I should really update this more often!

So... general has got over his back problem at last and is back in full swing. Playing etc. BUT we've had a million more changes.

Most of you will probably know of the million and one problems General and I have had together, be it health, behaviour, or confidence. These problems have not gone, but we're restarting our journeys in the hope of ironing them out once and for all.




So, we have made a LOT of changes. I have branched out a LOT. We will no longer be 'solely studying parelli'. I know for a while Ive been combining Parelli with my own ideas but now I'm branching out further and going for my dream. Something I've dreamt of for a long time, I mean since I was about 7 or 8, is to perform with horses at liberty, such as in Cavalia, and Jean Francois Pignon, etc etc. After seeing Jean Francois live when I was 8, I was amazed and have always been so intrigued by his work (or should I say play!). I always wished I could do something like that, but never really believed it was possible, thinking he must be some magician to get his horses to do those things! otherwise how would he teach them?! Even while doing parelli, I never really understood how he did it. I hope I can now find out. I will be studying his work religiously, I have already found out a lot, how he teaches, why he does it, and I love it! I am hoping to go work with him very soon, to learn even more. I will also be studying other horsemen/women such as Mirka Pitts, Stacey Westfall and the 'dancers' of Cavalia.



This morning, I started using some of JFP's methods on General. OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY. He picked up - collection at a standstill at liberty with a simple cue. The beginnings of spanish walk on a simple cue. wowowowowowowow.



Ok, other changes we've made. General is being 'restarted'. Right from the beginning. As if he's never ever been ridden. I have decided this is our best option to solve all the bad habits we both have! So, for 2 weeks, Ive been laying over him, jumping up and down next to him, racking the stirrups, slapping the saddle, and finally, getting on and off, bareback and with a saddle, halter and a bridle. We took our first walk a few days ago. Today, we walked for 10 minutes alone. halter/bareback. No emotional moments. no silliness. No bucking. no rearing. AND I WASNT SCARED!!!!!!



The other thing, is I am now using a normal headcollar as opposed to the parelli halter. I have many reasons for this change.

1) General is a very sensitive reactive horse and I have felt for a long time that the halter is too thin for him.

2) Most of the bucking he did was when riding in the halter/hackamore.

3) he had a sarcoid right where one of the knots fell and i was worried about the pressure.

4) I was interested to see how well he responds to pressure after a year and a half of natural horsemanship - the ultimate test is my lovely padded headcollar

5) its pretty ;)



Heres the changes Ive seen:

1) He is a lot more responsive.

2) He has not fought the pressure at all since the change.

3) When riding in it, he allows me to move him around and doesnt threaten a buck.

4) He doesnt toss his head anymore.

5) He doesnt go RBI when fastening the buckle.



hmmmmmmmmmm how interesting!!!



So, as you can tell, we've made a lot of changes. This doesnt mean we have left parelli. It just means we are opening our minds and trying new things too. I am still studying parelli, because I still love the program. In fact Ive been trying loads of things from the L&HB set which have made some great changes too. So dont think we're leaving you, and please dont judge me for changing things, using a different halter/headcollar (ive already had a student criticise me for it, and as I told them, i value your opinion, but he is my horse, and this is our journey).

I have been doing everything at liberty the past few days, and its made such a difference. I realised actually, that General and I didnt have such a great relationship outside the roundpen/arena. He left me a few times, but you know what, it was ok! I let him wander off, go eat, and I just went and did some jobs around the stables, then suddenly, a little face would appear round the corner.. 'can we play now mum?' No ropes to hold us together, just letting him do what he wanted and making the most of it.


We started having short trots and riding for a little longer, ive taken him out on his own too - and he's been great. Using my 'new' methods, he handles himself better ridden.however last night we had an 'oh boy', i got on and he went uber RB, terrifed of the sabre toothed butterfly in the hegde, and froze on the spot, grew to about 18hh with his head in my face. Stroke, reassure, turn away, retreat.. he's ok, a bit bouncy, but ok. Suddenly, the butterfly moves a wing and we spin back to stare at it. rub, reassure, turn away. 'I'm gonna turn away with ya mum, but your being slow!' spin like a barrell racer, leap up with all for feet and freaaakkkk out. I got myself in a position where i was rooted to the saddle, thinking 'he's gonna rear, he's gonna rear, craaapppp...'




he didnt rear.


