A Day of A's: Adventure, Anxiety & Australia

Phew! Well I've been here at the Australian Savvy Center about 4 days now and it's been just awesome! The center is simply stunning and it's been so fun to reconnect with Tanya and Carmen and Sue and Shannon, and also meet the new instructors in the area, and all of the amazing Parelli Australia team! Fast Track students check in tomorrow, and Im so excited for leading a stellar 4 weeks of fast tracking Horaemanship here in the country of my birth! Dreams do come true.... Because I can remember coming to visit this campus before I was an instructor in 2009, and wishing to one day lead a course here! 

As per usual, upon arrival Parelli required my flexibility and teamsmanship as the team had a demo Saturday for a local pony club, and they were hoping that in Neil's absence I could be the Emcee! I jumped on board and loved watching the team prepare for their demo. Last night I had a great brainstorm with Neil and I was excited to get to share with the future of horsemanship .... Natural horsemanship! Unfortunately... Upon arriving to the show I could tell that my body had a different plan, as my breathing began to get shallow, my stomach cramping, and my vision blurry.... I sat down, did some trauma breathing, and a few other techniques I have been shown to control my anxiety. It helped a little, but as the demo grew closer I could feel I wasn't gonna win this one :(. Luckily, as I handed off the mic to Carmen, who did a stellar presentation, I felt fully supported and cared for, and I couldn't have been happier to once again realize how important it is to surround yourself with like minded people! 

I watched from the sideline as the team put on a beautiful presentation of the value of Parelli, and the first three Savvys, to a young and very enthusiasutic crowd!

After the presentation, we then all got the opportunity to watch the leading Australian Eventer, Shane Rose, teaching all the pony club kids!! It was beautiful to hear him sharing awesome tid bits like, "when your horse gets upset, and then we pull on the reins, they just get more upset." And when horses went to get a little playful, "rub him and ride him more forward, give him a place to go!" He helped the kids over small logs first, then banks, and then the water! Included are some pictures is Shane and all the kids! 

Life's little worthiness lessons

Phew! At the Denver Horse and Soul (June 2013) tour Pat finished a fantastic and LONG trailer loading session with a horse that, as Pat said, had opposition at both ends. Pretty intense pull back issue as well as being bracey about zones 3/4/5.

On Friday evening the horse had arrived with its lovely owners, who I had observed struggling for a fair while trying to get the horse into the small 8x10 stalls at the fairgrounds. I could tell they were getting frustrated so I offered to help, and they accepted. The horse was very introverted, to me on the cusp of LBI and RBI. In the past I have had strong set ups from Pat NOT to "train" the demo horses when dealing with them in the barn as it is very easy for people to see this and then think that that is why Pat is successful in the show. Which of course we all know isn't the case! But in an attempt to give people as few reasons as possible to brace, it is always something I take very seriously.

As such, I didn't switch halters, or spend a long time trying to teach the horse to yield, I just set about helping her to get into her stall for the weekend in a natural and non-confrontational way. Unfortunately this was easier said than done! This little horse had learned that it is pretty easy to pull a human around with your head so we spent a long time dealing with that! The horse would pull back and I would keep the pressure on, walking with him until he chose the apropriate response. After about 45 minutes .... And me starting to struggle with feeling like a failure, we got into the stall. Phewf!

Now, the interesting thing about this whole lesson is that it was at this point that I choose to break principle #2 ( don't make or teach assptions).... I assumed that it was MY lack of skill and ability that caused me to struggle with this little horse so much... Those of you that were in Denver know that that was not the case! :)

The next day in the show it took Pat the better part of 4 hours to help this horse make a change in his willingness to listen to human leadership. The horse demonstrated some extreme Prey animal behaviors such as goat kicking (when they leap in the air and kick out with hind feet). He also demonstrated some learned, dominant behaviors like not yielding to pressure on his poll, and using this strongly to his advantage.

When Pat came out of the arena and de-briefed with some of the instructors I shared that it had taken me 45 minutes to get him in his stall.... Pat said, "well that would have been nice to know!"

