Wrote this two days ago after an amazing inner 'breakthrough' with Dakota:I am so excited I wanted to share this with someone! I watch Parelli videos from the Savvy site just about every night and then trying things the next day. Each night I go to bed thinking about what I want to do with Dakota, then I do it. I've been making some headway with it, but really, it hadn't yet really 'clicked.' I was doing a little bit of what I was seeing, but not really getting it, not really getting to the level of real communication with Dakota. And not really understanding the basic principles of the communication.
Well, today something clicked. I watched and watched videos of him doing demos with different horses. How he moves, how he communicates with the horses. I started to feel a shift in my understanding of it. Not in my head, but deeper. I went in today realizing that I was doing some things that could create long term problems. More force related, getting her to do things with more force than I wanted. Parelli is such a master at knowing how to work with the horse with a great deal of compassion, and to teach the horse in a very interactive, patient, yet highly effective way that happens very quickly!
I'm just scratching the surface, I know, but today things were very different. I had an absolute blast, and I think Dakota did too! She is a LBI for sure, and it's been hard to get her to move her feet, get motivated, all the usual stuff. Today she was interested, curious, moving, and very willing. I did not use any force at all. Encouragement, firmness, but no force. And we did way more than we usually do. I realized from reading some Q&A online as well as watching Pat that I was being way to cautious with her. I could feel she was ready for much more.
So today we tried all kinds of things. She has the basics of the first five games down, especially the first two. Driving game is coming along really well, and I'm taking my time with it. But she's definitely getting it. I had just started the yo-yo and circling games with her at the end of last week, but today, we really went for it. I released the second she moved in the right way, and then repeated and really got her moving. This was the first day she trotted a full circle without me really have to apply more pressure than I wanted to! And we did driving game around the arena at a fun walk, did circling through ever smaller slits through barrels on their sides. I let her take her time, use her innate intelligence and curiosity, and we both had a great time!
I definitely use treats with her as occasional rewards, which really helps keep her interested and having fun with it. But mostly it's just making things fun and interesting. I realize too that she learns things so quickly, I need to keep being inventive about how to teach her while we do it in different ways. Like doing driving game with all kinds of obstacles and mixing it up each day. Same with circling. Then I can do some regular circles in between, practice yo-yo games, the others. In the midst of things that are not the same every day.
Tomorrow I'm doing to do yo-yo between barrels. I need to buy a tarp and work with that. Use poles. The whole world is opening up and I'm so excited!! And it was thrilling to see her today, also excited. Happy. Having fun. Getting lots of scratches and praise and treats. I could see her really feeling some pride, if that is the right word. She gets it when I let her know she did really well and is happy. The greatest thrill was in the yo-yo and circling games, when I bend down and welcome her in and she turns and comes up to me with her ears forward, excited and happy.
I know tomorrow may be totally different, that there will be many ups and downs. I've worked with horses my whole life and know how it goes. But today, I'm basking in the joy and happiness I feel with the level of communication and fun Dakota and I had together. I love that horse so deeply, and it's so good to feel confident that I am learning, and because I'm learning she is able to learn too.
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