WHAAAAAAT.



ok, he jumped up and down and tried oh so hard to pull me home, but he didnt rear! result!


I got off promtly and rubbed him and led him around for a bit to relax him, he was soon ok again.

It was a weird evening. he rarely goes right brain. since coming off the racetrack, he's pretty mch ALWAYS in LB land. the odd RBI moment when learning but nothing too bad anymore. So I was shocked at his reactions, but please with how he handled it. When i decided it was time to get off i think he understood, as he stopped jugging and stood still, as if to say 'yes, mum, get off, now!'



Im just glad what ive been doing with him IS making a differencem because last month, he would have gone up vertically 6 or 7 times, and if it was too scary, he would have flipped over (he has done this before a few times!) and i would have been.. possibly not in a position to tell you the story! so good news



I also got Frederic Pignon's book in the post this week, it is so good! i really recommend it to EVERYONE on here, very inspiring and some fantastic ideas in there!

Joey is back with Karen now and as far as I know doing good, a lot calmer and doesnt get so emotional about stuff. She hasnt been able to do much riding but hopefully they will get started again soon :D

I've started giving lessons to a lady called Pam and her horse Robbie, who is a RBE/LBI.. quite similar to Joey actually, but a LOT more dominant when he goes LB. He is also terrified of poles!! Hopefully him and Pam are starting a journey they will never leave :D

Very excited about Parelli coming back to the UK next year!!! YIPEEEEE :D

all for now! I think!

savvy smiles x

Life is a rollercoaster, you've just got to ride it... right?

When I got back from holiday I was greeted by a none too pleasant thing.. my poor ginger horsey was not too good! I had no idea what was up with him, he looked fine on the ground, other than a bit of stiffness on tight turns, but riding, he was soo weird! He wasn't lame, and everyone who watched him said he looks fine, but I knew there was something not quite right. He wasn't happy, he would trot along feeling strained and his body felt out of sync.

I had a back specialist come to see him, and all was revealed.

Its his pelvis.

Again.

D: D: D:

She put him right, but said he's gonna be one sore horse for a while because he has got so used to being 'wrong', that it will feel weird now and the muscles all have to build back up.

He had a week off, poor boy to start with I couldnt even brush his back it hurt so bad, but finally, he was able to start again. So now he's on 20 minute hacks everyday, NO ground play allowed (!!), only straight lines. Poor thing, he's so bored, and so am I!! But he's been a star, hasnt complained.. well until today of course!!

was riding out and we had an 'Oh Boy!' moment. He played up in dominance, I think he was finally telling me 'Mum, this is booooooooooooooring!!!', and thankfully I hopped off in time, as he threw in a few lovely rears just after! He's not supposed to do that.. he needs to get better! darn LBE's!!

Anyway, I'm gonna bite the bullet and play with him thursday, it will have been 2 weeks since his manipulation, and I think he will be ok to do some gentle stuff. he just needs to have his mind played with again. Hacking on a loose rein in walk is NOT his idea of fun.. Or mine lol.

So yes. All good stuff :/

Joey, on the other hand, is doing great. He's had 3 rides on him now, all very good, he's becoming much more level headed now and spends more time in left brain land than right brain - woohoo!! Progress!!

hehe.

savvy smiles x

so much fun!!

isnt it so much fun to just play and not ask anything new of your horse? This evening General and I went out into the playground and just messed around for an hour or so. We played all 7 games with new variations, like driving/squeeze over a jump with me in zone 5, also tried out my makeshift see-saw.. HA well the wood wasnt strong enough and the whole thing collapsed! General gave me the 'MUUUUMMMM what are you like?' face ;)
Then I was TRYING to just let him graze and spend some undemanding time, but he had other ideas.. he kept veering onto the pedestal xD So we spent UDT.. on the pedestal. he was so cute. we just cuddled and talked - awh!

