Riding Bridless

After going to watch a Jesse Peters clinic for a day it gave me the courage to ride Annabelle with no bridle. I was helping Mark in the indoor arena teaching him about passenger lessons; which means he only has to focus on riding and his seat. Triton is allowed to go where ever he wants as long as he continued trotting, it was hard for Mark to set the reins down and trust Triton (and me) lol. I still had my bridle on but I was using 2 carrot sticks to reinforce my legs if she wasn't listening to them. I didn't have to pick up my reins once so I got brave enough to take my reins off. I stayed in the indoor arena so she didn't have much room to run me around if she decided to. But she did great I had to use my sticks a little more when I was trotting but walking so listened to my leg cues. It was so much fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKn9mbTZXBI&feature=g-upl

Bridling

When I was at the horse and soul tour I saw some of the instructors bridle their horses while mounted. And I thought that was so cool, it got me thinking how Annabelle would do with it. So of course we started on the ground the very first time it was a fight, she didn't understand why I wanted to put it in her mouth. I had to convince her that it was no longer a negative thing because on the track I'm sure it was. After a couple rides and a few more tries it was easy. I still had to put it up to her mouth so she knew what I wanted but without any pressure she did put it in her mouth. I was so excited.

I think our riding communication is getting a lot better. Now that I have a lot more confidence I'm able to let go of the reins and trust her using my two carrot sticks. We have mostly walked but we tried a little trotting. Improving my seat has been hard, its hard to think about so many things at once but I am getting there. When I whistled for her out in pasture everyone else came running. I have spent a lot of time out there with them trying to get Annabelle to come to me and I was giving them treats when they would come up to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olm5QMypF_I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Staying Positive

This has probably been one of the harder parts of my journey, after seeing Pat at the horse and soul tour I really saw his connection with his horses. I want to be able to have a great relationship with Annabelle when I go to Colorado for the fast track. I feel like we aren't on the same page, not a 50/50 relationship. I have been trying to keep a positive attitude and keep our sessions shorter with only a couple goals in mind and lots of grazing and treats so that its not all work when we are together. It is a good lesson for me because I am learning to relax; that it all doesn't need to get done today. Which is hard for me because once I get an idea into my head it turns into 50 ideas and I just want to try them all right then.

I have been working on riding bareback and only using my legs then using 2 carrots sticks when needed and my reins are my last resort. It has made riding a lot more fun and relaxed and she even bridled herself yesterday, we didn't even have to fight over it!

Posting and sitting trot lesson

Today I had a lesson in posting and sitting Annabelle's trot and it was hard. Physically. Trying to bend my body it ways I never have before, working muscles I don't usually work. On the car way home I help my balance point the whole time. Tucking my butt under and holding my stomach in. It turns out I was posting completely wrong but I can feel what Annabelle's feet are doing more then I thought. Kudos to the best teacher ever..Lori :).

Horsenality Lesson

This is meant for anyone who wants to understand a horses horsenality. We break it up into 4 quadrants. Left and right brained and introverted or extroverted. Right brain is more cautious and nervous, really use the 'flight'. Left brains are confident and use 'fight'. Introvert is slow. Extrovert is fast. Then we put them together.
Each horsenality has a different technique that we use to communicate with them.
The Right Brain Extrovert (RBE) needs safety. Never push him past the threshold until he's calm. You will need to retreat and to interrupt the pattern. You must have a strong focus and must match the horse's high energy level. Give him a job to accomplish to replace his fear with something positive. He must think of you as his "safe place."

The Right Brain Introvert (RBI) needs comfort. The worst thing you can do is push this horse before he's confident. You'll ruin his trust in you if you push him before he's ready. Taking your time is important because you'll need to wait on this horse to process things. He needs to believe in you.

The Left Brain Extrovert (LBE) needs play. He craves creative, imaginative tasks and can't stand to be forced into anything. Because he hates to be bored, you'll need to speed things up, be enthusiastic and come up with variety in your lessons.

The Left Brain Introvert (LBI) needs incentive. There are plenty of ways to offer incentive without "bribing" him. (Think rest, grazing, treats, scratches.) This horse needs to have a purpose and wants to go somewhere. Riding circles in an area with this horse will lead to resistance and defiance. Use reverse psychology for best results.

The chart I attached gives more details about each quadrant.

Riding with a RBI and LBE

Yesterday at the barn was awesome. Annabelle did great figure 8's trotting and cantering with another flying lead change. Did some yo-yo trotting. Mark rode Triton and they both did great. It was so much fun. Triton even put 3 feet in the trailer!

Be a Horse.

Today I decided that Annabelle and I could use some undemanding time so we played liberty in the pasture just stick to me. And she didn't leave me to go be with her friends, we also did a little bit of liberty in the indoor arena before I let her out. It made me feel really good that she stuck by me and didn't want to run away because I suck so bad. It's hard for me to tell if our relationship is going well or if it's her obedience that's keeping her with me.

Update

Sorry that is has been almost a month since I have posted something. Been busy, lots of new and exciting things. Had my first Parelli clinic and it was so much fun great horses and great people. Annabelle was very nervous and I got to see the RBI side of her when usually she acts like a LBI so that was a major learning experience for me. Got some really good tips and ideas from Jesse Peters on riding I have been practicing for direct and indirect where my weight should be in my stirrups at work on a rolling stool! This past weekend we went to the Horse and Soul Tour which is Parelli's "show" they teach you a lot, with more ideas from them I felt confident to ride in the outdoor arena. I got a bridle and the leathers on the end help me make sure I released right away, but I also noticed that I wasn't giving her enough release. When I would ask for a turn she would start to and as soon as she did I should have relaxed, but instead I wanted her to turn harder or faster but I never gave her the change to learn it and show me she knew what I was suggesting. We could to figure 8's using the question box walking, trotting, and then a couple times cantering (even a flying lead change). I rewarded every downward transitions to keep us both calm and introverted and she did great!