Parelli Play Evening

Yesterday we had our weekly Parelli Play evening again. This time it was only Patricia with her lovely friesian mare Tinka and me.
I brought my Parelli ball in the arena to play with it and to get Milva used to have it on her back.
As you can see in the picture it was not a big deal for Tinka and for her it was the first time to meet the ball.
Milva was a bit of a drama queen though. We have played with the ball alot before and she is kicking it around and I can bounce it around her and roll it around her. There was a little bit of a thresh hold on her left side but we worked it through.
I tried to have it on her back as well but that was too much for her so we need to play with that some more.
Besides the ball I longreined her in all three gaites. It totally rocks to canter behind her!

Pretty Girl!

The starting point of all achievement is desire.
Keep this constantly in mind.
Weak desire bring weak results, just as small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.
(Napoleon Hill)

2 hours of grazing in the morning and 1 hour in the evening plus 30min liberty, playing with close range circles, stick to me in walk, trot and canter both leads and lots of transitions.

Parelli Brunch

Parelli brunch with our swedish 1* instructor Sofie, Patricia my stablemate and  Anna, who started with Parelli a few months ago and lives on the southest spot of Sweden.
4 hours of talking Parelli and horses which was super fun!
Later this evening I went back to the barn to play with Milva. It was a pretty short playsession because we achived very quickly what I wanted to achieve.
Reverse psychology is so powerful and the results you get with your lbi are just mindblowing!

Bye Bye C

Cornelia and I had our last playsession together yesterday. Today she is moving her horses to another turnout stable. I´m sure gonna miss her!
We already made alot of plans though what we are gonna do together so it´s not the end.
This summer we planned on doing a 2 week course together which should be super fun!

Summerhorses

Summer came over night and it looks like that it´s gonna stay like that for a while :).
I went to the stable late in the morning and let Milva graze for 2 hours while I sat in the gras and read my book. Good thing she never leaves me so I can have her loose all the time.
Late in the evening - at 8.00pm I went back to the barn to have a short playdate with Cornelia. The only thing I wanted to accomplis was a nice change of direction in trot on the end of the 45´line which wasn´t very hard.

Almost Like Summer

After a good night sleep I went to the stable early this morning to squeeze in an early playsession with the munch.
I decided on longreining for 20min with lots of transitions.

Feels good that we stay in the stable...

The Joy Of Being An Left Brain Introvert

you know what I´m talking about - stubborn, willfullness,...and no, I´m not talking about Milva this time ;).
First of all, thanks for all your nice comments! You truly are my Savvy Sisters!!
I´ll better start with letting the cat out of the sack and tell you that we probably are not moving....
Yesterday evening I called the stable owner to let her know that I will move and then my stomache pain started and I had another sleepless night doing lots of thinking and more  researching about horses nutrition - that´s where the whole problem started.
It didn´t have anything to do with me doing Parelli in a traditional competition stable.  People around me have realized along time ago that there is no use in discussing that certain topic with me and I´m pretty confident when it comes to my Parelli journey so I´m not giving in, not even a little bit...lol...
No, the whole thing started because I didn´t agree with the stable owners view about horses nutrition which from her point of view is influenced by her economy, which really is nothing of my concern.
People should realize in an early stage of a conversation though that it is no use to discuss with a left brain introvert who has all the facts straight and has done a thorough research ;).
This morning she came to me and we had a long heart to heart discussion and I have come to the solution to not move - for now anyway.  I mean you never know what the future brings - actually I do know what it will bring but that´s worth a different post (a big shared farm with 3 houses to live in - shared horse community).
I think she was a bit shocked that more people had agreed to move with us and our conversation today was level headed - it certainly was not like that last sunday, not from her side anyway. Well, we will give it another try anway. I mean, I do love the facilities and it´s pretty comfortable. She even promised me to fix up the round corall for us so we actually can use it and some other things... time will show if it was only sweet talk or of she walks the talk.
I said that we probably are not moving, meaning if Milva´s herd decides to move Milva will follow with the herd. I mean they are her family and friends...
I still love the other stable though and the energy that surrounded it...and I´m also sad that Cornelia is still gonna move her two horses next weekend. I will miss them terrible and I sure will miss her on our Parelli Play days....but you never know....
Yesterday evening I had an interesting conversation with one our our 1* instructors here from Sweden. I told her that I don´t know when we will film our level 4 audition after the move because Milva gets so right brain and unconfident in new environments and with the move and everthing... her comment was - right brain - you mean Milva or yourself.
Right on the point!
Needless to say that our playsessions this week were horrible as well. She didn´t wanna stay with me at liberty and left me all the time and there was no way she would do a flying leadchange. Well, I can´t blame her. I wouldn´t have liked to play with me this week either. Horse - Mirror, japp, I got it....