Then I walked away and sort of expected him to just follow me back to the yard. He stayed on the pedestal, giving me the puppy eyes 'but mum I wanna play some more!' I turned to him, and combed the rope gently with no pressure on it. And he pricked his ears, got off the pedestal and TROTTED to me!! he was licking and chewing and looking really excited to come to me!!! then he stopped at the right place and rested his head on my stomach, it was soooo cute!!! I wanted to cry!!! I love him so much.

Going on holiday tomorrow :) :(
The reason why I put two faces is because im happy and excited for it... but im going to miss my little boy so much. I hope he doesnt mind having 4 days off!! So glad we ended on a high tonight, put me in SUCH a positive mood for going away :D :D

savvy smiles x

Its a desire to understand...

We had a tough couple of weeks, I had a lot of decisions, a lot of tests on my trust, faith and emotional fitness with a lot of things, not just my horse! But, we've come out the other end in once piece and stronger than we went in.
Me and General are doing well, we're hacking out loads, just spending time! Whether its alone, or with friends, we're having fun :D His insecurities from racing are gradually fading, he is starting to accept other horses riding next to him, and yesterday we had our first trot alongside another horse, he was fantastic and didnt even think about racing. I was so happy!!
I have taken on Joey now as my big project, playing with him daily and putting him through 'Boot Camp'. He is doing so well, his confidence is getting so much better as is his response to pressure. Hopefully it wont be too long before I can start his ridden training, but not until he's ready :)

Off on holiday next week, so no playing for a few days :( HOWEVER that means lots of time to spend thinking up new play sessions, ideas and savvy thoughts. woohoo!

savvy smiles x

I am still here, promise!!

I know its been sooooo long since I last posted. I used to post while on lunch break at school, and now I've left i havent got round to it! But I have sooo much news!!!

1) I have been offered a scholarship with Pat and Linda!!! OMG!!!! :D :D :D :D :D still havent got over it. Hoping to get out there next summer!!

2) I am planning to intern with Mirka Pitts in Florida early next year, she has given me the thumbs up to go when I want! Yeeeha :D

3) I can ride General BRIDLELESS!!! had our 4th ride with nothing today, and our first canter, he was great!! he's still a bit of a buckaroo in canter, but we're working on it, today i worked out that by using an indirect rein to turn and ask again when he bucks, it stops him in his tracks. He was also better bridleless than with the bridle/hackamore!

4) Me and general jumped last weekend!! yeahh!!!

5) We've been hacking out all by ourselves!! what a confident boy I have :D

6) He LAID down for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

7) We hacked up the bridlepath the other day, and had to cross a bridge, he made nothing of it and did it first time no issues :D

8) Ummmmmm so much more hahahah!!

So much news!!! So much excitement!!! I bloomin love my horse!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off to Festival of Horse tomorrow to see Pat and Linda! and Sunday too! Very excited :D

Phew. I can breather now :)

Savvy smiles x

School school school

my exams are looming in front on me so it means im spending ridiculous amounts of time revising. needless to say, i've been making time for general, still playing everyday (as long as the weather's good!).

A couple of days i've stolen a lift from a friend straight after school so i can spend a few hours worth of playing, by god i think i may have found the answers to all my problems! i'm realising a few hours of playing a week just isnt enough to stimulate general's overactive mind, but instead, a few hours a day. obviosly, i cant do it EVERYDAY, due to school and stuff, but i try as much as i can, then more at the weekends.

Heres the improvments ive seen already:
On the ground just to lead around he stays with me more rather than yanking me around.
He is being less dominant when online and liberty.
He is more focused.
He listens and doesnt argue when i ride.

