This weekend I had the immense pleasure of attending the very first Liberty and Horsenality clinic in Canada, put on by the one and only Fawn Anderson. Linda had taught this format before the Advanced GOC clinic in Zurich this spring/summer, and Fawn was there and brought us all the best parts that she learned! I will try to recreate the weekend as best I can :) It was fabulous and FULL FULL FULL of learning!
Saturday morning I went out to load up, I was feeding Mo and called all the other horses in - they were waaay out there, and somehow I got lucky enough that everyone thundered over :) Good start to the day! Since Mo is obviously not up to a whole weekend clinic, I took Indy with me. It was kind of a toss up. I thoguht about taking Zephyr, as a super start to Liberty with her, and Gambler to further our relationship and get Fawns help with, but I figured I would get the most out of the clinic if I took Spotty Pony, because other than Mo, she is my most advanced partner. Plus, she is so clever, she makes me look good ;) Or horrible... one of the two... Mostly, I just get distracted looking at her because shes so pretty and thats how it goes.
SO! We loaded up, headed out and arrived shortly at the clinic venue, which is only abotu a half hour away. Other than the ponies who arrived the night before, we were the first ones there. I unloaded Indy, handed her off to Laura - who was going to share the Indy for the weekend with me, and parked the trailer. Bless thy gooseneck, for it is back-able.
Laura played a little, while I sorted out paperwork, and then we swapped places and I got Indy settled in a stall while she did paperwork :) We had originally intended for one of us to to Saturday with Indy and the other play Sunday, but the way the clinic worked out, splitting up into two groups based on level, we both got to play both days! It was perfect!
The morning started out theory. YEY! I LOVE THEORY! I love knowing the whys and hows and whatsits that go into everything. Sure, I can go out and try it and feel it out for myself, but I LOVE having all the ammo in my brain to figure it out while Im out there without feeling like Im breaking new ground every time. Having only ever had a couple of clinics with Don Halladay, and one GOC clinic with Amy, I wasnt really sure what to expect. Fawn gave us an AMAZING theory session. Ask my notebook how many pages I scrawled out while she talked. Some of it just scribing what she said, other points just BFO's that I had as she spoke. I loved how it wasnt really "new" info, just more and more layers of filters to apply to what we already know about dealing with each horsenality.
OH! And also a new way to play stick to me, that doesnt involve micromanaging the horse to stay, or having everyone else chase the horse back to neutral[you] so that was super great. I felt really good as she was describing it, because I had sort of been experimenting with a very similar thing with Indy already, so it was cool to know that I was on the right track without knowing... if that makes sense?
So, super theory session under our belts, and divided into two groups of four, Group 1 went to get their horses! The goal was to warm up online, preparing for liberty, and using the model of Calm Connected, Responsive to give the horse what they needed so they could give us what we wanted. When the humans felt ready, they slipped off the halter and went to liberty. If the horse stayed, SUPER. The human would play some stick to me game and see what they could accomplish. If the horse left, then they would begin tracking their horse in Zone 5. Just following, tracking, not driving, not disengaging. It was Fawn and mines job to keep the horses trotting. Not cantering or galloping, fleeing pressure, just moving so the would look for an answer [and not turn and beat each other up]
Each time your respective horse would yeild you zone 1 a little, turn an ear, give you an eye, or make any kind of effort in your direction, you would arc away from them in a straighter line, when they werent, then you would arc in a more direct line behind zone 5. The horses were pretty fresh first thing on a chilly morning and galavanted for a while before starting to see a point to the humans following and reflecting their movements. Finally, each horses ended up following the appropriate human, and all was well! Debrief and LUNCH TIME!
Post lunch is was my turn to play with the spotty pony :D I was super excited. Laura and Indy did GREAT in the morning session, and I was really pumped to see what we could accomplish. We had a great warm up online, practiced our stick to me with a safety net, and practiced 'scooping' her up so she could keep up with me by her responsibility. *Scooping - when you turn to the outside, while maintaining your track, give them a moment to read the body language and intention for them to keep up and then 'scoop' them up with the stick and string by swining the stick back and having it come in to hug around the hock area*
Everything checked out online, so I went to liberty, and mostly things still went good. I was dull though, I wasnt engaging her, I had no plan and I lost her expression. This is typical for us. She will do stuff 'obediently' but her ears are back, shes doing it because I told her to, not because she wants to. I asked Fawn about this, how she was staying even though she looked lke she would rather be anywhere else, and Fawn suggested getting more provocative, pushing the boundaries, seeing if I could push enough that she finally 'had enough' and left on her own, without me sending her off, that way I could then track her, and have it be her idea to stick to me. Cool idea.
Off we went. As an afterthought now, I think I should have just gotten interesting with my energy and phases, but what I did was get interesting with my feet. I started moving faster. We ran around, well, I ran, she trotted, the arena, changing directions, stopping, backing up, a whole bunch of stuff! I was really actually quite surprised at how long it took her to leave. I asked a lot, she got interested. Hmm. she did leave though, and I got to tracking. She had played the game in the morning, and with me before too, so it didnt take that long, but it felt long? It felt long because I was feeling guilty about having MADE her stay. I want her to WANT to be beside me, not stnad beside while muttering grumpy curses under her breath.
When she connected, we just went right back about our business and she didnt leave again until I asked for a circle, then she left for half the arena and went "Oh wait, my human is over there" and came back to claim me, like some lost baggage on the carousel or something. Funny horse.
