Leadership and Personal Development Clinic with Dancin Pete and Jerry Williams!

Wow. It was amazing. Thats all.


....


Just kidding.

It all started on Tuesday last week [well, really, it all started months and months ago, planning, but I wont bore you with that] Tuesday, Kara and I met up at Costco to buy the food for the lunches, and headed to Little Creek Ranch to set everything up for Wednesday - Clinic check in AND Demo/Community night! Whoo !

Wedensday morning came, and I loaded up my demo partner - who was Indy, because Mo is still recuperating and from the Anemia thing. Poor Mo :( Lucky for me, Indy was mostly really clean, and we took off for Russell, to pick up the lovely Tristan, for Roxy, and then head over to Ashton, to the Ranch. We arrived in good time, its about an hours drive from Roxy's barn to the facility.

Noon, day one, two ponies unloaded and vehicles ready out of the way for escape later in the evening. Indy hung out in a pasture, making eyes at Beaux [one of the horses who lives at the facility] and Tristan was happy in his pen. Off to work for Roxy and I! Setting up, getting organized, helping people unload and taking paperwork!

It was a great reuinion for the local Parelli Community. We really should have more things like this. It was just so so so nice to see everyone, to catch up, and just for all of us to get together! So, fast forward a little, and most everyone had arrived, and it was time to meet before the evening started, to lay out the demo. We had four instructors on hand with horses, to represent our area, plus Pete acting as MC, and Jerry watching the whole endeavour.

I was able to bring Indy into the arena before the actual demo, which was good because OH BOY there was some right brain hanging out with us!! She tried really hard, and did really well with the warm up, still tight, but trying so hard to connect. I hoped that once we sat 100 people, we would maintain some of that! The plan for the demo was to go in Savvy Team style, and have a couple of songs for all of us to play to, and then have Ron do a spotlight with his two fabulous horses.

The evening started at 6, but the demo wasnt until 7:30, so we had lots of warmup time. Indy was pretty much buzzing with all the energy from the people, but she was far more connected to me than I thought she would be, so that was really great. We went into the outdoor arena attached to the indoor to warm up, while we waited for our turn. It was pretty obvious that Jeanette and I had the extroverts of the team. While we were out moving our ponies feet, Ron and Judy had their ponies hanging out, standing still, too funny. Indy would have stood if I asked [whoo!] but it would have be a tight kind of going-RBI standstill, so we opted for moving.

Finally it was our turn to head into the arena! OH BOY! Indy and I headed in second, behind Judy and her lovely boy, Dreamer. Indy took one look around and got super squirrley tight. Interestingly though, it wasnt head up tight. It was head down-looky tight. Humph. Dont know that Ive seen her do that before. It was interesting. So we walked slowly to the other end of the arena, doing little stick to me transitions, and then we ended up at some cones and did a little figure eight. It started really exagerated, with me moving a lot, then refined to me moving less as she tried to connect more. And then there was a ball.

The big green ball was more or less in her way, and about the fourth time around she just wanted to stop and check it out, so I allowed it. Turns out Indy like to eat green balls. Too funny! She stopped, she sniffed it, kind of bopped it around with her nose, and then decided it looked yummy and tried to take a big BITE out of the thing! What a goober.

We played with a little push the ball, go to the pedestal, jump the barrels, stop halfway over, go to the tarp, back on the trailer and then our time was supposed to be over, but Jeanette just got on Toby, so we were granted another song [I think it turned into three] so I decided to mount up too. I had my halter and 12' line on, so I just went one rein style. I was in the pedestal-free zone of the arena though, so I had to pretend I was athletic and mount from the ground. Thank you middle sized pony!

We did some follow the rail, transitions, bullseye around the pedestal, get up four feet on the pedestal, and then Ron played circling game around us which was cool. Then our time was up for real, and we all left the play area, and Indy survived her first demo! GO SPOTTY PONY!!

