Met Cindy today at an Easter party for kids, she’s new to horses and feeling a bit unsure and afraid. I invited her to come meet my horses and she came by this evening. I showed her a little bit of what I do with my horses and I think it inspired her. She asked lots of questions and is very interested in Parelli so I’ve loaned her some Savvy Club DVD’s, my L1 kit, a halter, 12’ lead, and a cs and string (don’t worry, I had two!!). I also gave her my Parelli Connect bracelet and invited her to come try the 30 day free trial. I hope she does find her way there!!

More Basics!!

Had another rousing play session, much the same as yesterday, with Renegade tonight and boy was it fun. I was getting some nice, snappy responses, the best changes of direction yet, nice canter squeezes with a great turn, face and wait. Circles with an obstacle were awesome, not change in gait or direction unless I asked for it. One foot at a time over the log was good tonight, a few more days and I think we’ll have it dependablly.


After our session, I turned Renegade loose and he stayed with me rather than wander off to join the other horses grazing nearby. After a couple of minutes, he decided to roll and was close to me. He laid down, rolled, then righted himself but didn’t get up right away. I offered my hand for him to smell and he did and stayed down for another couple of minutes then got up slowly, shook, "blew out the butterflies" (and probably some dirt as well lol!!), and hung with me a bit longer until I got up and asked him to join the herd. I would have loved to hang out a bit longer but had chores to do.

Back to Basics!!

Since we have been having some issues lately when Renegade is out away from me farther, I went back on the 12’ line to re-establish respect and it worked beautifully!! Instead of Renegade being out of reach of the cs and string, he was now within touching distance and he knew it. Our 7 games were fantastic as were our traveling circles and falling leaf. We had a pretty rousing session with me upping my expectations of snappy responses. It was amazing just how responsive he was!! When we were done warming up strong, we played with one foot at a time over a log, sideways from zone one over a log, back up over a log, splitting him in half lengthwise over a log, etc. I was asking for things that caused him to think down to his feet. We had an amazing connection and Renegade was really paying attention and was engaged. The most difficult thing for him was 1 foot at a time over the log; he kept wanting to rush his two back feet over. We kept playing with it until he finally slowed down and thought about it rather than just reacting and rushing over with his back feet. He made a great change at that point and I think he knew it cause he "chuckled" at me when he did it. At that point I decided our session should end as that had been so difficult for him and he made a positive change. Interestingly, I took off the halter and lead rope and he stayed with me even though we were in a big pasture, there was grass, and two of my other horses were grazing nearby. Then, as it was pretty warm out and he was sweaty, he laid down to roll. He was close enough to touch so I rubbed him with the cs. He kinda laid there for a minute and relaxed and did a little contented moan. We hung out for a few more minutes then went together to turn him out in the yard to eat grass. It was a great session!!

Oh…forgot to mention we also did circles with an obstacle in both directions and did great!!

LAYING DOWN, STAYING DOWN, AND CHANGING HIS MIND

Played with Renegade this evening and had fun. We did the weave online from 22′. At first, Renegade wanted to create his own game but I slowed everything down, got precise, and didn’t let him be “wrong for long”. Three times through the pattern and he was looking where he was going and looking to me for direction!!


Played the circling game online and am starting to get some upward and downward transitions with phase 1 or 2 and am pleased with that. Played a bit of circling at liberty and got some nice circles at trot and canter. For a change, Renegade was looking inside the circle and not outside. I also didn’t have to have as much energy going in my body for him to maintain the canter. I was experimenting with just how little energy I can use to cause him to maintain the canter; it seems we’re refining it a bit.

The best part came after our play session. I followed our usual routine of me sitting down on the ground for some UDT with Renegade. Tonight it took very little time for him to lay down to roll and he was very close to me. He laid down very softly and rolled a bit then righted himself but didn’t go to get up right away. I was close enough to rub his knees with my hands and he softly smelled them. I then gave him part of a cookie I just happened to have handy and he stayed down to eat it. When he went to get up, I offered him another piece of cookie and he changed his mind about. He was about 1/3 of the way up and decided to lay back down for the cookie and stayed down while he ate it. WHOOT, WHOOT!!

