Parelli workshop with Russell Higgins & Jo Bates

Last week-end 15/16 June I participated in another Parelli workshop near Marmande. You're probably bored of reading about them but this time was a bit different as we brought over the big guns in the form of Russell Higgins, a 4* Instructor. He's from New Zealand but does a tour in Europe and UK each year. I looked him up beforehand, there's some video of him jumping one of his horses bareback & bridleless with another alongside at liberty and other impressive stuff; but he wasn't coming here to do a display so I didn't know quite what to expect or what would be different or better than our usual sessions with our favourite fun 2* Jo Bates. Russell was a quiet, calm person, easy to be around for humans and horses but there was no doubting his ability to be respected. He had a good sense of humour too; and was a sympathetic teacher with a few ideas outside the box which was very helpful and refreshing, showing you could develop your own style and variations within the method.

Russell, me, Jo

Firstly, what was different was that a Parelli 4* attracted a lot of attention on the French side and word went round the équitation éthologique circles in south-west France, bringing in several people from within the French system who were diploma'd Saveur 3 / 4; even instructing themselves. The interesting thing when talking to them is that they thought Parelli was the best learning system, they just don't usually have access to it except via DVDs and internet. I made some new contacts which I'm happy about, as one of them lives not far away, near Cahors, and he himself organises stages, in fact he organised one in March with Andy Booth which I only heard about afterwards when I read about it in the newspaper; hopefully next time I'll know in advance. Russell knows Andy from their days at the Parelli ranch in Colorado.
 

The whole week-end was well organised and planned. Russell took the lead role, with Jo assisting him; they were both always ready to explain or check how we were doing and offer support. It was all very professional, reflecting the importance that Parelli puts on training instructors and presenting themselves to students and the public. We started the day in the classroom with notepads at 09h00. With Jo, we are usually more laid-back, starting when everyone's ready and present; so when I arrived at 09h15 (which was pretty good for me, with a 2 hour drive) I was told I was late, although nobody had given me a start time).

Russell introduced himself and Jo, and asked us all to briefly introduce ourselves and say why we were there, what level we were at and our goals, and what we hoped to get out of the week-end. Although most of the French spoke a little English, Steffi & Carole did a great job translating whenever necessary, and Jo made an impressive effort too.

The classroom session proceeded with Russell asking us to recall the four motivators for horses: safety, comfort, food/incentives and play, and the importance of recognising which of these were foremost in the horse's mind at any given time.  If the horse is worried about his safety he may not be able to do things for you but once he has confidence in you and that you are going to look after his needs, he will do things with you and for you.

This moved us on to the three L's: Love, Language and Leadership (in equal measure; never one more than the other). If things start to go wrong, we need to go back to these and identify which one is broken, and repair and rebalance. These relate directly to the first three games in Parelli, which are usually in this order: Friendly game, Porcupine game (response to direct pressure), and Driving game (implied or rhythmic pressure); all three need to be in balance. Leadership equals respect, this may need to come first; we had an example of this later in the day.

In teaching and playing with your horse, there are 4 stages of development: teaching, control, reinforcement, refinement. Not necessarily occurring in this order.

We should think about where the horse is at and which of these we are doing, and adapt our strategy accordingly. If we ask the horse to do something and he resists, does he understand the task? If not, and (for example) we are still teaching, we would use our phases of asking differently (long slow phases). Our actions or reactions would be different according to where the horse is at in his confidence and education. If we are fairly sure the horse knows what we are asking (and we are asking it clearly and calmly) and he doesn't respond appropriately, we may need to reinforce (phase 1 then moving quickly through 2 & 3 to phase 4). Question asked: how do you get a light P1? Answer: by having an effective P4. Refining comes later, your P1 would get less & less. There may be moments when we need to control the horse by bringing your energy up fast. 

So we can think of 4 words to describe the application of our phases depending on where the horse is at or what we are doing with him.

Teaching : Slow... (slow clear phases and lots of support)

Control : Now! (the horse needs to move right now; it may save his life or yours in an emergency, so you need to be able to react, and do as much as it takes quickly)

Reinforcement : Later (when he is confident, your phases or cues would be much more subtle)

Refinement : Always (always looking to refine and improve)

We went outside and did some practical exercises, using as an example, asking a horse to back up. We did this as a simulation, the halter tied to the hitching rail. Each of us had to ask the" horse" to back up in 3 different ways and the onlooker had to guess what we were doing e.g. were we demonstrating control, teaching etc. because if the onlookers couldn't see what we intended, then the horse isn't going to! This was a really useful exercise and I will be thinking about it when I'm with my horse.

Because Russell is a 4* he is qualified within the instructor programme to teach more students at once than is Jo, who is less experienced. This is because of safety; especially with a mixed level group and a lot of horses, things may go wrong. There were a couple of young horses today and it was strange and unsettling for them all; even the resident ones were behaving out of character because their habits were upset by the presence of new horses and people. 

On Saturday morning we all took our horses out so we were 8 in the arena, and Russell wore a microphone so we could all hear him. At first we played with our horses to warm up, ensuring we had them yielding and responsive backwards, forwards, hind and forequarter yields all equally balanced. As we would prepare for riding.

Some of the tasks which I found particularly helpful: (Notes for me, but others might find useful too!)