:D :D :D

The best thing was last night. I played online for half an hour, then rode him for an hour. Just in the paddock, i wanted to work on a dressage test i have been given to try. He was PERFECT. he didnt get strong, arguementative, threaten to have me off, try and run away or anything. he just wanted to please :D
extra mints that evening ;)

So yay!! i'm so happy at the moment. He's being a superstar again, and we're taking things at his pace, not worrying about where we're going, just focusing on the now.

I have somthing to work on, which is very interesting. His jumping has always been very rushed, and he tends to run fast at it, then jump it flat and knock the pole down. I always wondered why nothing i did would slow him down, now i've worked it out. As he raced (he only flat raced but was trained over hurdles), they teach them to run as fast as they can and jump flat, as they can jump 'through' the hedge. so thats what he's doing. he thinks its right, then cant understand why the jump ends up on the floor. So, i have been playing with reverse psychology and getting him go EVEN FASTER (just online), then he starts to ask if he can go slower. So, its gonna take some practice, but we'll get there :D

savvy smiles x

I havent forgotten you!!

Ive only just realised how long its been since ive posted on here!!

Right so, I'll update you on General first. He started being silly in canter again so we went back a step and are taking things slooooowwww. But his walk and trot are good, i think its just me really, i need to stop getting direct line and start following the level 2 freestyle stuff properly, i keep drifting off and trying things we're not ready for *slaps face*.
 But, we're hacking out sensibly now, he's had about 12 hacks now and they've been great. After the first 'OMG i'm FREEEEEEEEEEE' scenario, he settled down and i've been able to ride him out on a loose rein with no trouble :)
 Oh, and my reins snapped! I was leading him out to get on, and he put his head down to try some of the tasty grass and stepped on them, breaking the leather :( anyway, i was so thankful he can be ridden in just a halter, so many people would have panicked at this point lol!
On the ground, he's doing so well. We've built a pedestal, its not finished yet and not quite sturdy enough to hold all four feet, but 2 feet is fine :) general, and holly in fact, took to it straight away and love stepping up and down from it. His direction changes are AWESOME!! he'll turn right the way when i step back now, and in canter he's offered flying changes very regularly!
We've started liberty too! I built myself a round pen and got started, and he's sooooo good. He sticks to me so well, plays all seven games (sideways is a little sticky but he tries so hard!!) and does the figure 8 and direction changes patterns with ease. what a superstar!

Ok, Joey next. I spent all easter seeing him pretty much everyday, getting all the 7 games up to scratch and Karen (owner) started riding him! We've taught him to do lateral flexion and i taught her how to ride with fluidity and had a pushing passenger lesson. She's pretty proud of him and herself that she can ride her horse in just a halter!

I've got tickets to festival of the horse!! im soooo excited. its going to be awesome!
ooh, i got featured on parellitube too, heres the link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPytalDgv6Y

and heres some pics of general on the pedestal :)

savvy smiles x

My horse is perfect! The weather.. not so much...

Last weekend we did lots of playing and riding, i did lots of work on his canter on sunday and he was great, he's really getting the hang of being guided just by my body and the stick. at one point i let go completely and put my arms out, cantering along the side of the hedge. it was beautiful!! thats one of my goals checked off the list :D

During the week i havent played at all. the weather has been so awful, its been lovely while im at school then rainy in the afternoons, so i cant play :( The one evening it WAS nice, i had a job interview so couldnt see him. GRR! anyway. thats a whole 'nother thing. Job! I had an interview at a supermarket, hopefully i'll get a job, it would really help out.

Easter soon! I'm due 2 weeks off starting next friday. thats a lot of playtime, if the weathers good. I have gypsy to look after too, and i'm going to be doing a LOT of training with Joey, try and get his foundation down and sorted so he's in a good position for his owner to get her confidence with him, hopefully so she can ride him soon. Also in easter i'm hoping to have a PP out to give me a lesson, cant wait!!

I really enjoyed this months SC dvd, direction changes. especially as it covered all 4 savvies. AWESOME! I played with direction changes online with general at the weekend, he even offered a couple of flying changes in canter so i was really pleased.

just a little update :)

savvy smiles x

And now we're cantering!