YEEEEEHAWWWW!!!

I don't have much time but wanted to do a quick post so I don't forget. Played with Renegade tonight for about 20" at liberty in the playpen and it was fantastic. I sent him out on the circle to the right at the trot and he gave me 7 circles without breaking gait or changing direction. After 7 laps, I decided to bring him in before he made any decisions about what he was going to do and he came right in. I let him rest a bit then sent him out to the left at a trot and he gave me 5 laps with good impulsion. I decided to ask for a transition down to a walk for half a lap then back up to a trot for half a lap. He got it and it took very little effort from me (HOORAY!!).

After the trot laps, I asked for the canter and Renegade went right into it. I did have to keep quite a bit of energy going in my body for him to maintain the canter but we did 4 laps!! I didn't have to actually canter myself and I didn't have to hop up and down either, just had to have some up and down energy going. I also didn't have to turn with him which I've had to do since he likes to stop or break gait behind me. Tonight he followed the rail, maintained gait, looked for me, and asked questions. I'm so thrilled as this has been our bug-a-boo for so long and I think we've finally had our break through!!!

After his stellar performance, I asked Renegade in to rest when I sat down on the ground he laid down to roll, first on his left side then on his right side and while he was down on his right side he stayed down for a bit while I rubbed him with the cs.

After our rest, we went together at liberty out to some grass to graze. I left Renegade there while I was nearby preparing the evening feed for all the horses. I'm loving the fact he is becoming very respectful at feeding time. He used to try to sneak in from any direction he could to snatch bites of feed from the bowls but he waits patiently now. He continues to graze but I can see him looking to see if I'm ready to invite him in to his bowl. Feeding time in the pasture is almost becoming a pastoral event these days and I'm loving it!!

WHAT A DAY - INSTALLMENT 2!!!

Renegade and Beau were tied to the trailer next to each other eating their hay from their respective bags and Renegade decided he wanted to try Beau’s hay. It was interesting they shared from the same bag for a bit then Renegade took a big mouthful of hay; I think Beau thought he was being too greedy because he gave Renegade a slight nip on the nose. This is a BIG change for Beau as he’s usually very submissive to other horses. I found myself cheering for him!! Renegade was more polite after that and they continued to share hay.


The workshop was awesome and I learned some strategies to help me with the problems we’ve been having with our circles, especially canter circles, and our change of direction, especially when traveling to the left; I have a hard time drawing Renegade’s right eye. The biggest BFO was that I’ve gotten a bit lax and sloppy in my expectations. I’ve been allowing Renegade to invade my space too much/too often and not asking for snappy responses. Once I changed my approach, upped my expectations, and sped everything up a bit, our results were much better!!

After the workshop, we watered our horses and loaded up for the ride home. Boy did we, Terri, Ingrid, and I, have A LOT to talk about on the way home. It seems we all learned a whole lot during a two hour workshop. We arrived back at Terri’s house and unloaded the horses; Renegade was going to be a visitor for a few hours while we went to dinner so we got the horses settled in then went in the house to freshen up before heading out to meet “J” at Pepe’s in Ocala. We were celebrating Ingrid’s birthday and we were eager to hear about “J”’s first month as an extern at Parelli.

After dinner, we headed back to Terri’s to pick up Renegade and head to my house. Renegade did very well at loading in the dark even though we’d not practiced this much. He looked ready to go home and chill in his own, familiar pasture with his herd mates. If he was as tired as I was, I know he was exhausted. My brain was full and so was my belly; I literally and figuratively had lots to digest. After getting Renegade settled in, I went in the house, got ready for bed, and it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep and I slept soundly all night. Writing up my notes would have to wait until the next day.

WHAT A DAY!!!

