Lucy's Parelli Journey

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

Unfortunately we didn't have a playsession today because I needed to move the electric fence to give them more grass then it started to rain. D'oh.
So I spoke to Arran last night; he has been doing well with Lily and has even had a sit on her. He said that it went well but she definately does need to be restarted which we had agreed on earlier this year. The best time for her to be restarted will be after I've finished level 2 groundskills because she still has a way to go before she's emotionally fit. He's been working on building her confidence with objects in zone 4 and 5 because they were a bit iffy adding to her claustrophobia which had become quite a problem. We said we'd sit down and have a proper chat about mine and Lily's partnership and whether I'm savvy enough to be a good leader for her because I had been having my doubts but in short he said he didn't seem to think so and said I had a natural savvy so I can't go far wrong.

I'm going to his yard on the 6th to pick her up and have a lesson with her to make sure we're heading off on the right track and I'm excited and nervous. I am really scared that old habits will die hard but I trust Arran's judgement and certainly respect him as a horseman so if he's not worried I guess I shouldn't be!
Hopefully I'll have a good long play with Benji tomorrow.

I did a horsenality chart for Benji today and I was chuffed with what I saw:

Benji's horsenality chart *click*

All the left brain extrovert traits are dotted and only one in mild. Well I did say I really wanted a LBe!

Reading the most recent Parelli e-news got me thinking about Lily's true horsenality too...
"QUESTION
I have a six-year-old Quarter Horse mare who is a Right-Brain Extrovert. When I play with her on the ground, she has a lot of "go", is very sensitive and is very willing to move around, play, jump, run, etc. She is playful and mouthy with toys, but very respectful with me. When I get on her, her Horsenality™ changes. She has very little "go" and will often stop dead from the walk or trot for no apparent reason. If I put pressure with my legs, she will swing her tail and pin her ears back. I would like to get her going at a good pace at the trot and eventually the canter, but I am not sure how to get the message to her feet! Hope you can give me strategies to do to help us both through this. I am currently working through my Level 3 with another horse. -Chantal

ANSWER
Hmmmmm. This does not sound like a Right-Brain Extrovert to me, but more of a Left-Brain Introvert with some Extrovert tendencies. Perhaps she has shown you a lot of unconfidence and even fear which puts her on the right side of the chart, but at the core she is really a Left-Brain Extrovert. So maybe you have gotten her to reveal her true self on the ground, but not under saddle.

So my question is... can you do a Horsenality Profile on her just when you ride her? That might reveal a totally different Horsenality, behaviorally speaking. And say it does reveal more Left-Brain Introvert tendencies; are you then approaching her in the right way? The most important thing that the Horsenalilty concept will teach you is how to flex your approach according to the different behaviors that horses present, at any given moment. As Pat says, there are four moments in every second, which makes most of us way too slow for our horses! But that's what mastery is all about. When you see someone who is so good with horses that even horses think they are good... that's what they are doing

So... I've not given you a step-by-step answer, but you should discover way more by thinking about her Horsenality and behavior in a specific situation."

Maybe at the core Lily is a Left-Brain Extrovert. She has a lot of confidence and trust issues but when she's calm and left brain she is still easy to keep moving and she still has impulsion without the "ahhhhh!!!" moments and surprisingly she LOVES my playball. In March when I chucked it in her field she was scared at first but went up and touched it within 5 minutes then after I put a few treats on it to encourage her to be curious she wouldn't leave it. It even got to when I was running around the field pushing it and she was cantering alongside and chucking her head around; no snotty face nor no wide eyes or snorting, just her ears forwards and really enjoying it. Maybe as we go further into the programmes she will start showing more of this side. That'd be something awesome but I'll still love her just as much whatever true colours she shows but none of us are certain she's a natural RBe, some say LBi but I think she has far too much energy for that. How interesting! It both fascinates and baffles me.

"Expect a lot, accept a little, reward the slightest try" - Pat Parelli

posted by Lucy at 11:55 am -

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