Ok, the last two nights have been so BRILLIANTLY, FANTASTICALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD!!
lol.

last night i played online and freestyle, his driving from zone 5 is getting so good, he will play all seven games (except circle) from there now.
freestyle he was being a star, i practiced driving him using the carrot stick rather than the reins and he was really good, and he felt so awesome i thought hmm... why not? so i literally shifted my weight and he took off into canter, he sort of waggled his legs around a bit at first as if getting into position, then settled into a nice canter. i only did a few strides, but i was soooo proud of him! and me lol, it was pretty nervewracking! (remember he hasnt cantered with me on his back for over 5 months!)

Anyway, i played tonight and he was great online and freestyle, i completely dropped my reins and just used the stick and my body to speed up, slow down and turn, he was in a very responsive, willing mood, and he learnt to move from pressure very quickly. we played with the weave and figure 8 pattern, then just circleing in a spiral in and out etc. then we had a canter (one handed agh!) and he was beautiful again both ways.

I am so proud of my man!! Big BIG hugs to him tonight.

I can see us really getting somewhere this summer now.

YEEHA!

savvy smiles x

WHAT A WEEK!

General has been doing so well this week, our riding is improving and we've started trotting again now, with no problems!! He is a lot more willing, he's offering more and more each time. Both of us are out of practice, for example when we are riding along I accidently switch off of my balance point, and he goes around with his nose in the air. We sort of have to remind each other, then its like oohhhhhh yeah, i remember now :)
Hoping to get him out off the yard for a hack this weekend, and maybe, just MAYBE attempt a little canter. It depends on how he and I are feeling ;)

Me, mum and Pam took the horses up into a different field off the yard this weekend, i was walking, other two riding. We all had an awesome time, It was a lovely open field with a big hill and mum and pam did some cantering then had a race up the hill - it was so funny! Holly and Robbie really enjoyed it, I dont think I've ever seen a LBI run so fast in my life!!
Poor general and I were a bit disapointed we couldnt join in, but hey, not long now :) We had a nice time playing on line, he was loving the new location and leaping around all over the place haha. He was very motivated and willing which was lovely.

I've been playing and riding pretty much everyday, last night he was a star again and even though a little less 'active' than usual, he was attentive and responsive, just had a lot more whoa than go. I have to praise that though, as it doesnt occur very often!!

Hope everyone is well! We've been having such fantastic weather, horses and people are all in much better moods!

Savvy Smiles x

What a great weekend!!

Saturday morning was awesome, i played online with general and he was brilliant, very focused and we had a great time. We played around with the circling game again some more mainly.
Then i took him for a walk down the road while mum was riding holly, and another lady came on her horse, considering he hasnt been out there since last summer, he was so good!! He stayed listening to me even though there were lots of exciting things to look at, he was quite excitable but hey who ca blame him?? lol.
When we got back i thought hmm... how about trying a short ride? My previous plan of leaving him be for a while went bums up as he seems to be improving on the ground very very quickly (not bucked AT ALL in almost a week now :D). So yeah, i hopped on and went for a walk. WHAT A SUPERSTAR HE WAS!! He even took a few steps back when i asked without throwing a wobbly :D

Sunday morning I played again, with different online patterns and made up some of my own, taught him to back up through cones when i turn away from him and wiggle my body (hehe looked quite funny), but anyway, he ended up backing up even when i dropped the rope and hardly wiggled at all :D Then we revisited our sideways over objects game, so i set up some water containers and got him to go over them away and towards me, he hasnt done that in a while but he did it first time very nicely :) I had another short ride and he was really good again :D

oooooooh and i made a new video, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLrA0IgvRoA

heres some pics of the weekend (and to show how awesome our weather has been!)

savvy smiles x

We can start moving forwards again now

General has been given the thumbs up by specialist, he's ready to get started again :)

i've spent the last couple of days practicing mainly circling game, its got a bit messy recently so ive been being particular without being critical ;) i've gone back over maintaining gait, and ensuring we have 4 nice laps of canter (which means no bucking, twisting, dropping gait etc). he's done good! Ive also started teaching him to slow down a gait when i point the CS at his nose, he has started responding well from trot to walk, just need to work on canter to trot and walk to halt :D from walk to halt he tends to just disengage and walk to me *rolls eyes* bless him.

