Day 72

More Parelli games! Harry was able to go right to me swinging around the string and carrot stick on him and he was pretty much fine. He's also getting better at the Porcupine game and not just trying to bite or kick the stick away from him and he's mastering the Yo-yo game. After a few blank stares as to why I was waving the rope around like a crazy nutso, he understood that I wanted him to back up and it was a piece of cake from then on out!

On a side note, I'm going to start working on a Parelli and Paso Fino encyclopedia here. I'll try to have it finished by next weekend for you. =]

Let's see, the rest of today was pretty good. I lunged Harry for a while with the barbada rein instead of the pisador, which was pretty effective clockwise but he kept fishtailing out counter-clockwise. It got really frustrating so I lunged him around the pole we have cemented into the ground in the arena. After a few of his tugs launching me into the pole and a few of my tugs making his eyes go wide, we got to a happy medium. We were even able to move away from the pole and lunge like normal beings! His gait is getting really collected and I know he'll do well in show. I only hope he doesn't turn out to be another horse-show-shy-Brie type horse.
We even went outside today! My mom and my brother and I went outside, only about 30 feet to the round pen and back, but I felt accomplished! I have to admit that I don't trust him enough to go all the way back to the tree line, so we'll work up to it.

Brie. Oh Brie. Now that I'm asking her to do things other than "corto in a circle, largo in a circle, walk in a circle, couple reverses, soundboard, back up, done, let's go get carrots" she's unleashing her attitude again, which is a sign that she's thinking! I guess it's better for her to think than to be completely bored, right? I've started trying to teach her to canter on command without the crowfeet and it's going pretty well. I cantered her around the arena today instead of outside, since she was previously worked up outside with my mom. I think it's the coolest thing just going in that rhythm, hearing her snort her breaths. She would happily go like that for hours.

I, on the other hand, have a problem. I suck at keeping my heels down while cantering. It's a tiny bit easier to do it on the schooling horses for the Equestrian Team (which I've started taking lessons again by the way!), but still pretty hard on Brie. I set my stirrups the second hole from the top, almost the shortest they can go, when I ride. If I shorten them all the way, I can't properly grip the saddle with my thighs and just know I'm going to fly off over her head. What do I do? I can't punch a hole between the two, they're so close together. Is the only solution trying to be more conscious of what I'm doing or is there a trick to this skill that I'm not getting?