• Yo Yo Game: Work on our yo yo from zone 1. Goal: two steps at nothing higher than a low phase 3 and I wanted to be able to draw her back into me without stepping backwards.
• Driving Game1: Lady is really great at HQ driving but we had not done it in a while so, I decided a refresher wouldn't hurt. Goal: Half circle both ways without touching my horse.
• Driving Game2: Work on our backwards driving as well. This is a pretty hard task for us. Goal: four steps backwards without having to touch my horse.
• Carrot Stretches: I like to get her to stretch her neck out before we play sometimes by using treats. I feel like it makes her a little bit more relaxed going into a session.
• Friendly: It had been a good but long day and I mostly just wanted to spend some time with my partner on a 12 ft line, walking and grazing.

It seemed like a short and sweet session and more time just being close and relaxing. But what I actually got was this:

6:00 pm - Results:

• Driving Game1: Success! She gave me a full circle HQ yield both ways without me having to touch her at all. I just needed to guide her zone 1 a little. She's still amazing at this task.
• Driving Game2: Not so great.. Driving backwards: It was icky. At the time I didn't realise why she wasn't moving. It hit me when I was browsing through the videos on the SC website using the new search box (which is wicked-great, by the way) and stumbled across the video titled:

" Video: Level 1 Online Driving Game How To Bring Your Life Up"

I watched the short clip of a slightly younger Pat and a demo horse and then BAM. BFO* hit me like a ton of bricks. I was driving her with my body, but I wasn't driving her with my ENERGY.

I was like a wet noodle, energy-wise! I needed to bring my life up, push her backwards and really mean it! It hit me so hard I wanted to go outside and do it all over again right that very minute. But I decided to let it rest for now, bank this piece of knowledge and use it in my next session. Mostly because I'm TIRED. Haha!

*BFO - Blinding Flash of the Obvious

• Yo yo Game: Hmm.. How interesting.. Well, I did get three steps at a medium phase three.. but they weren't exactly backwards.
  She backs and then curves her neck around to get me out of her zone 1 and puts her left zone 2 in front, hiding her right side from me.

My strategy: I decided she needed some Friendly attention to her right side. I really wanted to know what the deal was so I went to stand on her right.

Firstly, it was very difficult for me to get over there, she kept trying to head me off with her zone 1 and keep me on her left. But I did get over there and I just stood there, not touching her, no pressure on her from my energy at all and there was slack in the rope. She suddenly became very antsy, picking up her back legs and kicking out, stomping, etc. She honestly didn't want me over there! I'm just brainstorming on what to do now. I'm thinking a lot of Friendly game on her right side with the CS&SS before every session, really prepare her well for playing. Anyway, she and a great draw forward. She always loves to come to me. So I let it rest.

Also, when we were first heading out into the medium sized pasture to play, we were going through the gate side by side and I was in her zone 2. I made a spur of the moment decision to yo yo her from there to see if she would respond and she backed right up. Much better than she ever had when I was in zone 1. This was very interesting to me..

I. HATE. Horseflies.

I was still standing on her right side and thinking when this demonic (not so) little horsefly decides it's time to attack Lady. She walks a ways off, starts bucking, kicking back both feet at the same time and rearing and the horsefly kept coming back over and over and over to bite her. I gave her a lot of slack ( about 10 ft.) and waited for her to jerk it out of my hand and take off. But, she never did. She never once jerked the line. She just worked on getting that horsefly away. I stood there, extremely calm and gave her slack when she needed it, helped her move in order to get the fly off. She didn't relate her discomfort to me. She didn't try to run from me. So when the bucking and kicking didn't work and the horsefly started coming after me, I ran off and Lady was right behind me, trotting. (not RBE) We ran and when I stopped she turned looked at me with ears forward and worried eyes, came to me stuck her head against my stomach and started coughing. (Do you guys think the coughing was because she was coming down off of adrenaline?) AGH! My poor baby! I was rubbing her until she was calm enough to graze. We did that for a little while and then I fed her supper and came inside for a shower. While doing this I was thinking. Before Parelli it never would have happened like that.

I never would have been that calm. I would have probably screamed at her, dropped the rope and run off crying! But today I was totally unaffected and I understood. Not once did I feel fear of the rearing horse on the other end of my line. This in itself is huge for me!

Lady never would have hung around. She would have been gone, 12 ft. and all to the barn or out in the big pasture in true RBE form. She stayed right there with me.

She would have never have come back to me for comfort like she did today. She trusts me. We have an amazing relationship and it's all thanks to Parelli!

I consider today a pretty good day. A pretty decent session. I learned a lot and the ending really made me think about how far we've come and how grateful I am for Parelli.

THANKS, PAT AND LINDA!

Keep it natural!

Katie