Ive spent a lot of undemanding time with him too, just lazing around in the field and stable, he's stayed with me so i'm pleased :) when i was in his stable the other night he came over and sniffed me, then pushed me over... i think that was a 'er, yeah mum, you've spent enough time staring at me now, just go get my dinner' xD

Weekend is here finally, hoping to get lots of play in and hopefully will get to see Joey at some stage.

savvy smiles x

PASSED LEVEL 2 ONLINE WOOOOO :D

I played with General on line wednesday afternoon, he was a good boy and we went through all the level 2 online tasks and got a big fat tick at the end, passed! ok, not an official one done by the proffesionals at parelli HQ, but i'm waiting for level 4 to get that done :) I'm proud of my little man!! Thanks to my Mum for calling out the tasks and being a stand-in-emergency cone after General demolished the real one O.O

PLAN riding wise equals this. I'm not going to! Well not yet anyway. I've figured out i'm pushing us too much to start riding again when its too soon, I'm gonna get as good as possible on the ground first. I've realised some things on line are a little iffy sometimes, such as his canter on a circle which can break gait and/or include a happy buck... so until thats gone and sorted i'll stay with 2 feet on the ground :) figured if he cant do it on his own he's gonna struggle with me on him right?

SAVVY TIMES ARRIVED AT LAST!! I've had some great reading! What a good magazine this time, loads of info and love the reviews on the celebration, oh i miss that weekend so much!! Theres some cool things to try too.
I sent my application video to parellitube but i havent been featured... YET. Haha. watch this space???

Hoping to get some playtime in this evening, and lots this weekend. Planning to go and see Joey tomorrow to play some more and see how he's getting on, i imagine very well!! Will keep you posted and try to get some pics over the weekend.

savvy smiles x

Snow+rain+some more snow+f-f-f-freeeezing cold....

= very moody horses and a very unmotivated owner!

We did get a nice day though, on sunday :D I played lots online with general and we had fun, i havent been working on anything in particular just messing, i really really want to get back into riding him now and seeing how we get on. He started all his neck snaking, head between knees game again sunday night, gahhh, so i need to take a step back and go even slower. Its times like these i wish he was an introvert!! its bloomin impossible to go this slow with a LBE and not get 'those looks' :/

anyway. we'll just keep trying!! Another woman at the yard, Pam, has got all her dvds on order, and her equipment came last week. she cant wait to get started with her RBE Robbie, I cant either! cant wait to have another savvy friend so close :)

Still awaiting my savvy times, i need it :(

I'm sad to say me and holly are no longer 'partners' as such, my mum has taken her on full time, she doesnt do parelli but it was getting too confusing for holly to be doing parelli with me and not for mum. So I decided the best option was to give her up and let mum do everything with her. They get on really well, and have a great relationship, mum's always 'clicked' better with holly than i have. So wish them luck!! i have a feeling, once i get a job and start helping out money and time wise, mum might get into parelli. I hope so!!

Other exciting news.. might be getting a new horse in the summer :D Its not set in stone but its an idea floating around. I'll have my own job by then and should theoretically be able to afford another, the plan is to get a baby or a rescue and start from the beginning :) We'll see what happens!!

off for now, please pray for some better weather round here :/

savvy smiles x

Play session, rode general (!!), savvy club DVD and new recruits!

I had a great morning, played with general online for a bit then i took the halter off and put the 22ft line round his neck (where savvy string goes) and played like that. ive never done it before so i didnt know how well he'd respond but i'm so glad i did! he spent a few minutes in utter confusion, he couldnt understand why he had no halter on yet i was somehow still attached to him lol! but soon he started to really get it and i played all seven games and some lateral flexion too :) he responded really well to having the pressure on his neck rather than his head, so hopefully (maybe) might be able to ride him in just the savvy string this year :D its a step in the right direction!!