Haha! I laughed .... Took a few deep breaths and took stock of the assumption that I had made ... a moment in time to remember that assuming that YOU are the one who lacks the skill is sometimes JUST as damaging as thinking you have all the answers ;)

Thanks for listening ... 

Comfort and Gratitude: Brene Brown

A bit behind on my Brene Brown course ... I just finished Week 4 which was on identifying things that ACTUALLY give us comfort, and I started on Week 5 about Gratitude, and how practicing Gratitude fills our Joy reserves .... And, of course ... Who should curl up in my lab for this? My beautiful new pup Laila.   

Couldn't help but share this photo :)

Holes Vs. Strengths: Part 2 Developing Vs. Helping ....

Here are some more of my musings on Horse development and my sessions with a 2 Year old Hanoverian in Australia named Finn.

He was pretty high to start with, almost bordering on RBE, but more just energetic LBE. Anyway, I played with him with a few of the conecpts we have been focusing on while encouraging more movement since he was feeling pretty extraverted. We started with some changing eyes, consistency of movement on circle game and he started to come down really nicely. From there we went on to some of the slower stuff I really want him to understand like porcupine in his legs (lead by the leg), and such.

After this I decided to go back to our friendly game in motion at walk and trot to see what he remembered from the week before; it started out pretty well at the walk, but sort of disentegrated as he began to really LEAN on the halter in an effort to escape me, and not be consistent in his gait. The horse developer in me (it is a VERY small part, haha, as I tend to be good at helping PEOPLE find success, but not great at helping horses through challenges in an efficient way... This is a constant effort for me in SELF -development, because I want to be a phenomenal horsewoman as well as instructor)... Anyway, The horse-developer in me knew that I needed to help Finn to calm down, focus, and stop trying to run through the pressure on his halter, he needed to understand that that door was closed, respect that boundary. Especially before anyone got up on his back.

SO, I played wiht an excercise I had seen Kalley do quite a bit with the horses we had assigned to us in Florida, and also one I had played with with the yearlings at Atwood. I sent Finn out on the circle and when I felt him start to lean and want to leave, I took a hold of the lead, didn't pull, just HELD, and asked him to yield his hind end. Essentially, if the horse is circling to the right, this is closing the outside and left door of the halter, asking them to face you; or taking a hold of their inside hind leg is another way to look at it. Fin knows this game, but he was blasting through the pressure, and running and reacting, instead of responding, in essence he was not acting like a partner.

For a few times around I was reaching down the rope, holding asking him to yield, and then changing direction and repeating the same process on the other side. He was reactive; running through the pressure and pulling back, and running off the other way. This was a perfect example of where a horse-development specialist would be able to take this horse THROUGH this challenge, to help him (especially a two year old) to understand that no matter what, as Kalley would say "1+1=2;" when I hold here, and put pressure here, it means yield. I knew this! And I began to try and play through it in that way... But then I lost my confidence :( Finn gave a rather large reaction (again... remember he is not responding, he is reacting. You can think of this as lack of respect because respect is "an appropriate response to pressure applied appropriately" I was applying pressure appropriately, and Finn was reacting, in essence not holding up number 1 of his 4 responsibilities, Don't act like a prey animal, act like a partner.) Anyway, I decided that maybe I was pushing him too far, and I didn't believe I had the ability to bring him back from that edge.

That is what horse development is all about, according to Ray Hunt, its taking a horse to the edge of their ability, their threshold, their emotions, and then confidently bring them back; this way they gain more and more faith in human leadership. I found I was right at that threshold and I backed off because of lack of faith in my own abilities.

I then took my classic instructor stand point, and began to play with Finn softly in Backwards S's and changes of eye until he was down and participating more, just like I would show a student how to do. So, whats wrong with this? Where are the holes?