Sideways off fingertip pressure (Porcupine game); finding the sideways button on the horse's side, somewhere between the forehand yield button and the hindquarter yield position (being equivalent to leg aids); Russell showed me how, by not taking the hand off in between, it would  help both me and the horse to find the sideways button and have a smoother movement sideways.

Driving game with back-up and roll-over: a useful practical exercise for control and respect. Set off across field or arena with your horse alongside, driving from zone 3 as in riding position; focus on a point the other side of the field. Halfway, turn to horse and ask for hindquarter yield with a 180° turn on the forehand, then back up (you are now facing horse) a few steps (gets hq's engaged and under) then "roll over" move, drive the front end away and round 180° from you so you end up leading from the other side; continue straight to your end point on the opposite fence. Eventually this should be one smooth continuous movement in a straight line, without stopping. Doing it a few times creates a pattern which helps you and the horse. Remember to keep focused on the destination.

Neutral lateral flexion and wrap-around: stay at the drive line (shoulder); throw rope over horse's head & hold loosely under chin; throw rest over body to wrap around above hocks. Ask for flexion (head turns away from where you're standing to flex opposite side); if horse moves use the hand under chin to tap far side of neck with rhythmic pressure to stop drift; rub other hand on side and follow drift until horse stops moving and relaxes; once the horse can stay flexed without moving, you can continue to the wrap-aroud and unwind the horse away and towards you. Remember the horse should do the moving of his feet.

Stop eating grass / permission to eat: have a cue, like raising your hand or a vocal cue. With training stick, tap (steady rhythmic pressure) on horse's croup until he raises his head; once you have this response understood, you can develop a cue to allow or invite him to eat; based on the cue to lower head that you will already have. Russell suggested pressing on the neck near the withers, as you might use this when riding too.

Backing up straight: I have trouble with this. Russell's suggestion was to develop direction contol when backing up off fingertips on nose, by directing each foot and using the head to steer. He said if I can back the horse arond a figure 8 it will improve straightness; watch this space!

In another task, this came up again; this time I was in zone 3 alongside the horse, we were again doing back-up and roll-over and Polly would turn her forehand into me, causing the hq's to swing out and she'd go crooked. Driving the front end away would swing the back end towards me and straighten her up; in theory... I also had trouble asking Polly to go through the gap between barrels; interestingly, the only horses to make a scene about this were the two resident horses, Polly & Bliss, who see these barrels daily! Polly would not go through them and tested my nerve by crowding on top of me as I tried to straighten her to face the obstacle. She managed to unnerve me sufficiently that I decided I wasn't ready to ride her this afternoon as planned. Instead, Jo came and helped me with some gymnasticising which got her stepping under and away from me, but by the time I felt confident with her again, it was too late to join the ridden group.

Sunday:

After a short 09h00 classroom session introducing the auditors who had joined today, and a recap of yesterday and a chance to ask questions, we all took our horses out into the arena.

The plan was that those who wished to ride would do so at the end of the afternoon. Until then, we would work as a group. The exercises were towards preparation for riding, so a lot of Porcupine game: backing up from fingertip pressure on the nose; going sideways; flexions and rein positions from the ground; direct rein & indirect rein. Also some circling game; first checking we could ask the horse to maintain gait and direction for 4 circles (two of the four responsibilities of the horse); once that was solid, we introduced transitions, looking for snappy departures in upward and downward transitions. Russell demonstrated a useful sideways exercise developed from circling whereby the handler stands on the fence line, asks for a half-circle, turn and half-circle the other way. When the horse passes your hip you start to move, ready to drive them sideways as they come to the fence, thus maintaining impulsion for sideways.

The general afternoon session finished with a fun challenge with obstacles. We had to stand on a brick, behind poles on the ground in line with us to form a marker, facing the line of barrels, and bring our horse into the marked zone, turn and jump the barrels, use hq yield to stop and turn the horse to jump the barrels again, with another stop and turn towards you, all without leaving the brick. Points were gained or lost for you or the horse. The winner was Sophie, who completed the challenge easily. Second was Liz with Bliss, thus ending the day on a good note, having been very challenging all week-end and more than once managed to pull away and come & stand next to her mate Polly. I got pulled off my brick after the second jump and as Polly stepped out of the markers I was eliminated. As she's pretty big, I did well considering and nearly got her through!

I was thankful to take Polly back to her box and relax and watch Sophie and Marina ride.

After mounting with Savvy, Russell coached them in emergency dismounts, before moving on to turns and direct / indirect rein exercises and upward & downward transitions with snappy departures, bringing up the energy in phases. Also the 9-stage back-up... Finally he set up an exercise to help the horse & rider depart on the correct lead at canter, using two barrels by the fence.

Sunday was hot and we were all tired but happy; it was an excellent well-organised week-end, thanks to Liz, Carole and Richard (the latter making sure everyone including horses was supplied with cool drinking water, chairs and shade). We hope to get Russell back again next year; in the meantime we have another workshop booked with Jo in September. Lots to think about and practise on my own horses before then!

Readers please note that this is my personal record of the workshop and how I understood the tasks and techniques; I may have misunderstood or misrepresented certain things, I am a student and am not qualified to offer coaching or advice on the Parelli method, and I do not represent the organisation.

