Lucy's Parelli Journey

Thursday 19 March 2009

Yesterday I went up and spent about 30 minutes in the sunshine with Lily, applying the new technique of making her more interested in catching me with great success. We then had a little play at liberty, not asking much, just having fun.

Today the weather was even more milder and sunnier so I sure as heck wasn't going to spend it inside. I got my assignment finished as quick as I could then headed out up to the field. I popped my equipment in the field, including the saddle and TF pad because this usually causes catching difficulties. Turned out it wasn't so much of an issue as it has been but whilst playing on-line after her catching me, her thresholds walking towards the equipment were very close together. So I left it for a while and put a few barrels along the fence-line with a few treats on so we could play 'touch it' whilst driving from zone 5. She loved this game and got so confident that she was knocking the barrels over with her nose in search of more, it was cute. She's been a bit buddy sweet alately, not a whole lot but it's been noticeable so I couldn't really go any closer to the saddle and 22ft line etc. without going too far away from Molly. The buddy sweet thresholds are something that won't get instantly better after one session, so I tied her to the fence whilst I put the saddle and things further down the field to make things easier.

I then played a little puzzle with her to encourage her to be more confident about walking over the 22ft line when it's dragging around on the floor. Previously she has gotten fearful about doing so and would either jump over it or just refuse to and shut down. After about 5-10 minutes she was calmly stepping over it on both sides which was great. We then played squeeze games, advancing and retreating towards the saddle; Lily was in a gotta-move-my-feet mood so sending was great, allowing was great, disengagement and drawing was OK so we played some more. I knew Lily wasn't overly enthused about the saddle but I didn't realise that she was so suspicious of it so I purposely took my time to ensure I didn't push her too far. After a little while, she was calmly walking through the squeeze and looking curious about the saddle so I let her go inspect it and whaddyaknow; there was an apple on it! Lily was very pleased to find the apple and after having a thorough inspection of the rest of the saddle and pad, I drew her back in and she asked me a question! We ended on that good note and I stood hanging out with her after I'd taken off her halter before I moseyed on home.

Lily's attitude towards me was the best it has been for ages and it's awesome. I know I can trust my pony not to break my heart and hopefully not my bones when I ride her later on this year! :)

posted by Lucy at 9:54 pm -

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About Me

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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Lily

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The Philosophy

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