"... which fits right in the middle of going backwards or forwards. " Bill Dorrance
I'm new to blogging, but wanted to jot down my horses & my journey with Feel & Release & my growing awareness of "particles of feel" experiences I am having with them.
This past week-end, 11 & 12 June 2011, I wanted to progress with Annah - my mostly emotional mare, who will choose to avoid pressure no matter how light, or get heavy and brace up against it. I know I've put these braces in there, nobody else has & I have spent time reflecting on what I've been doing before this & how I need to be - for her to feel back to me with lightness. Since picking up Bill's book 3 weeks ago, I find myself going to sleep thinking of the moments I'm with my horses, how I presented feel to them, how I can change this, how I can offer it it to them differently and if I do so in this way, would they offer it back to me like that? Most of my waking moments are also spent pondering much of what it is I offer & get in return from them. I crave spending time with them so that we can keep building on our feel - together. This new approach is def. changing me!! *boing* My patience is now infinite as I become more curious about the results of what I'm offering them to cause them to respond in the way they do & if that's inappropriate - well I need to change my offer to enable them to change theirs - for the better. If my request to backup 1 foot results in 3 steps back, then I'm asking with too many particles of feel, I need to break my request down more, ask for less, check my timing & become super aware of my horses responses. ear flick, lip wiggle, weight shift, eye focus shift etc. These are my interpretations of "particles of feel".
Saturday: I set out with the plan to ask Annah just to lower her head off a soft feel and once this was working well, to tip her nose to the side & ask her to take a step back - with a light feel & only when I asked her to. From the start she braced & would doze off as my hand touched the knot... so I'd start fresh - changing things to get her attention back (I livened her up by loosening her feet), and then set it up again. Dozing follows. Liven up feet, start again. Micro-feel on the knot, release, micro-feel - release -> she gives me a slight dip of her head. Yay! Take a fresh start. This happened plenty! I'd mix it up - liven her feet up and would re-apply a light downward feel on the halter knot - I kept doing this until all it took was a light hold (wrap fingers around) of the halter knot & she'd lower her head & keep it there. She kept it there!!! Waiting ... soft eye's - waiting! I step away in awe. She raises her head. Licks & chews. This took us a very long time to do, I know keeping time of these things has no place with this but I was surprised by it, that's all. I gave her plenty of breaks in between where she yawned many times, licked & chewed. She's always licked & chewed - but I've never known her to yawn so much! I was conscious of how much I'd slowed everything down. I wanted to get this 'smooth' as Bill says, before moving onto the next part...
I then tipped her nose over the leading foot & before I even applied the feel for backing, she braced up & took 3 steps back & popped her head up. I went with her but didn't quite let off the feel - until she lowered her head down & softened. I let go. I gave her a minute & started again. She did this a few times, before I realized that perhaps there was way too much in my ask for her to deal with - thus her reaction! So I broke my feel down into smaller particles. I left the idea of achieving the backup & merely asked her to rock backwards & took note of how little it took to get that & offered that to her a few times each side & then built on that. Soon enough she was taking 1 step back (diagonal pair) - W.A.I.T.I.NG. with head down - then taking the next step back when I asked her to - with her head down. Keeping her head down in between my requests is such a major accomplishment for her as before, she's always been inclined to pop it up & brace. I called it quits for the day. I was thrilled. She looked super chilled out.