 ***

So how was our 4* Instructor different? One thing I always tell Parelli-sceptics is to watch the people coming up through the programme, those that have learned under Pat Parelli but develop their own style and approach; by the time they get to 3* upwards these are the horsemen and women to watch. If you don't like the cowboy hat and ponytail, look beyond them at the horsemen they are producing... Many are now stars in their own right, out there making the world a better and more interesting place for horses and humans. Go see them if you get the chance.

Tayenne

Fina and Lucie had settled well together, but in April I upset everything when Lucie went to stay on a farm with a herd of Camargues where there is a Camargue stallion, and I brought home one of their mares on loan to keep Fina company, and to play with and provide a bit of experience for.  I first met Tayenne in the winter and had thought of buying her, but then the possibility to have Seraphina arose. Tayenne was very unsettled the first few days, it was the first time she'd been away from the security of the herd so it was very traumatic for her, and she and Fina didn't get on. Fina missed Lucie, and Tayenne didn't see Fina as a friendly  companion and didn't have any reason to stick around in the strange surroundings, especially as Fina didn't exacty make her feel welcome, and on three occasions, put her under so much pressure she broke through the electric fencing. Eventually things settled down and Fina and Tayenne get along okay now they know each other better, although Fina still herds Tayenne around, moving her from behind, if she gets the chance. Tayenne now seems to put herself in Fina's way, or in a corner knowing she will be chased but is faster than Fina so it has become almost a game for her. She doesn't appear to really respect Fina; she moves out of her way but with attitude. She challenges before yielding; there is a lot of making faces at each other. Not at all the same as with Lucie and Fina. When Lucie tells Fina to move, she moves. Lucie puts Fina in the foal position, and Fina accepts, staying a couple of paces behind Lucie unless I invite her forward. Fina moves Tayenne out of her way, chases her from behind, herds her round the field; it's more territorial.

When Tayenne first arrived, it was clear she hadn't been handled as much as I'd believed, or rather, not had not learned to be light in hand, not to push, she didn't respect space, she leans onto you & into you, expecting scratches without asking, and above all she pushes through pressure. The first thing she needed to know for everyone's safety was to yield to pressure. She didn't know she could learn things from humans and had no idea of respecting them; she didn't think that humans could be interesting; that to listen to their ideas and do things and be given responsibilities was more fun than than just lazing in the field. That hands could do more than just scratch your head. But that you didn't push people around.

At first she was too stressed to be able to think and just being asked to walk through a gate (and being expected to do so without pushing into me) would have her head high and her muscles tense, or head on the floor, pawing and grabbing mouthfuls of earth. Even so, she wanted to be with people and would hide behind me when Fina was being bossy (before she learned not to fear Fina, and to stand up to her). As she became familiar with her surroundings and routine, and could think of other than her safety, I was able to start to teach her to yield to touch and pressure; initially her reaction was resistance to doing anything asked of her, like a spoilt child, but very quickly she discovered that responding was more rewarding; she soon understood fore and hind quarter yields, porcupine and driving game and started to give me space when walking her around. With respect came lightness and we developed the driving game from different zones when out on walks on line with Fina. On the first walks, Tayenne was a snorting dragon, everything was suspicious, but she is a brave bold little horse, has no difficulty walking ahead; despite the snorting, she is very forward and has a lovely long light stride, and after a while she blows out, her head comes down and she settles. She listens and takes her lead from me, so after an outing where I led Fina from zone 3 (as if I was riding) with Tayenne alongside, I felt ready to ride Fina and lead Tayenne. The first ride and lead went perfectly, proving that prior and proper preparation pays off! Tayenne stayed close to my knee, didn't pull and followed happily. Fina, when not allowed to get behind Tayenne, is perfectly happy with her alongside in zone 4. I have started putting things on her back and leading her from alongside, she doesn't overreact. Whether I will get as far as backing her or how long I will keep her is still undecided.

Rapport, respect, impulsion, flexion

Rapport, respect, impulsion, flexion

The leading theme of the week-end workshop I attended near Marmande on 27/28 May, once again with Jo Bates, 2* Parelli Pro instructor. We started with a discussion of what each of these mean and ways to try to achieve each of them with our horses. Also thinking about how to adapt our strategies to refine the tasks and support our horses in performing them; being particular without being critical, assertive not aggressive, looking for how the horse was responding, not just overall but with each step or each time asked - was he trying with effort, or just going through the motions with his mind elsewhere?

I began to see these 4 elements as a stairway of progress, started on the ground and leading to and carried on in riding, and I saw an improved attitude in the horse I was playing with; Polly got interested in the task and forgot the grass. From being disinterested and looking elsewhere, or eating,  I got two eyes and two ears; this was feeling like rapport and respect, and the result was she put more effort and thought into her movements, which foot she moved and where she placed it; the whole thing then becomes how little can you do to convey to the horse what you are asking, and she was looking for the solution, we were communicating and both enjoying it.

Some of the challenges included sitting on barrels and backing the horse up between two cones on the 22' line; and getting 2 circles at trot in both directions with a change of direction in between. We gave ourselves marks out of ten, not looking for perfection but aiming to improve by a couple of marks.

