Visit Number Two with Kai

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Kai has been with a trainer (Kelby Farnsworth) for nine days as of our visit yesterday. Kai is coming along really well (as kind of expected!), but I see so much that I would not have thought of, or known how to navigate through, that Kelby does with her. Most importantly, I am pleased with the methodology. There is no force, no muscling through, or hardness of any sort. The horse has opportunity to think and process in her own time. And sometimes it is quite a long time. 

Much of the time observing Kelby and Kai I cannot help but notice the ease (generally a not-forced smile on her face, with soft movements) that Kelby carries in training. It is reminiscent of when I first watched Bruno Gonzales (baroquegames.com) work with Zante. With him I sensed a true and very honest love for the horse. In either case it seems a desire to help the horse, and connect with the horse (i.e., communicate), as opposed to control (after this basic foundational work with Kelby I plan to return to training with Bruno bi-weekly). Also I have returned to reading Mark Rashid (various books on softness with horses, with much influence from his study of Aikido); and continue to read Horse Brain Human Brain by Janet Jones, Ph.D. It has given me additional info on how our brains differ, why they learn the way they do, and why they often react the way they do (especially to things that seem completely insignificant to us!). Kai's training has been good in this aspect... Kelby reinforces everything on both sides, both physically and mentally, especially making sure each eye is not only seeing, but connecting to her, at all times.

Just for fun I looked also at my book Is Your Horse a Rock Star? I LOVE this book and recommend it. I know enough about Kai now to place her personality/character type, and she is what author Dessa Hockley calls a "Steady Eddie". Out of 16 "personality types" as defined by her, Steady Eddie would be my second dream pick! So I am pretty happy that Kai seems indeed to be the horse I wanted (well, as close to that as one could ever hope for based on 4-5 photos and a 30-second video! If I had managed to adopt a so-called "Princess" [can be mare or gelding], well, I would have hit the lottery). This book appears similar to the Parelli "horsenality" thing, but is better and more sensical or realistic in my opinion: there are basically eight dominant types and eight submissive types... and you go from there as she describes them. With Zante (as a hard nut to crack for me), it helped immensely once I determined her type; I could then use the author's tips for the most ease and success in working with her. 

In order to assess a horse accurately for this it is best to observe them in a herd situation. I really only had that opportunity at the Agricultural Pavilion in Ocala (the pick-up spot) where she was corralled with six other mares, within a huge arena with multiple corrals. But that short period gave me some useful info. The rest I based on her interactions with me, and by herself.

So I visited yesterday and watched Kelby work with her. Every day is a different day for horses, and for some reason Kai had trouble with her feet this day. The previous session, only two days prior, she allowed her hooves to be picked out with no problems, and Kelby said that she was great the day just before as well.... But, well, yesterday she worked with feet at the end of the session rather than the beginning. We all agreed Kai was tired at that point (mentally)... no doubt a contributing factor. She just could not give that right hind leg without skirting away and/or kicking.

She was also sensitive and grumpy about the rope work Kelby was doing. What a great exercise though. Kai revealed some sensitivity to things that at my place I never saw. And that is why I brought her there - to reveal any hidden stuff. As I have said before it can be very tempting with a horse this "easy" to think you are all set with things and move forward (..too quickly)... the common result of this can be someone getting hurt.

A video of some of the rope work. It was meant to be around the girth area but slipped back to the flank and butt, and Kai wasn't happy about it. I had done some of this at home and Kai was incredibly compliant, so I am glad to have Kelby go much more thoroughly into it as it revealed some stickiness and/or disagreement.

I admit I am not entirely clear on the particular goals of this other than obvious reasons of eventual saddling... and as said, I think it was a great exercise. I think that no matter which tool or aid you use, the end goals are the same: giving agreeably to pressure, keeping focus on the human and staying with them mentally, staying out of the human's space, staying relaxed and soft, and ultimately, maintaining balance throughout. 

Balance can be seen as both physical and mental, and goes hand in hand with relaxation. Most (dressage) people look at collection as the ultimate goal, but it is deeply entwined with or reliant upon balance. Collection overall can be quite misunderstood or interpreted  in different ways. I really enjoy Karen Rohlf's various discussions of collection and self-carriage (listen here, episodes 42, 152), among her many topics. As she says "everything comes from, and ends with, relaxation". For Bruno, it is balance that results in relaxation. 

They are clearly all entwined and interdependent.

