Riding In Open Spaces & Overcoming Thresholds

Jamie Greenebaum sent us this great blog about attending a clinic with 3 Star Parelli Professional Avery Gauthier and overcoming her thresholds at the clinic. Enjoy!

Cici steps off the trailer at Avery’s farm with every footstep firmly left-brained. Even Avery is surprised. She (Cici) is focused on me and isn’t the least bit phased by the four geldings in the clinic. They, on the other hand, are all immediately taken with this blond girl! All four drop their tongues when they see her.

Initially I am a bit shaky and tell Avery that I am at the edge. She asks, “What can I do to help?” With that simple question, I know all will be fine.

We play in this huge indoor arena. We play outside on a sandy arena and on grass. Tall, tall grass that has not been mowed. Cici is so left-brained that I am wondering where my usually right-brained horse went. When we finally move over to circle on the grass, she stops to eat; when I ask her to keep going, she displays her Blonde Bombshell Ballet (bucking, leaping and galloping). I can laugh and ask her to keep moving those feet. She settles back quickly.

In the afternoon we saddle up and again start out in the indoor. Avery talks to the people in the clinic about introverts and Cici. How they look so calm, cool, and collected and then can explode without warning. No one had noticed Cici’s BBB earlier.

Asking Cici to trot and maintain the trot is a challenge. She starts off okay but quickly starts to argue with me about stick to the rail. I politely ask her to go back to the rail but she has other ideas. So I go with her ideas and turn toward the center of the arena and do direct-to-indirect disengagement. Quicker and quicker. It takes a while before Cici begins to reconsider leaving the rail. Same with asking for trot. What I come away with is the importance of out-persisting her. This is another threshold for me – that I can indeed out-persistent her.

Her trot is more relaxed. Not a jarring up and down trot, but a smooth, flowing trot. Avery comments on it. Clearly it’s Cici’s mind being more relaxed – not worrying and thinking – and it’s being expressed in her movement. How cool is that?!

Day Two: we again start out On Line in the indoor, then move quickly outside. I am more confident and have Cici circling half on the sand and half on the grass. The footing is a bit wet and uneven and again she displays her BBB for everyone’s benefit – much bigger this time. Avery suggests the falling leaf pattern, so off we go across the grass. So much space to play with. I can really ask for her attention, keep those feet moving, change of direction, maintain gait. What a blast!

In the afternoon, we are ready for our trail ride. Avery gives us tools for impulsive horses (direct & indirect reins, hind end disengagement), for horses who are upset about other horses passing, like Cici (turn their noses toward the offending horse and move them away sideways), and what to do when we come to a huge open field (form a big circle  with everyone facing inward, and let the horses eat the grass).

It’s an amazing two days. So much to think about and things to play with. Excited that Cici handled everything so well.

When we finally get home and I open up the trailer, Cici is a raving Right-Brain Extrovert! Head up like a giraffe, soaking wet, screaming her head off and wanting to GET OFF THE TRAILER immediately. She just about plows right though me! Where did she come from? Maybe I loaded up the wrong horse?

The next morning, I am at the barn at feeding time. I gather up her hay and walk into her paddock. Mary is on the other side of the fence feeding Cici’s girlfriend, Casey. Cici does not even acknowledge me! She nickers to Mary. I am standing right in her paddock, two flakes of hay in my arms and she is ignoring me! Mary leaves and Cici looks right at me and turns her butt to me and just stands there!

Totally blowing me off. She NEVER turns down hay. I am not going to put it down until she comes to me. (By the way, Casey has grabbed one mouthful and is totally torn about what to do – stand by his woman or eat). We have a stand off. Finally she turns and walks to me and reaches out to take a small bite. Not a greedy bite, a teeny tiny bite. Who is this mare and what has she done with my beloved Cici?!

I put the hay down and she walks over and eats. I leave her alone for about 20 minutes and then come back to the paddock with her halter. We need to re-establish some respect, some relationship. She does not even pick up her head. I start swinging my rope. She eventually leaves her hay and goes to the water trough. Now this is something I always allow – it usually goes that she looks at me as I enter the paddock, leaves her hay and gets a drink before coming over to be haltered.

Today she drinks… chews… looks at me… chews some more… takes another drink… thinks about it, and walks two steps towards me. She then turns sharply to go to the hay! Ah ha, the Catching game is on! She winds up running into the shed – “You can’t be behind me now!” She just stands in the doorway looking at me. And I stand looking at her. A Massachusetts standoff. I keep looking at her and finally – finally, oh so slowly – she walks out of her shed to me.

I remember thinking when I signed up for this clinic, “Two full days with Cici. We’ll take our relationship to a whole new level.” That’s for sure – but she never stops testing me either!

Tagged as: Jamie Greenebaum, Parelli Media