| Oh boy! |
Today after the weekend off to reassess things and to clear my mind I went up to play with Benji today. I decided for the first time in a little while I'd have a plan but be willing to abandon it if needs be. He was waiting right at the gate for me and I thought that seeing as my plan would be to work on driving using a figure of eight with two cones, I might need the 22ft line. This is one of the few times I'd used it and previously Benji has found it a little spooky following me alongside him wherever I go. I really don't know whether that was 100% the reason why he was the way he was or whether it was deeper than that. Right from the get-go today he was mildly right brain introvert. I thought "Oh no." and sat a little while to gather my thoughts and decided that I'd see what games made him better or worse as a starting point. All but the porcupine game made him go very starey-eyed and he kept trying to walk back to the herd who were incidentally only 10metres away. I decided that asking him to move in a consistent pattern may help so we played with the two cones in a figure of eight. He was blinking a little but still looking like a rabbit in headlights. I decided that maybe interrupting the pattern may help him check back in, not so helpful. Maybe only doing games I know he's confident with might help his confidence, didn't help much either. I was quickly running out of arrows. I tried all that I could think of including advance and retreat, emphasis on retreat, taking the pressure off, just chilling etc. etc.
I tried to reflect on our last session to see if it could help me understand. Our last session was UDT and inbetween frisking me for treats and grazing he looked C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T. Our last online session he was a little off-colour and he wasn't confident with the changes of direction or transitions. Perhaps that is what did it, I don't know.
I decided to set it up for success and drove him from zone 3 around the field wherever he wanted to go to end on a good note before I loosed him off. I left feeling so frustrated with myself that I couldn't get him back to his usual self and I was petrified that this is how he'll be from now on. After some cooling off I have now decided that I won't jump to conclusions 'til I see how he is tomorrow. If he is still RBi or has those moments I will completely reassess our relationship, his confidence in me, the herd, his environment and in the seven games. This morning I kept saying over and over in my head, "I CAN'T deal with two right brain ponies, I just CAN'T!", now I am calmer and looking on the bright side I am confident that it would be very perplexing if Benji did have a horsenality transplant last night but that I CAN deal with it. When I looked for a levels pony I pretty much wanted something that was rideable and less challenging than Lily and he still ticks those boxes. He might be a little more complex than I first thought out but that's cool because it means, although it might take me longer to get through the levels, I will get there with more savvy.
For all I know I might go up tomorrow and he'll be his usual self, if so, great. If not then I will go "Oh boy!" and try to figure out even more what has caused it and what I can do to help! |
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My name is Lucy Middleton, I'm 17 years old and from the United Kingdom.
I started Parelli in January 2008 and it has been an incredible journey so far.
Pre-Parelli I did the best with what I knew but now I know better; I want to do better!
This is my blog to document my progress as a natural horseman.
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View my profile
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I am owned by this gorgeous piebald cob mare, Lily. She's an interesting character, fun to play with and is a great teacher.
There's more about her on her own page.
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It's not about disposable horses; it's about relationships for life.
It's not about quick fixes and artificial aids, it's about savvy; true understanding and expertise.
It's not about winning and others losing; It's about win-win: you and the horse need to feel good.
It's not about me me me; It's about changing the world for horses, becoming a person of knowledge and influence, and sharing what you know.
It's not about fear and doubt; It's about unconditional love and trust.
Love for the empowerment of others and trust that you'll never ask the horse to do something that would hurt or diminish his dignity.
Reveal your horse. Discover your potential. Live your dream.
-Parelli
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Profile designed, made and coded by Lucy Parelli Student.
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