I quickly took her back to her pen, stuffed her full of cookies and untacked so I could head back and watch Ron's spotlight, which was amazing. He had Rambler bridleless and Buck at liberty together riding around. Thats the kind of stuff I see in my future with Zephyr and Mo.

And so the evening came to a close, everyone parted ways and headed home. Our community night was a huge success, and a perfect kick off to what would be a great week full of learning!!

Thursday morning started early, and it was COLD! Roxy and I carpooled to the clinic location from my house to be there for 7:30. I started on sorting out lunch, since that was my task, and had the best help ever from Karen and Donna and Paul. Thank goodness for volunteers! They were the best for the whole clinic! Between all of us that first day, somehow people got fed. They pretty much took over after that. For which I am grateful! 

The clinic itself started at 9am. We had a full house in the classroom, with 12 participants with horses, ten auditors and four local instructors!
This is a quote from the very start of the clinic - it pretty much set the tone [to amazing!] for the whole weekend!

Pete Rodda on the learning process- "The harder things are the better the opportunity to learn. True learning happens when you make mistakes, so embrace your mistakes! Be confident in your choices. Leadership requires quick and decisive decisions. And if you make a mistake, embrace it and know you have just become a better leader!"

We started a pattern of getting excited about our mistakes. We applauded, we WHOOHOO'ed, cheered, anything. Just made mistakes a positive experience, something to learn from and not feel badly about. Sure put a different feel in the air. How cool would it be if schools did that? Instead of feel terrible about your F, you get excited about how much more you can learn? Food for thought.

Jerry started us with a talk about visualiztion, and characteristics of a Leader.

• Leaders have the ability to visualize the future
• Leaders have the ability to communicate that vision to others
• Leaders have the ability to motivate others to participate in that vision

How interesting is that? How true. For example: Kara had a vision of this whole clinic. She knew what she wanted, and who she wasnted to lead it [Jerry and Pete] She communicated that to Roxy and I, and from there, onto our local Parelli community. She motivated the thirtyish people present to take part in her vision to make the clinic a reality! How cool is that?

For your horse, the plan looks a little like this:

• Have a plan of where you want to go
• Make a plan to get there
• Motivate the horse to participate

In the end, everything we do will reflect smaller portions of our overall vision for ourselves, horsemanship or otherwise.

After finishing up with visualizing our horsemanship journey and goals, Pete went on to talk about Brick Wall vs Feather. Are you the immovable Brick Wall, being the energy force that moves your horse? Or are you the Feather, that drifts in the wind, being moved by your horse. That was really interesting. I think I am a pretty alright Brick Wall, I rarely move for my horses, but there were some really interesting examples of people who started out as Feathers and learned how to be a Brick Wall! Huge changes in horses and humans, and its only day one!

Day two was all about communication. Communicate your vision to your horse! They talked about the concept of Teach, Control, Reinforce, Refine, which was super. Any time you are with your horse you are doing one of those things.

There was a great pre-ride and then riding demo after lunch.

Something stuck out to me about the 9 step backup that I thought I would share - The horse shouldnt start moving until step number 8 - your seat activating - everything before should just be flexion. For some reason this really resonated with me, and I really like having it broken down that much, since it makes sense to me - especially advancing!

Pete also had a great quote about getting things right - "Most people do something until they get it right, true professionals do something until they cant get it wrong"  Another something to think about.

On day three we did a liberty exercise really similar to what went on at the clinic with Fawn, except in a much larger arena, and one at a time. It was a really cool experience. One of the horses, who seems to be fairly introverted, belonged to a fairly extroverted and very athletic girl. It was the coolest thing to see that when he went looking for her, and she powered up, turned and ran, drawing him to her, he just POWERED up and GALLOPED to her. She was so athletic [marathon runner] that they actually kept pace together. He got so interested in her, that they could play on the same level, that he was riveted with her after that.  She would turn hard and fast and run the other way once he was with her, and he would just sit and spin and take off hell bent after her. It was just pure joy to watch.