At the end of the day, asking ourselves did we have rapport, did we have respect, did we have improved impulsion and could we then think about flexion, the answer was yes. Ready to play with this next day.

On Sunday we looked at preparation for riding and neutral lateral flexion, indirect rein and direct rein. Before getting the horses out we started by sitting on the barrels again, sitting on the end of our sticks to simulate having the horse's neck in front of us and the string of the stick as our rope as in one-rein riding, practising throwing the rope over the horse's head without losing our seat position; then feeling the lateral flexion, as you would ask for a one-rein stop.

Polly couldn't wait to come out of the box today; she was immediately connected and we were able to build on our rapport of the previous day. Playing with her before we got into the day's tasks, she was willing and responsive and interested.

Polly is huge and I always have difficulty organising myself and the rope on her neck to set up the flexion and rein positions. Not easy from the ground with a big horse, and practising the flexions at a walk from her side. Always asking ourselves, is this horse ready to be ridden; because if the flexions and responses aren't there and can't be achieved on the ground, you shouldn't be getting in the saddle because it probably isn't going to get any better. On Saturday there was no way I'd have got on her back but on Sunday I would. Maybe next time...

Our next workshop is going to be 15/16 June, and this time Russell Higgins is coming with Jo; I don't know what is planned and of course he won't be bringing horses, he's just instructing us, but should be interesting, based on what I've seen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSIcT2UC5U4

Changing horses: the full story

Yesterday we took Lucie to Monpazier to join the herd and meet the stallion there. It was a quite a day for all of us. I hate seperating the horses and always feel terrible about it, they hate change and so do I. Lucie came with me quite happily, she loaded easily in the trailer and was allowed to move freely, back doors closed, front top open; after all while you could see her little head looking out enjoying the air, ears pricked! So good for travelling to be a positive happy experience. When we arrived the herd there came rushing to the fence to greet the new arrival. We unloaded Lucie and everyone laughed because she is orange with contact with our red clay, compared to the white & grey of the Camargues there.

I was going to take home the 5 yo I had liked on previous visits, if she loaded. With some very expert calm direction from the guy whose trailer outfit it was (Christian Cazor, probably the best horseman I know), she loaded in about 10', amazing for a horse that has barely been out of the field.

Then Lucie was released into the herd, I have some video of that when I have time to process it. She wasn't at all phased by a herd of about 20 horses surrounding her. I'll go & see her next week but she's in good company there.

Back home, I was dropped off with Tayene at the end of the lane so I could get connected with her on the walk home. She was a handful, very stressy, but by about halfway she accepted to walk fairly calmly with me but was very tense and distracted.

Seraphina was waiting. My neighbour had been keeping an eye on her. Fina wasn't too happy that it wasn't Lucie coming back. Tayene didn't think much of Fina. They say horses are racist. I would agree that they know their own sort and it was interesting that when Lucie touched noses and met Tayene, as we did the exchange, there was instant empathy. Fina is very different, her breed and her look must be apparent to other horses too.

In retrospect, I didn't prepare for this meeting as well as I'd prepared when Fina met Lucie for the first time. I released Tayene into the field with Fina, she was becoming very anxious and pushy, so I thought just let them sort it out in the field. Result: Tayene galloping up & down, Fina chasing her (video to come). I had to go in for a pee & a drink & when I came back, they were gone!!!! Tayene had galloped through the opening into the next field, crashing through two lines of electric fencing, pursued by Fina. I saw them briefly then they disappeared into the woods. I grabbed bucket and halters and galloped round myself but no sign, so I got the car out thinking maybe Tayene would head off in the direction of home. Thankfully found them, they'd cornered themselves in wood and brambles down the lane and were happy to be rescued, both tired and sweaty. Walked them home abandoning car & bucket. Spent time grooming and settling them, then manipulated Tayene as it had become obvious she had never been taught to yield to pressure, in fact I was wondering by now what the hell I had done. After a while she softened & when I led them back to the field she accepted being asked to step back or move aside and was mirroring Fina too which was great as I had to take them with me to mend the fence; they stood quietly and respectfully while I did so but had to shut off one field as there was a breach in the electric wire & they knew the weakness at the point.

Eventually I let them off again, but Fina just wouldn't leave Tayene alone to explore & settle; so I stayed with them, moving between Fina & Tayene to interrupt the pattern. Fina can't help it but she fully understood when I asked her to stay apart from Tayene, & she stood respectfully near me. Eventually T started to settle but I had to step in a couple of times. I gave them their small evening feed and some hay & left them eating the hay peacefullyish at dusk, wondering if there was any chance I'd still have two horses there in the morning.

I have, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing this; but there's work to do on young Tayene and I'm thinking OMG what have I done and Fina & I are missing Lucie dreadfully.

Fina & Lucie, before departure

Reception committee for the new arrival, Lucie

Fina and Tayenne shortly before she went through the fence (read the body language... )

March update and videos

I was away for a week in the UK and before that it was wetwetwet so am keen to spend some time with the girls.