I had fully expected to have to work Saturday but at the last minute management decided one admin person could handle the needs of all the management personnel. Rene volunteered to work since her husband also had to work so I got the day off. After hurried phone calls and e-mails, I managed to sign up for the Parelli Games in the morning at the ISC in Ocala and the Liberty Series Workshop, Circles and Change of Direction, with Jerry S. Williams in Williston, FL in the afternoon. To top off an already wonderful day, I had dinner with 3 fabulous friends; it was like the icing on the cake. I absolutely love it when the stars align and everything becomes possible!!


Since my truck is still out of commission, my friend Terri was very generous and provided transport for both me and Renegade. Renegade and her horse, Beau, get along well so they kept each other company while traveling. Ingrid also rode with us (she didn’t take her horse) and the three of us had a fantastic time talking and laughing with each other. It’s always nice to have friends to share with while traveling; we never seem to run out of things to talk about!!

We arrived at the ISC about 9:00 a.m., signed in, parked and unloaded our horses. After letting the horses relax for a few minutes, we tacked up and headed down to the area where they were holding the games. Renegade was distracted by the nice, green grass and that was an indicator of how things would go for the rest of the morning; I seemed to have only 50-75% of his attention. I’d like to note, this is different than having his attention only 50-75% of the time as he was paying attention to me but had about 30-50% of his mind on the grass and grazing. When I asked for something he would comply but didn’t do it with enthusiasm.

The first stop was the station for the online games and I decided not to try the online games right then; there were several people in line and there would have been a wait…more time for Renegade to disconnect from me. I decided to move on to the liberty station thinking that might be a better place to start; there was less waiting and not much lush grass in the honeycomb. I quickly learned my thinking was flawed! While some of our liberty was o.k., it was pretty lack luster for the most part. Stick to me was great at walk, trot, AND canter and back-up and our friendly game was good as was our squeeze between me and the rail but porcupine 6’ was difficult and sideways over a cs on the ground didn’t go very well. BFO…if it’s not going well online; don’t go to liberty!!

I had thought about trying the freestyle games but since I didn’t have Renegade’s full attention on the ground, I decided riding might not be a good idea!! Instead, I thought I’d take him to a different area to work on getting his attention using a squeeze but looking for snappy responses and it worked really well. The first two times through the squeeze Renegade was moving his feet but with no real purpose or direction, he was just shuffling his feet around. The third time through, after getting tagged the first two times through, when I sent him he left at a canter and it was a really nice one!! He was relaxed, soft, responsive, and enthusiastic and was easy to bring back when I asked for the disengage. I’m glad I decided to abandon my original plan and take care of what my horse needed as it helped the rest of the day get better!!

Renegade must have felt very comfortable at the ISC because he rolled 4 times while there. I wasn’t happy that he decided to roll with the saddle on but since it was warm out and he’s still got a pretty good winter coat, he was sweaty and was most likely itchy. He also doesn’t roll all the way over, so I wasn’t worried about the saddle horn. I’ve been working on having him lay down next to me so I decided to take advantage of him laying down and rub him while he was down. Later, after I had untacked him, he rolled 3 more times. I happened to be sitting on the ground the last time he rolled and he gave me a lovely sand shower when he got up and shook!!

After the games were over we were shooed out of Parelli Land so that the staff could get on with their chores and enjoy the rest of the day off. It looked like a giant wave of people moving up the hill towards their trailers with a couple of smaller waves following. It’s easy to get caught up in the feeling at the ISC and not want to leave such a magical place. After waiting for the initial crush of people to leave, we loaded up our horses and pulled out headed to the Holistic Horsemanship Center in Williston, FL for the Liberty Series Workshop, Circles and Change of Direction, with Jerry S. Williams, 3* Parelli Professional. It was about a 25” drive from the ISC to the Horsemanship Center and we arrived there about 1:30 p.m., enough time to unload, water our horses, and give them a bit of hay before the workshop started at 2:00 p.m. I’m going to write up the workshop notes in a separate post on my clinic/workshops pages.

More to come...

The Universe is Conspiring!!

