Funny meets Tik

 So.... since Lyric saw Tik yesterday and was so chill and calm, I decided to bring Funny today! And she was SUPER!

She loaded up and we headed off. We were the first group so after I unloaded her I brushed her and picked her feet. She was a bit animated because it was a new place and lots of people. But she behaved and we walked down to the arena. She settled and we walked around a bit and did a tiny bit of pillars. Then we chatted with Cindy and another girl with a POA. 

 

We introduced ourselves and Tik had us use the whip to stroke them all over. Funny didn't care. So then we worked on backing up. Funny was pretty decent. Better than Lyric, but she would back up... then inch her way back in. So when it was our turn individually I told him that. So he said that I was better off having her be closer to me but in a posture of relaxation and standing "off" me than being farther away leaning into me. He also said that while it was great for her to be comfortable away from me, it was also fine for her to come into my space if it was polite and I allowed it. But I had to make it pretty clear for her. He talked about how I could send her back... and then create a "force field" or bubble that she wasn't allowed in. At first, it probably had to be visual. So... I could wave a rope, wave the whip, wave my hand... the whole "if you walk into it that's your fault" thing. But if I missed my opportunity as she shifted towards me and didn't "turn my electric fence on"... then I had to allow her in. As long as she was polite. And I do want her to come in for snuggles. But she also has to stay out when I ask. So we played with that and she eventually figured it out and stayed back and even stayed back with her weight shifted away from me and relaxed. Yay! Oh, and he said that he didn't like my short poky whip. (I know.. it's my broken dressage whip because I was too lazy/late/tired/fried to go up to my arena to get my driving whip) so he took my lead rope and showed me how to use that to back them up, but also play it out so that I could get farther away from her. I actually liked that better and then I didn't have to carry an extra item all the time. 

 

So then we worked on moving body parts with pressure. We started with the bridge of the nose. He had us put our hands on their nose... then add slight pressure, say level 1 pressure.... then wait a few... then increase to level 2 pressure... and wait. They should shift back and as soon as they shift, our hand should stay where it is, so they ease up on the pressure. Then we can move to other body parts. We started and Funny was immediately throwing her head around and being ridiculous so he came to help. She did it to him too but he's taller and has better body control so he got it. I tried again and was still struggling so he told me to try it a different way. He said that "making the exercise easier for them to accomplish the goal isn't cheating". So... if we asked with the softest touch on the lead rope, she backed. So... We'll just do it that way. BUT... if I really wanted her to do it off the nose too, I could start my ask with the noseband and add my hand on her nose to pair the cues and eventually she'll do it with the nose. We moved on to the shoulder and the hip and she was pretty good at those too. She catches on quick and is very responsive. The trick is always starting at a 1. That's the thing I found most fascinating with Tik. He started at ground zero EVERY SINGLE ASK. Every time. Without a fail. He never got sucked into "yelling" at the horse first. Like with Dan... I "know" that he's not going to do it when I ask politely, so I scream at him to get him to do it and he does. But.... I haven't been asking politely first so I haven't given him to opportunity to learn to do it when I ask politely. So even if I have to ask from a 1, to a 2, to a 3, to a 4, say...17 times in a row... start at 1 again the 18th time. Don't just skip up to 3 and 4. BUT... if nothing is happening at a 3 or 4 for more than 15 seconds or so.... then they start to "wear" the pressure. It becomes like underwear.. you forget you're wearing it. So you have to change it or abort and come back to it later. 

He also talked about how we all want to stand with our horses at our right shoulder. This is the comfort spot for everyone. But...our horses should learn how to stand 4 feet away from us. They should be comfortable with us standing on their right side too. They should be comfortable with us standing at their butt, or their barrel, instead of only at their head. So while we were watching the others we practiced with that. I had to giggle though because at one point Funny was like "oh cool, since you're back there, scratch my ass please" and turned so she was literally facing her butt to me.... and then after I shifted, she did it again. Hee hee. Okay... pretty sure that's NOT what Tik had in mind. ;) 