During that lesson, I was the person who got to bring people back their halters once the horses connected with them. My job was to do it without drawing the horse. At first I failed epically. As soon as I thought in their direction, the horses had ear and eyes on me. I wasnt even doing anything!? Pete called me the BlackHole - drawing all their attention. OOPS. I think the last two horses I managed to somewhat think myself invisible and not catch those horses attentions. It is way harder than you think to be invisible to a horse!

Day four was wrap up day :( We did an exercise about how making the steps to your vision, and also played with the dreaded Helium Stick. If you dont know what this is, take this moment to be grateful for your ignorance. If you do, you understand. Jeanette and I sat this one out for a reason. Too funny!

Then it was over, for most of the participants. Rain started in the afternoon, our stretch of good weather luck ran out apparently. A lucky few [ me included!!!!] got to stay until Monday to have a private session with either Jerry or Pete. So, Monday morning, I loaded up again, and brought my spotty pony back to the 5 star hotel at Little Creek Ranch, and shared an AMAZING lesson with Jeanette and Toby.

We both worked on completely different things, and somehow, it still worked out great. Pete helped up both tons. Well, me for sure at least. TONS AND TONS AND TONS! I have been trying to figure out Indy and her braciness for...e ver... and I know its in me, but I never knew what to fix. Pete watched us for two minutes, told me two or three things to change, and all of a sudden, my high headed, bracy monster turned into a stretching, blowing, even tempo wonder-horse. Well Ill be damned. I was shocked.. and giddy! I hugged my pony and apologized and played with it again.

When I felt like I had that, Pete challenged me with some new turning ideas, and lightness in the go button - Lightness in the GO button for the RBE you ask? Well, yes. It can always be refined! So we played with that, walk/stop, then trot/stop and canter/stop. We were having technical difficulty with leads, so then I got to play with some flexions in motion, which is perfect for Miss Brace, and I cant believe I didnt think of it before. Sometimes, you really do just need another set of eyes. Which was exactly my thoughts going into the lesson. I know, if I pick away at things long enough, they will come together, but having someone else see - that can speed things up and show you things you never knew before!

So today, when I went out to play with Indy, I warmed up differently. I used the power of my belly button and energy, I refined everything time ten and it was AWESOME! She was so tuned in, so focused, so FAST! I think it was the shortest, but strongest/best warmup Ive ever done with her. Our ride was also amazing. Just as amazing as our lesson. I decided that Pete is a genius. It was exactly what I needed with Indy. Perfect, just perfect!

Im not saying our cantering is perfect now, but if I get ME right, it sure is way better! Indy is a great meter of how well I am doing, because if I lose it, her head pops up and she gets bracy again, I get it right and she flows and stretches down. Go figure. Sensitive pony 1, S -0.

I also had THE BEST play with Mo today. Could be because I didnt get to play with her lately because she has been sick, or maybe I really am supercharged with new knowledge now :D We played for maybe twenty minutes, all just little things, like Pete's version of the figure eight using your belly button, and then some little liberty - it was the first time I was able to play with tracking zone five with her. On the figure eight I dont think I ever picked up my stick, and she was perfect. At liberty I think I blew her mind. It was the first time in a looooooong time that inside the round pen she didnt go RBI. She was curious, she was confident, and when it was her idea finally, to be with me, holy cow did she want to be with me! She was trotting to catch up, she was cantering when I ran away, she was offering me close range trotting circles... and then she yawned and blew out. A whole bunch. I love it.

Thank goodness for these two events here, so close to home this month. They have both completely revolutionized me and my horsemanship thoughts. I really needed the re-inspiration I think. The goal of this whole clinic was to bring a little bit of the Parelli Ranch to our home, and I think we did. It was just so cool having my friends from the ranch - Pete and Jerry - come to my 'backyard' as it were.

Theres something to be said about getting a whole bunch of like minded people together for a week. Something good indeed! There is already talk of a 'next year'.,... so we shall see how that plays out!

 :)
S