Well- firstly, Finn wasn't safe to ride. He had pushed into that Halter pressure, and never truly softened to it. As a colt-start, that button needs to be full proof, no matter what, when I reach down this lead, it means yield your hind end, and soften your nose. Secondly- He hadn't learned to have faith in human leadership. Pat says Isolate, Seperate, and recombine. I had isolated the issue, seperated out how to help him. But I hadn't been able to succesfully recombine it all together into a picture that made sense to him. Instead I had played around the challenge. He hadn't really learned that 1+1 is ALWAYS 2, even when Im high or excited.

At this point since I had lost my confidence I turned him over to Kerryn. She was able to address the challenge and help Finn through it. Mostly to see how strong Finn's understanding of pressure grew to be in just 15 minutes, but on a selfish level also to see how CLOSE I had been to the right answer. I had taken him right to the edge, and after only a little bit more he was able to turn over to Kerryn and really understand that the answer is to think and respond, instead of reacting, no matter what. So even though I lost my confidence in my horsemanship, it was a bit of a surprise to see how close I had been :)

On the drive home Kerryn said it was ALL but painful watching me as I was SO close to the right answer and then backed off because I lost confidence in my own abilities. As always, just like with horses though, you can't push someone over that edge, they have to find that faith in themselves ALL ON THEIR OWN :) Here's to trying again next time!

Coincidence.... And Creativity.

3:30 this morning was eeeeeeearLY! And isn't life always interesting with what it presents you....

A few fun things happened this morning. First off I got to go to the airport with a great friend, Bekah, who was the one who ha to be at the airport at 4am. So after seeing her off on her flight I was scrolling around on Facebook And an elderly gentleman came up to me asking if he could borrow a pen. He was probably 75.... And as kindly as I can say it, an old 75. I of course said yes, and he said he would return it in a moment minus a few drops of ink. I returned to my scrolling and soon he asked me if I was a Veterinarian as I was wearing my Parelli Logo'd jacket. I laughed and said no.... I couldn't hack it as pre-vet in college so I chose psychology. Well that caused him to promptly sit down and begin to talk to me in earnest!

He began by saying its not your fault, it's our colleges. He said our brains are designed to take in information that we can currently, quickly and successfully apply to real world situations. Not to sit and listen to a lecture. He said that our colleges are designed all wrong... And instead of attempting to teach people ThINGS.... We should instead be attempting to teach them HOW to think differently, independently, and creatively, how to stand out and be seen for our ideas and our unique perspective on the world.

"Wow!" I said... I completely agree, and what an amazing perspective you have! I appreciate you for sharing it with me!

He then launched into another story.... He casually mentioned his 13 different mechanical and electrical engineering patents and his honorary doctorate from Clemson, not in an effort to drop names or impress me, but truly in a genuine way.... Sharing his life and his story.

He began to tell me about his most recent endeavor in electrical engineering. He had been approached by the US Navy with a conundrum. Apparently the navy had granted a team of people in Oregon 11 million dollars to find a project. 7 million dollars later they returned to the Navy saying that the technology didn't exist. So the Navy called the elderly man I met because of his patents and expertise in the area. This gentleman related to me how he put together a team of three people.... Himself and two others, and for two weeks they sat together for a period of time every day... Throwing out every idea that they could think of surrounding the challenge. BUT they made completely sure that they in no way were trying to SOLVE the problem, simply throwing out concepts that relate to it, and being completely willing to listen to one another, not judge each others ideas, and be completely creative!

After two weeks they presented a plan to the US Navy that outlined how with just 3 million dollars they could create everything they wanted, including all the technology and equipment and have the whole system up and running, and they could have their last million back :)!

I was so a captivated by his story I just about missed my flight! Didn't catch his name.... But feel truly blessed for the universe allowing me to be in a space where I was ready to listen to the wisdom this man had to share.... At 5AM at the Greenville airport. I ran off to board, didn't catch his name and he didn't ask mine... But I'll remember his words, and have a new lease on embracing creativity and problem solving and of course allow for that life is perfect.... And nothing is a coincidence :)!