Wow…life is conspiring to keep me from progressing very quickly. I have a new assignment at work and I’m going to be working 6-10 hour days…going to work in the dark and getting home just before dark. I’m going to have to get creative and come up with some ideas to squeeze in some horsey play time for a while. I don’t even know how long this assignment will last. On the up side, I’ll be making some extra $$ so I can attend Jerry Williams L3/4 intensive clinic in May!!

I LOVE MY HORSE!!!

Tried touch it with your tail tonight with Renegade and played with it for about 15″. Had to use approach and retreat several times as Renegade would veer off to one side or the other rather than backing straight. I took my time, kept it slow, and would bring him back each time he started to veer off. Eventually, he backed straight to the tree with his tail touching and since he looked relaxed, ears forward, eyes on me, head level, blinking, licking and chewing, so I let him rest there for a bit before moving on to something else. It was an interesting session and very revealing that such a confident horse in so many situations could have so many thresholds backing his zone 5 up to that tree!!


We did a little more online: some trot circles with change of gait to canter and got a full canter circle in each direction with minimal correction/direction from me. Played a bit with his mouth since he’s fairly protective of that area; ended up being able to insert the tip of my finger in the corner of his mouth without him trying to take his head away, had a positive expression and did a little gentle chewing (not the frantic chewing he has done in the past) then his mouth got quiet. I was able to gently rub his lips without him resisting/objecting. Also led backwards at liberty by the tail about 30′, nice and soft and away from his hay!! Talk about being a partner. Probably didn’t set that up the best for success but was extremely happy with the result!! Must have been an o.k. session because he stayed with me after we finished; he didn’t just rush back to the hay pile!!

I'm lovin' me some cheeky little Chincoteague Pony!!!

Offerings and Fun!!

Got home from work and first had to fix the hotwire…Bert had it crunched and had part of the fence crunched too. While I was fixing the fence, Renegade came to visit me and kinda hung around for a few minutes. When I finished and went to the gate, he followed me.

I got him out, saddled him up, and we went to the “arena” to play. I thought I’d warm him up a bit online but ended up only needing to move him around enough to do my three cinch tightenings. He stood still while I got on and while we did out lateral bends and then we walked off on my cue. Boy, did we have fun. We rode the large circle at the walk; all I was looking for was a soft bend and understanding the pattern. We did pretty good for our first time, maintaining the walk and the circle but there’s definitely much to work on. We did an energetic walk over the cavalettis (set at 8″ – we’d done 6″ many times before), trying maintain straightness and not tick his toes. By the 4th time across, he was doing good (no ticking). The weave at a walk was fun, when we get good at that, I’ll try it at the trot. The most fun was with the bow tie pattern…seemed like Renegade really got this one. When we came around the cone with me doing partial dhq I was going to ask for the trot at first but Renegade said “why not canter”!! The first few times, I got 2-3 strides of canter but the last time we cantered 1/2 the length of the “arena”. I decided we’d done enough…he gave me so much and so willingly!! Sadly, I probably needed to spend my 1/2 hour UDT with Renegade tonight but it was already getting dark and I still had to feed everyone. I’ll make a point of having enough time to hang out tomorrow after our play.

Oh yeah, must add...I got two nice back up steps off my seat...no reins!! WHOOT, WHOOT!!!

Play With Me!!

I have to confess, I didn’t really play with Renegade tonight. I wanted to set up my “arena” with a large circle, a weave, a figure 8, some cavalettis, and the bow tie so I can start more freestyle riding and getting our patterns much better. I brought my cones, a 22′ line to measure with, a hay bag, and Renegade with me. While I set up, Renegade “grazed” on the hay bag and when I finished setting up, we just hung out while he continued to munch and I played friendly with the cs and string while listening to music. It was a nice way to spend some time after a very manic/hectic day at work.

Our time together was nice and relaxing until we went at liberty back to the pasture and Renegade decided to leave me. Well, a catching game ensued and the more provocative I got the more he wanted to play. We ended up in a STM game at the trot all over the place. I think he was bored and was saying “play with me!!”.