Renting Our Own Stable

I haven´t been updating my blog in the last week cause I wasn´t quit sure where this was going.
It sure has been a rollercoster of emotions and I think I got and Ulcer in the last week and I sure had some sleepless nights.
Once more the stableowner screamed like hell at me last Sunday and this time I just felt it was enough.
Well, I felt like that for a long time but didn´t dare to take the step to actually move.
Today we looked at two stables and I decided to rent one of them - hopefully together with one of my best friends and maybe another girl we know.
If not, then I will need a second horse cause clearly Milva can´t live by herself.
The stable is adorable!! Of course it´s a turnoutstable and the pastures are really big! There are also 2 (+2 more) boxes with french doors.
The couple that owns the little farm seems to be very nice and easy going. Of course you never know but that´s a risk you have to take if you don´t own your own property.
There is also a paddock on the farm we can use and a ridinghouse opposite the street and another one 10min away - on horseback, we can buy an annualy ridinghouse card there.
The farm is surrounded by pastures full with horses and small barns everywhere. It´s like a little horse village.
I´m gonna go there again on Wednesday to sign the contract and show it to Shawn.
I don´t have a contract in the stable I´m in now which in theory would mean I could move anytime.
I wanna do things right though and will give the stable owner notice by the end of this month, then pay double rent for one month on both stables and move Milva as soon as we have fixed up the other stable and as soon as I know if the other girls are moving in with us or if I need to get a second horse.
Phew!!!!

Patience

I went to the stable twice today with a plan in my head for a liberty session. The first trip I spent grazing Milva for 2 hours because everyone seemed to be there - even people from outside arrived to use the ridinghouse.
Second trip was late in the evening. I arrived at 7 p.m and left at 9 p.m - played 5 a whole 5 minutes with the munch and the rest we spent grazing and eating haysilage.
On a better note - Cornelia is gonna try to move her two mares into our turn out stable. In my humble opinion the stable is way too little for 6 horses but at least we know the owners and we can be sure they will treat our horses nice.
Please dear Universe, can I have my own farm now??

Parelli April Goldmember Shipment

April 2012 DVD:
"Figure 8 Pattern - On Line"
On this month’s Savvy Lesson DVD, you’ll see Pat and Linda practicing patterns with the help of Vision and a couple of Parelli students. In the Intro section, Pat introduces us to Vision and emphasizes the importance of balance and shape on a circle and Figure 8, as well as how consistency and variety are “the real spice of life.” With the help of Elli Pospichil, Linda then simulates a Level 1 & 2 Figure 8 before Elli brings her horse in to continue the lesson On Line. After that, Linda works with Marion on Level 3 & 4 Figure 8s On Line before Marion’s horse Whisper joins them. To conclude the DVD, Pat plays with Vision On Line with various obstacles in the arena. Pat leaves us with the reminder to keep it provocative and progressive.

April 2012 Mastery Lesson:
Linda's Lesson - How to Use Your Body to Influence Your Horse
Pat's Lesson - Pat & Merlin: The Start of Finesse

April 2012 Audio CD:
"Introduction to Rider Biomechanics Part 2 with Linda and Colleen Kelly"

On this month’s Parelli Audio CD, Neil Pye is once again joined by Linda Parelli and Rider Biomechanics specialist Colleen Kelly. Collen discusses a few issues that she’s often asked about, including improving straightness and how to avoid traveling on the forehand too much. Linda shares observations on the relationship between rider biomechanics and her own horsemanship. Neil, Linda and Colleen sign off by encouraging everyone to come see them on the Horse & Soul Tour.

My Horse Is Way Too Smart For Me - And Left Me Very Confused....

Playing with flying leadchange again today. Which worked fine so far, we even could get them with the 45´on the ground.
Canter on phase one, 1 step backwards - change of direction from her side and then she would do a flying lead change - both leads worked now.
Except today she would skip the change of direction!!!!
She would canter I would take a step backwards and she would do a flying leadchange on the circle, cantering one stride in counter canter and taking a flying lead change back.
What you mean dominant left brain introvert ;)?
While I stood there still flabbergasted she came in the circle, ears forwards, licking her lips and chewing and yawning. Oh my, oh my.....
Gotta sleep on that one. I´m still confused I have to admit....

Horsenality™ Is Not An Excuse!

Horsenality™ Is Not An Excuse!