I also got on him today too! First time in 3 months! he was really, really good :) i was only on for a couple of minutes but i didnt want to over do it. I'm going to ride again tomorrow, he's such a star!!!

I've been doing lots of parelli studying recently, i've re watched my horsenality dvd from success series (definitely one of my favourites!) and got some more ideas about the horses. I also watched my level 2 online dvd again, and some savvy club dvds :) i really like the newest one with DR Miller, he's got some great philosiphies and very interesting to listen to! i loved his talk on his experiences with pat too!

Savvy times has been shipped!!! cant wait!!!

I've got 2 new people into parelli, one lady is really keen and she's ordered all her stuff and joined the SC, cat wait for them all to get started, i wont be a loner anymore!!! We're hoping to have 1* instructor Stacy Atkins out in the spring to get them started and give me a lesson with general :) cant wait!

anyway, off for now, hope everyone is coping with the horrible winter!!

savvy smiles x

Hello!!

Havent posted in a while so thought i ought to :)

General was supposed to have his back checked on friday but the woman got kicked by a horse earlier in the day so she was out of action!! keep her in your prayers!! she's hoping to be ok for this friday, i hope so because i really want to start riding my boy again!

Playing has been limited, its been so rainy and cold i just cant get the motivation. when i do, its so muddy and slippery that i cant keep general's mind active and he gets bored, and holly is NOT a fan of playing in mud (who is?). I've had a couple of short sessions but its very difficult. I really hope spring is going to show its face soon!

I have however been trying to teach general something. I've practiced mainly in the stable where its warm and dry haha. i want to get him to bow when i tap his leg with the carrot stick, i have to say its not going exactly to plan...
So he will bow if i lift his leg and lean backwards. He will stay there long enough for me to get on and then he'll stand up. So thats really cool! I'd like to get him to do it when i tap so i can try when i'm on board. he WILL lift his leg when i tap... sometimes. other times he just stands there staring into space as i tap his leg over and over, then finally lift it myself. The other day, i was chatting to someone at the yard, i accidently knocked (and i mean such a light touch, i hardly felt it) his lower leg with my heel. and he lifts his leg. honestly, he is too clever for me and CONSTANTLY outsmarting me!!!

anyway, I'm off for now, got school :(

savvy smiles x

Undemanding time.

I've been doing lots of it :D I played with General on saturday and i was sitting on the fence getting him to come sideways to me for mounting, then played the 7 games while up there (my chance to be lazy!) then he came to me, put his head in my lap and fell asleep :) it was so sweet. we sat there for about 20 minutes, just sharing a moment, having a cuddle and realising how little of this we do. So after that I made a plan to spend more quality time with him. So everyday after school i've been just giving him cuddles, sitting in his stable while he eats, chatting to him, grooming for longer etc etc. I've seen some good results, he's been really calm the past couple of days :) We had the farrier to do his shoes yesterday and he was such a good boy, didn't fidget once. I'm so grateful that we have such a nice farrier though, he's very quiet with them :)

Played with Holly on saturday too and focused on her spanish walk, its getting there, just looks really messy at the moment! I had a BFO sideways game related, we've always had trouble with it. I was in front of her and thought about moving her hind quarters, so suggested with the stick and she moved. then i thought hmm, how about the front, so i drove the front end. she moved. slowly but very surely, we ended up with a few steps of sideways :) :) why didnt i think of breaking it down like that before??? *slaps head and says DOH!* haha.

Hopefully i will get some more undemanding time with them this week. Not long now til i can ride my boy again!! Yahoooo!!!

savvy smiles x

LBE's are FUN...