Jarig: I 'catch' him by standing at his shoulder, touch the top of his mane & invite him to bend to me - sure he says & slips his nose into the halter. I feed the lead to him while walking away & he follows right on after me. (seek the release). We enter the arena & I crouch down while slowly feeding out the lead reign onto the grass with the intention that his head slowly lowers, seeking the release of the neck & shoulders ... I watch his shadow (not looking up at him) as he gently lowers his head stretches out to sniff my hair, cocks a back foot & snoozes. wow. I cherish the moment. I merely touch the halter knot with my pointing finger & apply light downward pressure - his awake and drops his head down lower ... but can't resist nibbling on some grass that's tickling his lips! lol! I hold the knot & ever so lightly offer a particle of feel to take 1 step back (having learnt from Annah) - he does so. easy. I ask him to wait there with me for a few seconds - no problem he says - I tip his nose over to the other side & get a full diagonal step back - too much I realize - so I adjust my ask to tip his nose to the other side & he meets me there, I check my energy output, as this is thrilling stuff, and release him ever-so-lightly to take a step back - he does so. Wow. I release the lead reign, sit on my butt & marvel at what I have just discovered - he yawns a few times and has a few good munches of grass. I ask him to rock back - wait - forward - wait - wait - back .. and note how little it takes for him. I back him straight 1 foot - wait for me - other diagonal - wait for me - other diagonal ... no problem he says. Yaaaawn! Ok, if I place your nose to the right a bit (outside) can you step to the inside with your inside hind, and out with your outside front? Yip, he says - I back off - start again with another step using more intent and lighter feel this time. No problem he says & has a few massive yawns. Will you follow my dance steps & keep the reign soft, while I waltz to your outside shoulder, offer the release to your hind quarters - Can you step under behind & pivot on your front legs? Mmmm - ok he says, but I need to lift my outside front leg, cos my hoof is snagged in the grass, but i'll place it right where it was again & look at the lovely loop I've maintained in the reign! his bright eye's blinking, and my heart soars! I thank him & ask if we can have a quick ride, I feel a bubble of energy in my core, so I saddle him up & take him down the fire break a little way so we can have a little canter up to the stables. I set him up and have him wait for me, I put both legs on - he chooses his right canter lead, which fails him on a left bend, he pops into a trot & I energize him up to the same canter lead up the straight. stop @ the top and I trot him back down again I feel I could've set him up much better & arrange the correct canter lead for him - this time my energy is higher and he matches me - I ask him to wait. he waits. I ask for 1 step back, step over in front one, two, and three we're facing the right way. I rock my pelvis back, he rocks back - i hold him. he waits. I want the left canter lead, so I ask him to back right diagonal, wait, then left diagonal - wait - breathe, apply my right leg and release my left leg and energy forward - boom - he takes the left canter lead and we're off up towards the stables - I stop riding - he stops cantering, 2 steps of trot & walk ... rather we march up to the stables. I'm euphoric & my boy feels rather chuffed with himself. I untack him - thank him & bid both my darlings a great nights rest.
Sunday: My plan for Annah, was to back in an arc on the ground & to back straight from the saddle - 1 foot at a time. From the start, she was much more willing in offering to lower her head to my feel & even dropped her head on her own accord when I raised my hand to the knot on the halter after the first few offers! She was much more willing to wait for me to ask for each step, however she still felt the need to raise her head in between the steps - so I spent time just allowing her to relax down & free up her shoulders & asked for a rock forwards & backwards. There was a definite change in her presence / feel / attitude. I saddled her up & loosened her feet up first, then asked her for longitudinal feel from the ground first, she had some braces which I worked through, and in no time they were gone - so I mounted while she stood completely still - she offered to flex her head to the left side, which I gladly accepted, flexed her right - by offering reign & asking mentally. No bracing. Asked for longitudinal feel, she backed a few steps so I adjusted my feel slightly & was very clear of my mental picture for her - she gave it to me. I relaxed the reigns. I asked her to rock back - she gave it to me - can you wait for me? her ears were turned back to me - can u rock forward - yes, and wait? yes! I released & just sat there for a minute. smiling! I gathered the reigns, asked for long. feel - got it - asked for 1 step back - got it! released. yawn. yawn. lick & chew. Started fresh - asked for other diagonal back - wait - can we step over? Yes sure, she said! Can we wait here? I release the reigns & she softens and waits. I dismount, remove her saddle - scratch & rub her back & neck & thank her for a wonderful session. She joined the herd soft eye'd, relaxed & we're both smiling.