Weekly Parelly Play Evening

4 happy horses and humans got together again yesterday evening to play. It sure is fun that we are that many now. More people are showing interest but then I think we will need to make two groups.
I built up different playstations again and supported were needed.
I got to play with Tinka - the friesian mare for a little bit cause Pat. had some troubles with the circling game - no surprise there with a lbi ;). It only took a few minutes though and Tinka would trot on a circle  - smart pony!
I started our playstation a bit early and warmed up at liberty - stick to me through all three gaites and both leads with lots of transitions. We played a little bit with the different playstations as well but mostly I focused on Milva being connected with me cause we both easily loose focus and start watching the other people instead ;).
Grazing time in the morning and after the playsession in the evening.
We started with a slow feeder net a few weeks ago and all the horses have lost lots of weight, almost too much when it comes to Milva! Also it doesn´t seem to work propberly cause the net is not a proper slow feeder net but instead a cheap homemade one. You get what you pay for ;).
I need to call the other girls today and inform them to at least lower the net when they are there and check it every time so the horses have something to eat all the time and not only to the afternoon as it is now. *little sigh coming out of me and rolling my eyes*

POOR PEOPLE ?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a tr...ip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'

'It was great, Dad.'

'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.

'Oh yeah,' said the son.

'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.

The son answered:

'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Wohooo Flying Leadchange On Both Leads :))

Undemanding time in the weekend with 1 hour of grazing. I just didn´t have the time nor the engergy to get a playsession in. A day just doesn´t have enough hours, especially when I have to work.
Today we played for 10minutes online and grazed for 1,5 hours. I had to wait for the ridinghouse to be empty and then I didn´t have more than 10min to play with her either way.
I warmed up with one lap of transitions each way, one lap of canter both direction and then I asked her for her first leadchange from the right to the left, which she also did only then she couldn´t hold her hooves still and had to buck and speed around me to flop on the ground behind me and there she waited, sitting down and I sware - smiling all over her face. Of course I couldn´t resist and had to give her cookies ;).
I asked her again to canter - right lead, actually she offered it, took a step back and she changed direction and lead :), continuing in a very relaxed and balanced canter so I thought I give it a try, stepped back again and she changed direction and lead - ears forwards and all proud of herself :)).
I quit there right now and rewarded with lots of scratches and cookies!
Best munsh pony ever!

Close Range Circles At Liberty

Short liberty session this morning. My goal was to get close range circles and bigger canter circles and one lay down. The whole session didn´t take longer than 10min. Perfect for a lbi ;).

Another Magnific Day

I had a super fun day with Anna today! We watched last years Celebration Dvd, talked Parelli alot, ate delicious food and icecream and went to the stable to play with Milva.
It was really hot here today and the ridinghouse felt like a sauna so I kept the playing session very short. We showed Anna our laydown and a flying leadchange :)))) - yeah for that! I asked her to change direction at canter again when she was on the right lead changing to the left lead. It looked like she totallly understood what I ment too. Super smart pony!! Of course we quit directly after that ;).
Our change of direction needs some improving from the left to the right lead though, no use to try a flying leadchange before we got change of direction perfect ;).
In the evening we went to a friend´s place and got rhubarb. I love rhubarb - strawberry season!

Hump Day - Parelli Play Day

                                       
                                       

In the early afternoon we took a 30min walk together with Helene and Dupont. Milva was in an awww the entire time and flirting with Dupont.
In the evening we had our weekly Parelli Play Day.
Milva offered a canter as soon as I asked her to circle. Big thing for a lbi. Only her idea was that it´s enough with one lap and then she would come in - ears forwards, when I asked her to continue she got very abset and would take off bucking and racing around. Well I get her point - there she offers the nicest, slowest, most collected and relaxed canter and when she tries to come in to get her cookie I send her away again - life is just not fair...lol... We compromised on one lap of canter and another one in trot and then I asked her in.
I also tried a flying lead change again but that didn´t work too well today. She was just too punky when cantering and wouldn´t use her brain enough. I only tried it twice though cause I could already see we wouldn´t get anywhere tonight. The first time she did do a flying leadchange for left to the right only she would take off bucking afterwards. I could see in her face that she knew what I expected of her but she just could not do it, all that energy needed to be released so off we went bucking around....
The second time she would break gait so then I decided to call it a day. I asked her another round of canter though before we quit so she doesn´t get the idea to always change direction now. I already can see that coming sooner or later ;).
She also laid down once behind my back when she was supposed to trot and waited innocently, sitting down, ears forwards looking all cute. Of course I couldn´t help it and gave her some cookies - no use telling me to not reward "bad" behaviour. When she gives me that cute look I simply can´t resist so now I can happily report to have tought her to break the circling game by simly laying down ;).
Tomorrow I´m gonna meet my Savvy sister Anna again who comes up all the way from far down south to meet us :) yeah!!