Precision riding.....

Today Cam and I did our first real bit of precision riding - the best thing - for the first time ever when riding with more contact she stayed pretty relaxed and didn't go RB at all!!

It was all a bit of a suprise as she wasn't very well yesterday - thought she had a cold but think it was because I hadn't wet her hay for a few days - so I'll go back to doing that. She seemed pretty much 100% today after soaking hay last night, to my relief.

The last time I rode with 'tighter' reins was one of the last times I rode with a saddle, before focussing on bareback. That time she got so uptight that it was that old familiar feeling of sitting on an unexploded bomb....

So what was different this time? My savvy i think is way higher and I have found a way to relax her more in the ribs online first, and also i think she is much more LB generally and more connected with me when I'm on Z3 rather than next to it. Also, if she wasn't relaxed with a saddle in Z3 adding me to it wasn't going to help, was it, apart from fuel the fire. She had one spook and jump sideways but I was 'proud' of it because it was harmonious spook - we went together and there was a genuine reason that all the horses saw AND she stayed LB!! What I need to work on:
1) My send - no-one does good circles - they are all eggs and don't stay out on the end of the 22ft.
2) My driving from Z3 Z4 and Z5. had a bit of a BFO - when she has been going 'forward' before she has been going in a RB frame of mind and I think she has to learn to go forward in a LB frame of mind. She would rather stick right next to me than be out infront.
3) Clarity of signal - I have been confusing her with driving forward signal and sideways towards signal - I need to be much much clearer. I tried tapping right on her tail head to go forward from Z4 and Z5 and this helped - standing next to her and tapping her z4 in general was too similar to sideways towards, and my energy/focus wasn't strong enough.

I'll be interested to watch todays video session - although she was often 'falling in' it was my fault as I wasn't focussed or precise enough and we did get practice in leg yielding. I was pleased she could tell the difference between me asking for leg yield and sideways. And that was the first real session!! When I really emphasised the bend in my body it helped, and getting a sharper response off my leg when disengaging the hq really helped too. Is is so obvious isn't it, isolate separate and re-combine - work out which bit is stiff or isn't moving and figure out how to fix it then put it back together again - feel I am finally becoming a puzzle solver!!

Also we rode with her carrying a bit - but i rode in the halter - who says you can't start precision riding in a halter! I was pleased she carried it but didn't angrily chomp it - only session 2 of carrying a bit since the 'old' days.

We practised the 'butterfly' rein and the 12ft was way too long - next time I'll take the 8ft reins down and use those.

Also had a play with all 4 so that was good - updated everyone's wall on Parelli Connect - am keeping my blogsite for my mental 'unload' and BFOs...

Only got wet twice!