Sometimes I forget, he's been relaxing all day while I'm at work and when I get home and want to relax, he's ready for some action!!

Fun and Games!!

What a fun morning!! We were a bit rushed as we “were late for the show”. I normally like to arrive a bit early, unload my horse, walk him around a bit and check the place out but this morning we arrived at the ISC, had to fill out some paperwork, unloaded the horses and had to saddle them up right away. Missed the meeting at the big pond so on the way down the hill, we stopped and did the online challenge. Renegade and I made our time, completing all 5 obstacles and didn’t break the tie until he decided he wanted to go check out some grass a bit farther out than the 22′ line lol!! Liberty was great, we completed our 5 tasks with 1 second to spare and he even sidepassed the cs laying on the ground – this has been a huge bug-a-boo for us!! We did FRT/STM at the trot, I got greedy and tried for a canter STM but it didn’t happen. I was o.k. with that since he’d just given me so much during the online and liberty challenges and he was rather distracted by the grass, the cold air, and the cold breezes. Wasn’t sure about doing freestyle games because Renegade had been distracted but decided to give it a go and was glad I did. We made our times, with time to spare…did the weave at a walk, mostly off of my body but did have to make a few corrections, we trotted the straight line back to the box. The barrel pattern was fun, would have been better if not for “operator error” lol!! We did the first part of the pattern at the walk and Renegade was pretty unfocused (maybe I was too??!!). The second half of the pattern was better, we did it at the trot and it would have been fantastic but I got the pattern wrong; did the first barrel right and mixed up the next two, bummer!! I definitely need to work on getting my pattern straight!!


It was fun to see Renegade so confident today. There was a young horse that had never been over the bridge before and wasn’t confident about it at all so Renegade led (with me driving from zone 4-5) the way and that little horse followed him right over. It was especially nice because Renegade sometimes has zone 5 issues but didn’t have them today.

Especially nice was seeing our progress since last year when they held the games. Our scores were much better this time, Renegade was much more connected to me, and he really tried for me today!! Couldn’t be happier with how we did today!!

The Tail (spelling intended lol!!) of Two Sarah's

Day 5 of new strategy and things are going very well. Tonight’s music selection was the tail (spelling intended!!) of two Sarah’s, McLachlan and Brightman. Renegade will maintain gait and direction at the walk and trot until I ask him in so we can do 6-8 laps. I did have to send his zone one back to the rail twice as he was trying to cut across one side to shorten the lap lol!! We’re still at one lap in each direction at the canter trying to be consistent and as light as possible, once it’s pretty good we’ll move up to more laps. Also played with transitions between walk and trot and it’s getting better, Renegade at first tried to push through my cues to slow down but I upped my phases and he really started to catch on quickly; I was getting really nice upward transitions and downward transitions started to get lighter. Just hoping I don’t screw up my progress with the circling game by doing transitions!! I’m just trying to keep it interesting for my little LBE!!


Played at liberty leading by the ear and it’s getting softer, lead by the tail all the way across the 70 rp and it was straight and soft!! STM was nice at walk, trot, and canter to the left, we (read me) need work on going to the right…I’m stiff and Renegade mirrors that!! I think I need to practice by myself to get unstiff.

During UDT, Renegade did ALOT of licking, chewing, and yawning and I tried to mirror him, especially during the yawning. He laid down again and this time he did it much quicker and stayed down a bit longer. After he got up, he stayed with me and ended up smelling my hair and licking my ear!! Made me giggle!!

Must Be Doing Something Right!!

Played with Renegade tonight using my new strategies and the idea that it’s not about the canter circles and had a really successful session. Stayed particular with our yo-yo back, a rest out there when he was straight and looking at me, keeping everything soft when possible and giving Renegade time to think and respond. I ended up getting some really nice canter circles on line in both directions (always bringing him in when it was MY idea) and his departs on the send were snappy. Tried sending him out on a circle at the trot and asking for the canter after a 1/2 lap and it only took me lightly rolling the stick and string to get the canter. Wooohoooo…so happy!!! He did lots of licking, chewing, and yawning DURING our session as well as after during undemanding time. He also laid down again, it wasn’t for long but each time he’s staying down just a bit longer.