So general's been doing his stretches and all his new exercises, they've been going pretty well. He's so clever, his carrot stretches are so simple to him and he does it with hardly any help from me :) i'm making it into a trick, so I say left.. he stretches left, i say right, he stretches right, up, down, twist etc etc. he stretched to the left when i said it last night :) woohoo!
One of his new exercises is to lift his left legs up as high as he can. She recomended raised poles, but they are WAAAY to boring for him and after doing them once or twice he just demolishes them... lol! so I tried putting travel boots on his left legs, as last time he had them on he was hopping about and definitely raising his legs high! so i put them on.. guess what... he walked normally. no problem at all. didnt lift up high, just walked as if they weren't there. clever horse??? i'm sure i heard him laugh at me...

So at the moment I'm having to just pick his feet up and stretch them, its not ideal as he's supposed to do it for 10-15 minutes and by about 3 minutes my back aches and he's fed up. any ideas?

Haven't had much playtime as the weather has been awful... again... I need to move somewhere nicer :D I had a play on sunday morning, general was mega right brained though and leaping off the walls, i got very worn out brining my energy up but we got there in the end and he was very nice to play with. we just practiced maintaining gait on the circle, weave, figure 8 and sideways (which, may I say, was the BEST i've ever seen him do! Really straight without a fence and concentrating real hard! love him!!)

Gotta love those mischevious, playful, but so so lovely LBE's :D :D

Tonight I'm off to a parelli social meeting :) can't wait to meet loads of other like minded people and get some ideas!!!

savvy smiles x

Happy :)

We had the back specialist back early, because we thought general seemed much better and we wanted to know! so she came out today and checked him over....... MUCH BETTER!!! she said he's way better than she expected, his pelvis is fine now and his muscles are much looser, he's having a few problems on his left side though so he's got some more excersises to do. he has do do 15 minutes of raised poles a day now, so to stop him getting fed up and finding his own fun (darn those LBE's!), I'm going to have to find an interesting way of doing it. i'll probably incorperate the seven games into it as much as I can.

so i'm really pleased :) she's coming back in 3 weeks and she says i might be able to start riding him again by then :)

savvy smiles x

Sorry for neglecting you, I have lots of things to report

I know I havent been posting much over the christmas period, I've been so busy I havent had a minute!!

Firstly then. I spoke before about general bucking etc, and I was going to have him checked. well we had the back specialist out and she found out some interesting things. He appears to have a rotated pelvis, which is the reason behind his odd behaviour :( He also has terribly tight muscles which are becoming uncomfortable for him and also why he's been more tense recently. I feel terrible now!! However I know how forgiving horses are and I hope he can forgive me for misunderstanding his problem. Now I'm understanding how he feels, he is on a 'rehab' programme. He can't be ridden for at least 6 weeks (well, theres 4 weeks left now) and he has to do lots of stretches and exercises everyday to loosen him up, and the lady fiddled around with him to get his pelvis straight again, she's coming back in four weeks to check him again. Hopefully he will start to get better now. I can play with him on the ground gently and take him for walks, so thats ok :) I've found myself spending more undemanding time and friendly game with him, so maybe this will improve our relationship too :) I've been spending more time with holly too which is good. More on her later.
So I've been taking general for walks as often as I can, but being a LBE he just wants to RUN!! but he's not allowed :( I've been protecting my space and playing the seven games when i take him though, which keeps him thinking and in the end he decides its a cool idea to walk next to me.

Holly is doing really well, her games are getting good but we're still struggling on sideways, she will do a couple of steps but I dont think she understands it yet. We will keep trying!! Her spanish walk is going well, she'll do a couple of steps of it now walking with me, only if I have a good supply of treats mind you ;) I've been playing with the online patterns too, she's great at touch it, figure 8 and weave at walk, we're practicing trot but sometimes she gets a bit ahead of herself and forgets to go through the cones hehe. We have played with simple lead changes too and she is good at that! She was also brilliant at the falling leaf pattern... YEAH! I think the patterns are better suited to her than the levels! she is enjoying doing it.

So yeah! interesting few weeks. I hope everyone had a great christmas and new year, stick to those resolutions ;) I dont have many this year, just to be as good as I can be for my horses.

savvy smiles x