On Friday, my first day back, I got them out for a fuss and a groom. Lucie was very pleased to see me and immediately gave me her head for a good ear scratch. However I felt Fina was a bit indifferent and when I asked for her feet there was a lot of tension there and she kept snatching them back which I felt might be part of a lack of connection following my absence. The week-end had to be devoted to him indoors and jobs so it was Monday before I had more time for the horses and a chance to set things right with Fina. I played with her on line, asking her to go touch things, trying to set her some little puzzles with objects and she soon got interested. It can be so annoying when they will only think about grass then so rewarding when they get involved with your ideas and give their attention to you. Afterwards, when I took the halter off in the field she didn't rush off but stayed close and was really relaxed and I felt we were back where we wanted to be. I love to see that she follows me with her look when I walk away from her in the videos.

Yesterday the sun was shining again and I managed to set the camera up to video a bit of our messing about in the field and roundpen. With Fina, I am playing with direction and circling game. The circling game develops responsibility in the horse; its responsibility is to maintain gait and direction until you ask for a change. The human's responsibilty is to remain in neutral having given direction and only to correct or encourage if necessary, not to micromanage. With Fina, I am constructing the parts of this and she is asking what it is I want her to do; I'm sending her back, away from me, so I have room to give her direction to send her on the circle. I am using different ways to back her up to see her reactions. I only bring up the stick to put some rythmic pressure in the air behind her if I feel she needs a reason to move her feet. I'm trying not to rush her, let her work it out and offer me something. Once she moves off, I want to leave her alone, until she needs more help to understand what I want her to do. If she is unsure, or comes in or stops, I'll reassure her and set it up again. Trying to build from a few steps in the right direction, to a full circle, which is about where we are. I'll bet tomorrow she'll have cracked it and go two circles without stopping. And so on. Once we have the circles going I can start to make it more interesting, with obstacles, changes of direction and pace, longer lines and moving circles (outside the round pen), control at distance.

Fina isn't looking very happy about it because she doesn't quite know what is wanted, she is very hesitant and looking outward on the circle, but what I like is that she's trying, giving it a go; I have her attention, she's not trying to eat or leave or go to Lucie. I love the way Fina learns and shows an interest in learning and in giving my suggestions her consideration. Lucie would rather not try, if you put her under pressure to do something she looks like you're really making her; even with catching her, if you rush her or reach for her too soon, she's gone; if you let her think it's her idea she's fine so I look for when she's ready and present the halter. She's a very playful horse but feels pressure easily and takes offence. She needs to think it's her idea. Fina is slower to react and doesn't over-react, she thinks before moving her feet in a learning situation. Interestingly, Lucie is much more laid back now Fina is around.

Then I played with Lucie to compare; Lucie understands the circling but doesn't see the point, what's in for her; that's been difficult because of her leg injury, I can't push her & can never be sure if her objections are pain-related, can't rather than won't. She is still trying to block me but there is air between us on the turns. It's a bit untidy, but we do have good communication and understanding. I know I am too intense sometimes and not firm or clear enough other times. Lucie prefers to be close and is not confident at distance; she comes to me readily here because if she's on top of me I can't ask her to do anything.

Afterwards I tacked up and we went for a hack; they needed to get out and were quite jumpy at first, I had a bumpy ride until they settled, especially when a jogger appeared rather suddenly - ropes and horses flying everywhere! I was happy to find that when I checked feet when back, Fina gave them happily and was like putty in my hands, so it was definitely a temporary lack of confidence in me earlier and I felt I had earned it back.

Haltering http://youtu.be/dOiuBT-VZhg

Sending into the roundpen: http://youtu.be/aJE5obcB4WE

Funny bit with Lucie not staying put while I turn off the video (Fina's gone off to eat but Lucie can never resist an open gate) http://youtu.be/fRtXfVNxV8c

Playing with ropes and assessing feel with Fina http://youtu.be/n8bt8F2J60s

Circling game with Fina; first steps: http://youtu.be/hfhic36IXpA

With Lucie, seeing where we're at: circling and stick-to-me http://youtu.be/1SJqVMYbyfI

How horses use phases, timing, focus and energy.

Observing horses interacting can be so helpful in our training and interaction with horses.

It's been a while since I've had two horses at home and been able to watch their interaction in the field and as they get to know each other. It's reminded me of the importance of observing and using how horses behave towards each other, and how horses use phases so successfully.

Not everyone is able to, or chooses to, keep their horses in as natural environment as possible. I have always preferred to have horses live out 24/7. I am lucky to have the land at home to be able to do so, and most of the fields are overlooked by the house, so I am able to observe the horses' habits and bahaviour.

My friend Susan has been studying herd dynamics and horse behaviour (click here for her website) for many years and has shared her understanding of how and why horses behave and interact as they do, with me and other of our friends, in talks and visits (see my blog post of November 2011 Using herd dynamics). I find her insights very helpful and have become a fascinated observer of horse behaviour. I think many of our mainstream-horsemanship friends don't even see what is happening among their horses, or realise why something is happening, whether in their own horse-human relations or among the herd members, and they miss the chance to use it in their relationship with their horses.

Lucie is 13 and the new arrival mare Fina is 6. Fina has gone through a lot of changes and gained a reputation for being "bossy"; she has come from a mixed herd (mares and geldings, various ages) and when I've met her & ridden her with the friends from whom she is on loan, I've seen her herding her companions around, almost obsessively, and it continues when she's ridden. We thought it would be interesting to see how she got on in an all-mare herd, and with an older mare.