Judging by all the nickering, chuckling, and engagement going on, I think I was getting something right!!

Also, during our play time I played some Spanish music and some Santana…maybe Renegade likes latin music!!

Warts And All!!

I had a friend video tape a few play sessions with Renegade and I over the weekend and boy was that video revealing. It was difficult to watch some of the things I was doing but great to see how I can change what I'm doing to help my horse. I was confusing him on so many levels and as hard as I've been trying to not act like a predator, that's exactly what I saw on the video.

With my new awareness planted firmly in my head, I went out to play with Renegade tonight. We had been playing with canter circles, both online and at liberty, and having inconsistent results. Now I know why...I was way too direct line and focusing on getting those canter circles. Once I broke it down into what was really broken, we had great results tonight. By concentrating on the quality of our back-up and send with snappy departures, I actually got canter circles tonight with very little effort on my part. My horse was responding to lighter phases and with more energy. So...BFO...it's NOT about the canter circles!!

The hard part for me is I know this intellectually, but I finally now really KNOW this. How did I get so off track and so direct line? How will I stop myself from doing this again? Can I stop myself from doing this again? Is my awareness such that I can stop myself from becoming so direct line again? Thankfully horses are forgiving and if I pay attention maybe, just maybe, I won't keep repeating my mistakes.

Hummm....

Played again tonight and just like last night, trot circles were fabulous in both directions but canter circles were non-existant, so rather than repeat a negative pattern, I went back online to fix it. The reason I tried first at liberty is to make sure last night wasn’t an off night and to give Renegade the benefit of doubt. Going back online helped a whole lot and we ended up doing three nice canter circles in each direction and I stopped with that for tonight. We backed, leading by the tail, all the way across the diameter of the 70′ play pen!! Also lead Renegade by the (L) ear for 10 steps. I also trailer loaded Renegade from the fender and he went right in!!


During the post play UDT, Renegade did alot of licking, chewing, and yawning unlike last night when he did very little and he laid down next to me again twice. This time I rubbed his forehead and he rubbed back a bit and he stayed down just a little longer tonight that the past few nights. Can’t wait until I can “do a Cheri” and have him sleeping with his head in my lap.

I’m wondering if I’m confusing Renegade by playing with my energy…maybe I’m playing with it too much, maybe I should just try one change or a little change at one time rather than experimenting? Jerry…I’m still trying to get the hand of that Spiderman thing of throwing the web lol!!

Anyway, it was another interesting evening of play!!

Where Are We Going??

Tonights session was interesting. I could feel my energy level was not has high as it has been the last 4 days and Renegade’s energy wasn’t as “up” there either. Trot circles were amazing, 6 to the right and 5 to the left, nice, cadenced, soft. Canter circles…well, they kind of fell apart tonight…I’m wondering where all that wonderful impulsion from last night went??!! I couldn’t get Renegade to give me more than 1/2 lap in either direction tonight. Something to ponder on tonight.


On the flip side, leading by the tail was fabulous tonight – we backed softly and straightly 3/4 the diameter of the round pen!! I finished our session by tying the 22′ line into reins and asking Renegade to side pass to the rail to see if I had permission to get on and he moved right into position. I got on bareback and did a 15″ passenger lesson at the walk. I haven’t been on him bareback in ages and it was fun!!

During our undemanding, post play time, Renegade did alot of licking, chewing, and yawning and ta da…laid down next to me twice!! I found it interesting he also spent a fair amount of time softly investigating me tonight with his nose and by licking me. He was checking out my coat sleeves, the hood of my coat, my hair, and even my face. He was gentle about it and even licked my face. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about that given his past history of biting but I kept my nerves in check and allowed it but was ready to move him off if he got too pushy. No worries though…he was just fine.

Lots of different stuff happening tonight but just as exciting as the past few nights…just different. Not sure where all this is going but I really want to find out!!

Awesome!!!