When everyone reconnected with their horse, Fawn had us halter up and show her our yo-yo game, so we could prepare for canter draw! Indy was sluggish. I knew she could do better, but thats what I got in the moment, because my energy was scattered. We played with refining our phases and using the PROMISE of pressure to motivate them, without actually having to go to the high phases hopefully. INTENSITY was the name of the game! Boy did Indy wake up! She didnt quite get to marching back the way I know she can, but she did scoot :D
Then we got taught a really cool drawing technique to encourage a speedy, exuberent draw. First, you yo-yo them out, then add a push to the shoulder and draw them on an arc while asking for speed through the shoulder. The idea is not to have them come to you on a straight line, but a slight curve so they can power up and use that curve to get the right placement for power.
When I think about it in my head, I get it. When I try it, Indy looks at me like Im a spaz, tries a canter, and I get so happy I release even though Im not sure what happened. Im still figuring out the execution, but I can definatley see how cool this could be!
Day one debrief after our session closes, and its home time for me and the Sportty face! It was so refreshing to be in the learning zone again! I LOVE LOVE LOVE to learn! Sometimes I wish I could just travel around to all the different clinics [or Florida, or Colorado] and go to them all, and just keep studying. When I win the lottery. :D
We came home, unloaded, cleaned up, turned out and called it a night. Morning came again and the routine repeated. I somehow got lucky again, when I called the ponies, maybe they were cold, but they all galloped in again! Poor Indy was all shivery because it was a whole 3 degrees or something and she didnt get the memo about needing a coat soon. I gave her a cooler for the drive and parked her tied in the sunshine when we arrived. She stopped shivering after that :) Poor sleek horsey!
For Sunday we had a shorter theory session, though no less packed with super information.Our focus of the day was "how are we going to be different after yesterday, and what is our plan" forming around the tasks of circles and figure eights. Cool. Once again, group 1 was first, and it was great to watch the strategies applies for those horses. I really liked being able to watch what was going on with everyone, and not just needing to focus on my own horse [I was also glad that my own horse wasnt a rafter monkey, since it was her first official clinic other than being in Florida!]
When it was our turn, we warmed up, looking for calm connected, responsive on a corners pattern. Like I said, my stick to me is wandering and doing transitions, so I set myself up on a corners pattern, and when we got to the corner, we stopped. This produced lots of licking and chewing and checking in [presumably to see where I found some leadership from] It was good though! When we went to liberty it was much of the same, and if she fell behind, I could scoop her up without her taking offence. The expression went a little bit, so then I started playing with more intensity, and I got her back, which was very cool.
Everyone went back online for the figure eight/circle part, and due to space,we went two at a time. The first two to go did their thing while I did little yo-yo plays with Indy in the corner and then it was our turn! First we played with having an effective send, using the promise of pressure and when that was good, we introduced the figure eight. I figured out a whole new level of refinement, and not doing more than she does. OH and also, not adding pressure accidentally but heading back to center before she crosses X. Lots of ear changes! Much less grumpy and micromanaged feeling pony I think :D
Once again, lunch and debrief and then we went into individual sessions in the round corral with Fawn, after some very cool change of direction simulations. Gotta love Conga Horses! Somehow I ended up going last. But thats ok. We went in and did our thing, halter off at the gate, walk across the centre to test connection and see if they are with you. Well, like almost every other horse, Indy stopped to smell the poops by the gate. POOP is more interesting than me.... ouch. ;)
Off to tracking I went, and it wasnt long before she caught up with me, which was nice. When I was sure she was with me, we headed to the center of the corral to show seven games in three minutes or less [which she rocked at, and I felt great about her!] and then we went onto checking out our circle send and then the figure eight. She rocked it all :) I was so proud of her! Once she was connected and it was her idea, she was right there with me.
At the end, Fawn asked if there was anything else I wanted to do, so I asked about spins and how to know if you are ready. I have always kind of been confused about how those work at speed and just end up confusing my horse and breaking my change of direction. The answer was refine your change of direction until its so easy its basically a rollback, and then create a box-step to just keep talking to zone one all the way around. She also showed me a way to teach it online, which I cant think of how to descibe in words without showing? Anyway, she did a few simulations with me, to set me up for when I am ready, and it was great, really made sense and put into place those few things I was confused on.
Then it was over :( I was the last person to go, and after a debrief, we all went our separate ways. Two days just isnt long enough for me ! I want MORE! Hopefully when she comes back in the spring, there will be another topic clinic I can take! I just LOVED her teaching style. It really suits me and my unquenchable thirst for more knowledge. There were so many times where I was going to ask a question, but then on the next sentence, Fawn would already be answering them. She is just a fountain of information!
It always fascinates me how different everyones teaching style is. Having been mostly exposed to Don Halladay in a clinic situation [ok, twice] he is very much a "Heres the task, go play, come back with questions" kind of teacher, which works great for me on some subjects. Fawn was very individualized, with LOADS of info and tips and thoughts which I LOVED! Plus, it doesnt hurt that she was so recently so close to the source [Linda] so she had all the latest tips and thoughts Linda has been playing with!
Homeward bound we were, then. Indy loaded up a little snorty, so I have put her on a trailer loading programme again. Load, eat a snack, hang out, go back to pasture. Just to make sure that she doesnt revert to her trailer loading terror of her previous life. I decided to load Zephyr and Gambler today too. Both were super stars, though scared the crap out of me with mild choke cases [ I think] when they gobbled the cruch out of the bucket to fast. Some quick head down combined with water syringing ddown the throat and everything turned out alright, but jebus that was scary. Really now ponies, CHEW! Suffice to say, those two wont be finding crunches as a reward anymore... though Indy has never had any trouble? Go figure. The LBE's get over food enthusiastic.
To finish, here is a poem Fawn suggested we look up -
:)
S
1 comments:
Sounds like you had an awesome time :) xoxoxo It constantly amazes me how much you love to accomplish and learn - I'm very VERY proud of you !! xoxox Love Mom
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