I was aware of the importance of establishing leadership and a relationship with each horse before putting them together and allowing them to form their own bond, and I believe I achieved this.

Once in the same field together, Lucie, the older mare, while delighted to have a friend at last, showed she was not going to concede position. Fina, as the newcomer, was polite and respectful for the first couple of days; but once she knew her way about and settled in, she started to challenge Lucie. In the first days, when they touched noses, they both withdrew quietly. Then one morning I saw Fina, after touching noses, make a face at Lucie; quick as lightning Lucie made herself big and mean - ears back, snaking neck, she not only made contact but drove Fina off. Fina looked surprised, and went and stood behind Lucie, and there was a cooling-off; no grazing side by side that day. Next morning I was lucky enough to be watching again and saw the same thing happen. This time the challenge was half-hearted (I would call it a test, to see how things stood that day) and the response was less energetic, but equally emphatic.

Relating what I saw happenng between the horses to the use of phases of applying pressure, and using pressure and release in training, I would say that Lucie had to go to phase 4 with a lot of energy, to make herself seen as sufficiently believeable. Her timing and energy combined in a fast and firm response. The next day she only needed a phase 2/3. From then on, Fina has accepted second place. Sometimes she behaves like a pushy youngster and Lucie makes a face at her and puts her back in the mare and foal position. Occasionally she gets big and drives her off (usually where food is involved). But I would say that most times a look suffices; her phase 1.

Is Lucie being firm but fair, is her behaviour assertive, or aggressive? As Fina seems to have accepted Lucie's behaviour, and appears to be satisfied with the position (her body language would suggest she is happy with her status) at least for the present, I conclude that in the horse's eye, it was as fair and as assertive as it needed to be, to establish hierachy and respect.

Sometimes you have to go to phase 4 and you cannot yield position until the horse does. Sometimes your phase 4 may not look pretty, but it has to be as big as it has to be, or you will not gain the horse's respect. Sometimes we Parelli folk are seen as too forceful, or sometimes we ourselves worry about going too far, but if we see how horses behave to each other, the message is - you have to do what you have to do to be believed by the horse. If the horse is still coming onto you, you have to make yourself bigger in energy and bluff it out. Horses are masters at this game, they've been playing it all their existence. Some have been successful at playing it on humans; some may have been abused or pushed into self-protective behaviours; some horses may not have experienced a herd environment to understand how this hierachy game works. These horses may be labelled as mean or uncontrollable or crazy and may not understand at first, but all horses can learn; and humans can present the rules to horses, provided they abide by them themselves, and have the means of communicating effectively.

To have respect and for the horse to see you as leader, you have to win at this game. The stakes are high. It's that simple. You may only need to go to that phase 4 once; that may depend how well you play it in the horse's eyes.

This brings me to - how light can our phases become? As little as a thought... Fina will approach slowly alongside Lucie; she's asking with her intention, may I approach? Lucie barely moves, but she either gives permission -, or a phase 1 "No". How horses use phases, how they bring their life up, how they ask a question and how only a thought or look is needed in order to be understood, tells me so much about my own use of phases and timing.

This is what it comes down to for me: how well can I be read by my horses. All the tools and techniques lead to this. I want my horse to read my intent, my thoughts. My body language should become so subtle that the horse reads my thoughts before I have to move. I need to be so good that the horse wants to do it, and to be as convincing as an alpha mare, so that I hardly ever need to go beyond a phase 1/a thought.

I find horse-watching so helpful in understanding how to use phases, focus and life. Timing too. We can learn from talking, or books and DVDs, but nothing beats seeing how it works among horses, and trying to be that good that even the horse is impressed. On the ground and then in the saddle. There should be no difference.

Introducing Seraphina

I have another horse, and Lucie has a friend, at long last! Seraphina (Fina) is a 6 year old Fjord mare on loan from my friends in the Dordogne, where I have ridden her several times. My friend Helen's daughter has outgrown her, and they have younsters to bring on. With them, Fina has been introduced to hacking out with various horses and dogs, bicycles and running man; they started her with jumping and dressage; horse agility and TREC and all manner of flapping things and unusual obstacles. So she is already a very handy pony, and I have quite a lot to live up to! This will be a new phase in her development. It may be good for her to be with an older mare in an all-female herd.

First impressions are that it will be good for all of us. Lucie is much more relaxed now she has a field mate. It was rare for her to lie down, her resting as a single horse was usually standing up, on watch. She did a lot of moving around, was constantly in a state of alert for danger. For me, Fina is another horsenality to learn from and teach. Fina seems much more stable in her outlook than Lucie. She is a very sensitive, quick to learn, responsive, willing little horse.