YEEHAW!!!!! What a fun play session tonight. The weather is pretty cool here tonight and Renegade was really enjoying it. In the round pen, at liberty, Renegade gave me 4 really nice canter circles in each direction…yep…that’s right 4 CANTER CIRCLES!! AND…I was in neutral in the center of the circle!!!




Backing by the tail was also improved tonight…Renegade gave me 6 nice steps back, staying straight and soft. He did turn and look over his back at me once but didn’t turn to face me.



Stick to me was good at the walk and trot but by the time we got around to stick to me canter, I think Renegade had cantered himself out lol!! I wasn’t going to push it because he’d already given me soooo much.



We had our undemanding time and while waiting for him to lick, chew, and yawn, he laid down beside me instead. I was able to rub him and give him a cookie while he was down. Unbelieveable to me the changes in just the last few days. I’m over the moon!!

Fun Time Tonight

Had another fun session with Renegade tonight. When I entered the pasture, I sent America away and Renegade came right over to me nickering as he came. I think he was ready to play!! In the round pen at liberty he gave me 4 laps at the trot in both directions with only a couple of corrections when he wanted to come off the rail. I just put some energy towards his zone 1-2 and he did the next two laps perfectly!!




When we moved up to cantering I was able to canter a small circle in the center of the round pen while Renegade cantered on the rail. For a change, he was putting out more effort than me. He gave me a full lap at the canter in both directions!!



Back up by the tail went REALLY well tonight, Renegade gave me 6 steps back (one at a time with reward in between each step) and stayed straight, didn’t try to turn and face me and enjoyed the butt rubs as his reward.



During our post play undemanding time, Renegade again did LOTS of licking, chewing, and yawning. He stayed with me, standing quietly for about 15 minutes and we went together at liberty back to the pasture.

Fun and Questions

Hummmmmm…how interesting!!! Got home from work and went straight out to play with ponies instead of letting myself get sucked into the house lol!! Had a very interesting session with Renegade. He didn’t meet me at the gate but that’s because America, the lead mare, was at the gate and defending her turf. I entered the pasture and moved her off and called Renegade – he came to me at a trot. I greeted him and asked him to come up next to me, haltered him and we went to the play pen to play. I backed Renegade into the pen, closed the gate, and removed the halter and lead rope. I checked our connection, all was good, so I sent him to the barrel in the middle of the pen to play touch it. I moved to the center of the pen, called Renegade to me, rubbed him, backed him up and sent him out on a circle to the right. Got 4 really nice circles at the trot with me in neutral!! Asked him in, rubbed him, backed him up and sent him to the left and got 4 nice circles at a trot. Asked him in, rubbed him and let him rest with me for a couple of minutes.




We moved to the rail to play stick to me in a circle to the right, started out at the walk, moved up to the trot with Renegade following my energy nicely, moved up into the canter and Renegade cantered with me for 4 strides. It was a bit rough as this is his “hard side” but we did it. To the left was much better, walk and trot were excellent, moved up to the canter and got 1/2 lap, both of us cantering together!!



Played with backing by the tail and at first he kept wanting to turn and face me so we moved to the rail to make it easier for us to be successful; ended up getting 2 nice steps back.



During our play session, I saw Renegade lick and chew more than I’ve ever seen him do it!!



When we finished, it was time for undemanding time and this is where it gets really interesting. Renegade hung with me, staying really close. I was rubbing him all over and he wanted to mutually groom me; I let him do a bit as long as he was polite about it. About 5 minutes into our undemanding time, Renegade began to yawn and he yawned at least half a dozen times. Renegade is inately a LBE so I’ve not thought alot about him being up on adrenalin but he must have been to have yawned so many times. Now I’m wondering if he’s been hiding this side of himself or if I just wasn’t paying attention? He’s almost always appeared to be confident and relaxed with most everything. Either way, I feel bad for not noticing. The nice thing is his decision to let down and relax with me; I noticed after all the yawning, he was REALLY soft.



Anyone have any thoughts on LBE’s and adrenalin?