We finished up and by then Funny was circling the arena looking for a place to roll. I was going to let her but she never did. So we walked up and I put her in the stall with water and a hay bag and went to watch the rest. She nickered a few times but was quiet. She didn't eat very much or drink very much though. I was a little concerned, but... She was fine. She ate her dinner and drank and was munching grass once we got home. What a good pony!!! But while she hung out in the stall, I sat and watched the rest and it was fantastic again! And.. no migraine! Yay. Well, not until later that night when I got home. One of the girls rides was SOOOOO helpful. She was riding a horse that was previously trained but had gotten soured and was biting people and became dangerous, so he was a retraining project. And he was a sweet horse, just... overwhelmed and nervous. She was going to do cavalettis but changed her mind and told Tik she wanted to work through an issue. She said that she felt like he understood that leg could mean more than go at the walk. He leg yielded, he bent around her leg, etc. But when they picked up the trot, he just went faster and faster. She figured it out because in the bit and bridle, she could sort of manhandle him enough to make it work but in the rope halter, he just didn't get it. So, she rode him in the rope halter for the clinic to start and sure enough... when she started trotting, he just got faster and faster. ooooooohhhhhh yes!!! I got a free lesson :) It was so helpful. So he basically said what Liz said. She had to start from the beginning. So he had her stop and do a reinback. And it wasn't great. So they worked on that. He said that unless she could reinback from the halt with a pressure of 1... why would you move on to halting from the walk and especially walking from the trot... and then I presume, it's also creating a half halt. So they worked on that. And then halting from a walk. And it got better. Same thing as all the other things. Always start with a soft ask before escalating. However, with a rope halter, it's almost an all or none thing. You can't really do a 1, then a 2, then a 3. It's either a 0 or a 2... but you can do a 2 and hold steady... or a 2, 2, 2, 2, pulsing, which sort of changes it to a 3. But then you have to go to 0. So when they ignored the rope halter pull then pulse it to get the response. And then ask the next time without pulsing it. So then once you establish a very soft reinback... ask for a halt... once you establish a soft halt... ask for a halt and then reinback. Then maybe 2 steps reinback. Then, I believe I have this right... then you can ask for a trot... and when they get quick.. go back to walk. Then trot again.. then back to walk. And then eventually, they'll learn a half halt and just slow the trot. Then he had her work on the leg yield, or turning on the haunches. He even told her to look over her shoulder in the beginning. Once she got that off a slight pressure, then try it at the walk. I'm guessing he wanted to make sure he really understood the aids before adding speed. So... things to start doing with Funny. And ... now that I think about it... he didn't quite expand on how to get to trotting but I'm pretty sure that thought process is to instill the buttons... then ask for the trot and use the aids to help encourage lateral work and progress to a half halt and because they really know it, it'll be comforting and easy to do. In another lesson he had the girls leg yielding on the rail and said that this was another way to slow the speeders down. So I'll play with that too.

And in another lesson, the girl said her OTTB had problems with tension and speed. She said that he tended to be a bit hot and forward and tense... or... way too relaxed and chill and almost behind the leg. So... he told her that she needed to teach the horse how to escalate his energy and de-escalate his energy. And it wasn't from leg aids, kicking, crop, spurs, etc.. it was from her energy. He likened it to when you're sitting in a chair all relaxed and laid back... that energy should help your horse come down and relax. Kind of like how Aubrey had us trot down the hill on our OTTB's and just... sit deep in the saddle, sink our shoulders, sigh out, and melt down... and the horses would slow from a trot to a walk then to a halt without us having to touch the reins. Then to get them more animated... think about how when we get out of a chair, right before we actually get up, we sort of tense up our bodies, lift our sternum and core, tighten our muscles, and get ready to leap up. That same movement energy can encourage the horse to trot. And it sometimes took a bit, but then it was really cool to watch how easily and quickly the horse responded. He had her at the walk, build her energy, then bring it down.. then build it up, then bring it down. And the horse got a hair more animated, then relaxed, then a hair more animated, then relaxed. Then he said to do it twice more and the second time aim for the trot, and sure enough... the horse picked up the trot just from her thinking it. And then, she was able to come back down. It was awesome. Basically... the horse was so in tune to her energy that she thought trot and he trotted and she thought walk and he walked. Or at least it appeared that way. But I asked is that why the really good dressage tests look so harmonious and like the rider isn't even moving?! And he said yes! Ahhhh, goals! He also explained that you don't want to just animate a dull horse or just quiet a nervous hot one...You want to work on both at the same time, because... if they know they can come down... it's easier to get them up, And vice versa. Plus, you don't want to make a dull horse duller or a hot horse hotter. But yay... this would be helpful for Lyric and Dan. And honestly, Funny too! Because if I can get Funny to respond to my seat and body aids and my thoughts... then I don't feel so desperate to grab and hang on the reins! Cool!!!!

There was some other good stuff too. He talked about keeping the horse in front of you and not getting too far ahead/over their withers while jumping and cantering. The horse should be able to lift his nose and head while jumping to be able to see the fences and keep more of them in front of you. And more.. but I'm forgetting it now. I'll find my notes and add the details in later.

But yay! Definitely enjoyed him and want to work with him again! Hopefully Allisa will get him back fairly frequently.