a stone bridge, the creek, a punching bag, tree trunks and the large trailer. The obstacles that presented the largest challenges were the giant tire, the punching bag and the trailer. By our last morning, he jumped in and out of the trailer easily, though not entirely left brained, he put three feet on the giant tire pedestal and he put one foot over the punching bag. The punching bag was the most difficult and required more leadership from me on that morning because it was the easiest one from which Walker could evade. I made being anywhere but in front and over the bag very difficult, and he finally put one foot over it, stood there and looked at me with ears forward as if to say, "Hah! Got it!!!"
Kerri is a very interesting person, it was fun getting to know her a little better. She is an interesting blend of mom, horsewoman, people person and teacher. Many horse properties I have been to are efficient and horse friendly, but Kerri's place is unique in its feel, which is hard to explain. It may have to do with the backdrop of the desert hill country around Lake Travis, but it probably has more to do with the owner who brings her own special inviting but down to business attitude rolled into one. Her three son's are as friendly as their mom, and they all help out around the place. Her daughter just had a baby girl, and Kerri's face glows when she talks about her. 
Kerri brings a quiet zeal to her responsibility as a teacher of natural horsemanship. At the same time, I never felt harried or judged. I hate feeling judged, probably something to do with my upbringing. It doesn't make much sense, because to get through college and dental school, you are judged every day, often by people who barely know you, but I hate it anyway. Kerri never made me feel that way, and she always acknowledeged the things Walker and I did well, which made me feel good about what we have already accomplished together. To get acknowledgment from someone like Kerri about my horsemanship really felt good.
I will try to sum up what Walker and I learned under Kerri's watchful eye. Well, mostly what I learned. It seems that whatever Walker can do, he already knows how to do, it is up to me to draw those talents from him. So . . . here is what I learned. 
I have to know when to quit. The more Walker learns, the shorter our sessions need to be. If he is in learning over load, than I have to give him time to absorb what he has learned. I must focus on what my horse is telling me, more now than ever before. I have to acknowledge that my horse is a fast learner if I set him up for success. If he doesn't learn quickly, I have to reaccess my approach, my energy, my leadership and/or my emotions. I have to take my ego OUT OF IT. It's about the relationship first!

Amazing Liberty

Walker and I had a wonderful Liberty session last night. He offered to go over a small jump in the small arena while doing the circle game three straight times. And he did it so easily, like he had been doing it for months. 

We are all so frustrated by this weather. And, on top of that, my neck has been giving me trouble, so I have not ridden as much as I would like. When I have ridden, I have started to play with my two carrot stick riding, with and without a bridle. Walker and I are also playing with our canter departs, something we need work with. This is an area I want to ask for Kerri's help. Kerri did point out to me that we should practice with circles to the left, as Walker seems to have more trouble moving in that direction, and so we are. Walker still has some negative emotions about riding, so we are taking it slowly, but still progressing as much as we can.

A Crossroads

It has been quite some time since I have posted . . . lots going on in my life right now, though that is poor excuse. It is a valuable thing for me to write down on paper the steps Walker and I are taking together. It helps me sort out all of the voices that are influencing me and guiding me on this path I am on. I have now had a glimpse into the world of showing horses, and I am sure now that is not the path I want to go down. I love the challenge of learning Dressage, but the I don't want to do it on some artificial timetable that doesn't fit with my life away from the barn. 

Walker and I entered a show this weekend and I really realized for the first time that I am not 21! My body just cannot handle that kind of intensity and keep up with the rest of my life at the same time. And even if the rest of my life was not so stressful, I also realized that this is not the way for me. I contrasted this weekend that exhausted me with the weekend at Kerri's place that invigorated me (and Walker), and the choice readily revealed itself. 

Last night, Walker and I spent an hour out on the levy. He had clover breath tinged with horse treats, and I listened to the sounds of horses in their stalls, lessons being given in the arenas, frogs croaking and crickets chirping. After grazing more than 25 yards away, Walker would check back in with me when I called softly to him. Cookies again. I realized that time did more good for me, and probably Walker, then the hours we spent together at the show. We followed that up with some Liberty in a dark arena (someone had inconsiderately turned the lights off too soon and it takes them 20 minutes to recycle once they have been shut off). My annoyance was tempered by the fact that we had the arena to ourselves. We did very soft traveling circles, at Liberty. We played with touch it from zones 3, 4 and 5 followed by cookies, again, at Liberty. I rubbed him all over, but Walker being Walker, he preferred the cookies!

I can't wait to go back to Kerri's place again in March!