Training the Lightning: Days 18-25

DAY 18-25: We have been busy! We have had two trips over to Cedar Springs Livery & Stables in Placerville, a couple of hauls over to Pioneer Park Equestrian Arena and a Body Language Workshop hosted by us at our place in Placerville on top of the normal sessions at home, including the introduction of the long –line and work with obstacles.

We squeeze in training every chance we get because the weather has been fluctuating so much this season. Footing just starts to dry out and we get hit with rain/snow again.

            The first trip to Cedar Springs Livery went well. Brody had not been in an enclosed arena, surrounded by stables in a long, long time. We started the session off in the round pen for about 10 minutes just to get his brain engaged and his focus/trust back on his human. Then he got to meet two other horses and we all did some ground work. We ran through at least thirteen ground work exercises, coaching one another and trying to refine our communication and body language. Then we introduced Brody to some scary objects (valting equipment) before we tacked up. Because the footing was not the best we chose to keep things at the walk and trot. Lots of both occurred as we Followed the Fence, weaved through cones, did some backing, circles and one-reign stops. Brody need work on his stop and reading the seat cue. He seems to require the use of the rein to stop currently. The upside is he is not one to go tearing off at Warp 9 when asked for a faster gait so there is time to go through the motions of the one-rein stop. We ended the session with some wins and a sweaty Brody.

            Later in the week we had a discussion about flexing to the left. This discussion arose because Brody chose not to try to flex to that side, even when bumped. There was some spinning and backing at speed along with much moving of the feet and direction changes. Eventually we got the flexing to the left to an acceptable level. This was our first disagreement and while it was expected (his weight, health and stamina are improving) it was still a little bit emotional for me. I had to review the lessons learned from Shana Terry’s visit (August 2012)  in my head and heart. We got through this bit of ugly and ended up with some good by the end of the session.

            The trips to Pioneer Park in Somerset were productive. Ground work and work under saddle happened. Brody really seems good at the Circle Driving and Leading Beside exercises. We even started to goof around with the known exercises where we chased one another a bit. It was like playing tag but reading one another’s movements. Laughing and playing with a horse is darned good for the mind, body and soul! The footing at the arena was really bad near the rails so Follow the Fence was out. Cruising, using cones, walk, trot, lope transitions and working on his brakes was our under saddle focus.

            Our second visit to Cedar Springs Livery & Stables was much like the first except we were able to work outside in the dressage arena. This made Follow the Fence tough because…well…there were not real fences. Still we had fun and worked hard spending most of our saddle time at the trot. He is slowly getting stronger and we even got some hints of collection for more than a few steps this time. It was really nice to see and feel.

It was a fun and sweaty day! 

The Body Language Workshop was a BLAST! We had eighteen people attend. Brody and Argent were the equine partners for the day. They worked with almost everyone who attended. When Brody gets really tired or a bit confused by unclear body language he sort of zones out. We had it happen twice during the five hour session and I had to reset his filters and regain his focus but it took very little to do that. He was exceptional in my opinion having been with us and doing the Method for less than a month. What a FANTASTIC day! The weather was clear and sunny! The energy of the participants was simply inspirational. What a great way to spend a Sunday!
Many aspects of “body language” were covered. We started by creating a vocabulary for the day so everyone was on the same page then we worked on getting comfortable with the training tools (from the handy-stick to our hands and feet) we use when working with our horses. Pressure, energy, focus, intent, position and active/passive body language were all worked on. We started in the round pen working with Argent (a 6 year old Kiger Mustang) and Brody (a 13 year old Appendix Quarter Horse) at liberty. The goal was to improve our position, energy, focus and intent as it related to our non-verbal communication. The horses each had distinctive personalities and required different levels of pressure and communication to perform the round pen exercises.
When everyone had an opportunity to work on their skills we took a one hour lunch break and enjoyed some fine fellowship. Then we grabbed our lead lines and worked on exercises in the pasture and over some low level obstacles and even did some long line work, all with the focus on our non-verbal communication and improve the clarity and energy we put forth. We wrapped up by covering the key points of the day one last time and sharing what we learned. The success of the day was a great way to kick off our 2013 season!