Day Eight, Fluidity 2

Remuda with Kristi. She has great remudas.

Ronnie Willis said, "Ask the right question. Ask it at the right time. Ask with enough information that your partner can answer it."

Kristi talked about all the great horseman out there and the students that come through the ranch. Pat thinks horseman have some level of talent, skill and try. Pat would choose TRY over skill or talent. We also talked about attitude and playing with horses at liberty. If your horse leaves you at liberty, think of it more as your horse taking the leadership instead of your horse leaving you.

We did a simulation called the "Diamond Game". Four of us together made a diamond shape. The person in front would do things and the others would follow. The diamond could/would change direction and suddenly a different person would be in front and become the leader. It was kinda fun but it was good to see how quickly and easily someone else to take leadership. I also realized that I like to be the leader and would keep it for a long time until I'd feel guilty for "hogging" the leadership. :-)

There are more simulation games in The Equus Project (google this and get more ideas). Kristi also talked about playing "Hide and Seek" with your horse. You hide and when they find you, they get a treat. I wonder if Z would want a treat bad enough to seek me out. Maybe.

Steps to Power:
1. Confidence, MEP Go=Whoa
2. Longitudinal Flexion (longer strides)
3. Shaping and Balance (1 million transitions)
4. Lateral Maneuvers
Power - Suspension - Engagement

AND TIME!

Build equality and balance in our horses! Watch for inequality and rebalance constantly. Also, whatever we want to do with our horses, we need to do in our bodies first. I was fascinated to learn that Spanish schools spend up to 4 years developing their horses on the ground before asking them to carry a rider. Those horses are very mature before becoming mounts.

I think it was Walter Zettl that said every horse should have 10 trots developed. We talked about trots and threw out some:

Pissage
Piaffe
extended
collected
job
backwards
lateral
working

There were more... couldn't get them all down.

Pat came and talked to us and said something great... "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything". I like it.