I love that she is asking "how do you want me to be?". She is offering me a lot of softness and feel, she is asking questions and is very connected. I am slowly introducing her to our routine and how I do things. To stand quietly while I do things with Lucie. Patience and manners at meal-times. Leading from all zones; going ahead or staying behind. Permission to eat. I am riding her in the rope halter; as it's just me, and Lucie on the lead when we hack out, I have all the time to take the time that it takes - and so it is taking no time! The first few days we went for walks, the two horses in hand, establishing leadership, gaining confidence in each other. This is a new environment and I a new human, so I can't assume she will be the same for me as she was for Helen and Ali. Sometimes I saddled her and rode, but got off as often as I felt necessary, if she lost confidence, or connection, and became bracy, she would find me alongside her again. She has quickly stopped worrying about having Lucie close alongside, or bumping into her, or the rope getting under her tail, or flapping around, when I ride her and lead Lucie. It's being good for Lucie too; the pressure is off her (which makes me realise how much pressure she felt) and she stands quietly while I teach Fina. She doesn't seem to resent my attention to another horse, which is a nice sign of confidence in me as the leader. They both respond to me and I love playing with two horses at once; asking one to do something while the other stands still; it develops focus - if you don't get it right, the wrong horse reads you!

I think I'm really going to enjoy having Fina around.

The power of waiting

One to remember to think about: the power of waiting! Give the horse time to think, let him work it out. Or if the horse overreacts, just stop & wait a minute, smile, say "how interesting".

Often if I ask Lucie to do something she goes in all directions, little feet moving fast; I just wait quietly until she gets over the blonde moment, sees nothing is happening, quietens down and I then ask again.

Sometimes of course you need to match their energy.


There are times when you need to mirror your horse, when he needs you to understand his  fears, until he comes off the adrenalin; just stay with him calmly until the signs are he's relaxing and looking for leadership, and is ready and thinking about following your ideas. Then you need to step up and make some suggestions, act like a leader. This might be when introducing him to a new environment for example, when he needs to explore and wants your support not your interference, which will only annoy him or make him more anxious, as will holding him back and telling he should calm down.

There are other times when you need to take control fast and shut down that energy, in a situation of danger for example, when the horse must slow down, pay attention and respect your leadership. Or if he is trying to dominate you. You will know by the horse's reaction when a "slap in the face" from you is appropriate or not. (Have you ever made a totally accidental contact with your stick or rope that brought instant attention from the horse, followed by him giving you two eyes and two ears, maybe a lick and a chew? Did his expression just tell you that he respected you for that? If only we could get it right and have perfect timing every time...)

Then there are times when you just need to go into neutral and wait; wait until the horse stops moving it's feet; wait until he gives you his attention. Sometimes it's going to need a mixture of these responses from you, and it depends on the horse in front of you.  Lucie is essentially a right-brain reactive horse and when you ask her to do something she will move her feet, and try to find the answer to what you asked, or to stop you asking it, by moving backwards, forwards, sideways, anyways; then when she has rushed around a bit, and finds she's going nowhere and nobody is chasing her, she starts to think. What I want to do is short-cut that instinct to move and go straight to thinking (left-brain). What I must not do is hassle her or up the phases when she over-reacts. I need to just wait. Smile and wait...

Example of this is where we leave the field and I have to open a gate, the other side of which is some tasty grass; so Miss is in a big hurry, and thinking about the grass and not me and the gate. Sometimes we've got into an argument here. Now we make it a pattern, a repetition. If she anticipates, she is quietly put back in the wait position from which I can leave her to open the gate. I don't keep telling her to wait with my voice, and I don't stand next to her, or hold her there with contact or raised hand signal, I want her to take responsibility for her actions. She is on a long rope and I need to walk around and manipulate the gate. When the gate is open, we stand quietly looking at it and just wait. For as long as it takes for her to stop twitching, looking at the grass, looking cross, shaking her head. I stand quietly in neutral, away from her at the end of the 12' line, and I smile. If she moves forward I raise my body slightly and ask her for a step back. We wait until she relaxes - and thinks. Then we go through the gate and repeat the process the other side. Then I may or may not offer her some grass. Usually I find she's forgotten about the grass and is focused on me, and we walk off happily. Because it's not about the grass...

Some things to think about

So how has it been going with Lucie since I've done the clinics, what have I learned that I can bring into our relationship? Doing these clinics, and interacting with other people and horses, after so long working on my own, gives me confidence, and a leader needs to be confident; my body language has improved and is becoming almost instinct to ask with body and focus first

I can now be assertive without over-reacting; I am more relaxed because I know that what I am asking is reasonable, and that I am asking for it in a way that the horse can respond too. If they don't, then I know I'm not asking the right question, or I'm asking it wrong.

I can be more relaxed because I'm not questioning myself. I have learned to wait and watch; to stay cool and say "how interesting" if it doesn't go as expected. If I show that I'm not going to over-react but stay calm; for instance, when Lucie has a right-brained moment; I can just wait until she stops moving, then wait a bit longer... Not go straight to a higher phase or put more pressure. Then ask again. Slowly.

Some insights and strategies:

Focus on the task. Accept the horse's distractions and attempts to digress; say "yes, that's fine; but I stll want you to do this".

If they get that we are there for them, they will understand and forgive even if we mess up badly.

Remember that horses live in the moment.

Reading when she is unconfident or dominant. Look for the less  obvious signs; is she tense, or relaxed? Eyes, neck, stance. Some of the signs, such as ears pinned, can be either lack of confidence or trying to dominate to avoid doing the task. Some horses can swing back and forth between these. You have a 50% chance of being right and doing the right thing. If what you try doesn't work, try something else.