Silly Horse Trick

I just finished getting my sub-dividing fencing installed (so I can host friends with horses and/or just rotate paddocks to preserve grass--- YAY!!), so the gate I was using to block the shelter where she likes to run into to avoid working, is now out and being used. I constructed a more-than-simple visual block of thin rope, not sure how effective it might be.... She flossed her teeth with it as I was putting it up. It did actually work though, to keep her in the pen and not running into the shed, once it was up and we were doing "work". Should have taken video but didn't.... 

More (Better but Boring) Lunging; and Slight Improvements in Lifting Feet

All the recent work with Kai is a bit boring, and this is no different! But I haven't posted much (I am entrenched in a work project so actually not spending much time with her overall) so I am today, just to cap off where we were before she leaves for her stint at the trainer's.

I continue to try and be aware of my body position when I "lunge" her (on or off line) - trying to maintain my position in the center of the ring with a "bubble" of safety around me, and pushing her at the hip rather than at the shoulder. Most of my videos look like I am at the shoulder, and often I am. Working on that. Luckily she is understanding my intent so we are able to accomplish the main task of getting her to go around me. I think I have improved at not over-cuing, and using finger-point, then cluck, then whip as needed.

So here is a fairly boring vid of the most recent free-lunge session. She's really chill as we know, but also this can somewhat equate with lazy, and you can see many moments where she checks in with me to ask if she can stop, and I ask her to continue; in a few cases she does show a little spicy protest.... Kind of funny. 

Additionally we are working on lifting the feet and holding (prep for farrier). I had a tiny breakthrough when I realized I could use her incredible itchiness as a tool. Here are the hind feet (they are the more difficult, so skipping the fronts for the vid)... If she so much as thinks about holding, I reward with a great big long belly scratch. And she does really well since thais is highly motivating for her! After the scratch I think it is significant to wait a moment before asking again for a lift. That way (in my mind) she has the opportunity to crave that scratch. You can even see her inch her rear end toward me after completing the cycle, as if to say "Here! Do me again!". And again... pretty funny.

Quite proud of this and us, for being able to make that jump between just lifting (and/or kicking out), and understanding that holding is what I want. It is these little advancements that make for the whole gratification with horses, for me.

Lunging with Jugs; Curiosity

 The generic lunging exercises seem a bit dull lately so I've looked for ways to spice it up. She's so blasé about everything though that nothing really gets her upset (and YAY for that)!

Here I tied some empty plastic jugs to her surcingle to see reactions. It was also an opportunity to encourage her curiosity, and the jugs may be the most interesting object yet to her.

I myself still have positional/spatial issues... But it is IMPROVING!

First vid is a clip after I had already tied one jug and am adding the second; you can see her interest and un-fazed attitude.

Second vid we are lunging. She is a lazy type; it takes a bit more pressure when asking her to trot. BTW when she is traveling closer to the camera, I am not sure you can tell but she tends to be a bit in my space, thus I am using the whip to push her out (more toward shoulder than hip).

I have improved in keeping my cues minimal, but it still needs work/clarity: i.e., raised hand for direction, 2) cluck or kiss, 3) raising whip, 4) making noise with whip, 5) cracking whip, 6) touching her with whip. AND, as SOON as she responds appropriately, taking the cue/pressure away (they learn by the RELEASE of pressure as opposed tot he pressure itself). It is tricky bc (being lazy) she may decide that she's allowed to stop or slow.

Third vid is taking a quick break to just be curious. I could have simply removed the jugs but I decided to engage her... I love how she steps forward to follow the jug when I drag it.

...Someday, cows!!!

Stupid Human Tricks 2 - Plank

 About a week after I got Kai I made a pedestal to teach her to step up onto (and stay until I said to move). Kind of a precursor to stepping up into a trailer.

She figured it out crazy-fast and I rewarded with a carrot piece or two, and a lot of praise. She started getting greedy for the carrots however so I stopped then and there (with the plank and with the carrots).

But yesterday I brought the plank out again. No carrot. Before even getting it on the ground she was "chomping at the bit" - so eager to show me what she could do... and I didn't have to ask her...! She stepped up (with some pawing), but I only had a carrot piece over by her water tub, so I stopped the vid and went to go get a piece.

I hear noise and she is again (voluntarily) stepping onto the pedestal and staying, looking at me like, "well...???" ! I had to get phone out to catch it so I missed some.

So funny. She's a good girl; eager to learn (when carrots are involved anyway!!).

Stupid Human Tricks 1