Parelli Clinic SW France 27/28 October 2012

On the 27 & 28 October I participated in a second Parelli clinic with Licensed 2* Parelli Professional Jo Bates from the UK, a lively, amusing and thoroughly professional instructor. This was a follow-up to our first clinic together & here in SW France held in June, when it had been very hot; this week-end it was the opposite - the wind on Saturday was bitter! This time there were only 4 of us participating with horses, so we worked as two groups of two. There were several auditors and many occasions for discussion & theory for everyone.

Once again, I borrowed Polly, a big TB x ID; about as opposite to my little Lucie as you could imagine! I'm going to try to recap some of the things we did over a very full and inspiring week-end. There's a lot to remember so I thought I'd start with a photo & explain the task.

 

Putting effort into backing up; are they still responding in the same way when you are further from them, at the end of a 22' rope, or 45', or at liberty? By being convincing at 12' you can then increase the distance & still be effective even at liberty. Can you slow it down or speed it up, go around corners, obstacles, change direction, bring your horse to you a step at a time?

Asking the horse to move sideways off your fingertips; the horses tended to rush this one because knowing how to go sideways (yeah yeah I know this one blah blah) they were reacting to implied pressure instead of direct pressure (an example of the horse anticipating & reading pressure where it wasn't asked for). So if the horse moved away from the hand in anticipation of being asked to go sideways, you rub gently & follow until the horse stops moving; pause, then start again. Once the horse stops anticipating, you can ask for a step sideways by touching the flank and the shoulder alternately. This is one way of building up sideways movement, but also a way of slowing it down & making it more precise with the horse thinking about every step & where it puts its feet.

Moving on from that, putting more power & effort into sideways using rhythmic implied pressure so again you can progressively get further away from the horse, sending the horse sideways at distance.

Driving from behind (zone 4/5): last clinic I was reluctant to put myself behind Polly but we were getting to know each other better. We again used the rail to follow to help us; I found Polly would rush and cut the corners so spent time stopping her & manouvering her deep into the corners, asking her again to put more effort into it and use herself better. Once this was going well following the rail we could come off the rail and weave through the tyres.

From driving in all zones, at various distances, to driving with two lines; and starting some shaping exercises. We weren't equipped with feather lines for driving so we just used our two lengths of rope, 12' and 22' lines, to practise some driving from behind, asking the horse to move away from the rail then move back to it, using the line against their sides. We then set up a shaping exercise. All the horses are so used to rope work that none of them were bothered by ropes going under & over & round their legs, & flapping in the wind! This exercise required crossing the ropes over the horse's back so that you could take a feel on the side away from you, asking for the bend; then ask the horse to step across in the direction of the bend. Both horse & human took a while to work it out & think their way into the exercise, which was really very simple, it just took us a while to set ourselves up, & I had a problem seeing what was happening the other side of Polly's enormous body.

Another exercise building connection towards liberty is "stick to me" where the horse mirrors the handler, positioned alongside you, nose to the elbow or shoulder (the mare & foal position). The line is loose and the horse should respond to body signals; the training stick can be used to aid - if the horse lags behind, you can reach behind you to ask the horse to move up (a flick of the tail); if you halt & ask for back-up, the stick tapped or waved in front will signal back-up (as another horse might use its neck or nose); these additional signals are usually only needed once or twice until the horse gets the idea.

Some horses will get bored with a task once they've "got it", others need more time or repetition, or reassurance, or need you to go slower, until they are confident.  Watching the two horses in the morning session, Carole's pony Flikflak who is cheeky & assured would soon get bored & start eating or inventing his own variation on the game, if nothing new was added. So once he understood the pattern, weaving through the tyres, make it more challenging by changing pace or direction, or adding another element, like a circle at the end, but not always... Christine's mare Juniper, more introvert by nature, needed more time to build her confidence in the exercise; she was stuck to Christine nicely & doing the movement but cautiously, without exuberence. It would not be the moment to throw in another idea.

Using obstacles creatively, and patterns, are a great way of making things interesting for the horse and giving purpose; and for those like me that struggle to be creative, having a plan!

Very similar to stick to me is driving in zone 3, alongside the horse; although the horse's head is in front he is still listening and responding to body signals, aided if necessary by a little energy provided by the training stick. Liz and I were supposed to be doing this with refinement but as the field we'd moved into at the bottom of the hill out of the wind was full of thistles and potholes, the refinement went out of the window as we stumbled around trying to keep up with the horses who were spooking at the tape moving in the wind, or at the bushes. This one didn't go too well!

From the other group:

Getting the horse to follow a feel: leading by the leg. Little Flikflak found this one so interesting he forgot about the grass and his eyes and ears were glued on Carole as he tried to work it out. Now a lot has been said about pressure and force and how much; in these exercises, we set the horse a puzzle and give them clues and the time to work it out; as a result all the horses got involved, got interested... These horses all know to yield to pressure; so if you put a rope round the horse's fetlock and apply firm but gentle steady pressure, and just wait, see what happens... watch the horse thinking... and the moment he takes the weight off that leg, release... It's the release that teaches; and he knows he's solved the puzzle; and it's not long before he takes a step, then another, and by now the feel on the rope is very light... and so he follows the feel. How light and good is that, and if that lightness can be carried over into riding... :)

Our next clinic is planned for April 2013.