I'm just going to type out some various notes I took over days 2, 3, and 4 at the clinic. Some things might be repeated - guess I thought they were important!
Ack, I just realized that my phone didn't save my day 4 notes! GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Day 2
If you feel like you are starting to lose your timing, get out while you're still good so you don't end up with something bad. When you've got something good, leave it alone and put it in the bank.
Ride the horse where it is every day.
When doing a circle, tempo and lateral flexion have to be constant and the same as you go around the circle. A circle is worthless if there's not a degree of lateral flexion.
Your job is to manage the rectangle.
If they get dull in their feet they'll be dull in your hands.
Practice moving the hindquarters without the reins (I tried to practice this yesterday and it is hard!!).
Offer them less so it doesn't take so much to get them to go. If you need to, make your point and get out. (I watched one person in particular who never made her point. There was lots of nagging with the leg, various equipment changes, but no big kick saying "let's go NOW!" and so the horse completely tuned her out and she didn't look like she got results.)
Between the poll and atlas is the holy grail on the horse. Be smoother when you change flexion from one side to the other.
"The deal" is when the door is open, go through it.
If you use too much leg, you risk taking his mind off the topic.
Supporting rein is a presence on the neck.
Go out and around when taking the head around, otherwise you build in a brace.
Release for the lightness and your horse will be encouraged to be light.
You use ground work to refine a horse, to get him handy, so that when you get on you can DO something.
How slow and accurate can you walk?
Position 3 means to stop. The hands are to prepare.
The release of the horse on the back up is conditional on the soft feel. Don't release on a brace.
Day 3
The only way you release fear is knowledge.
The horse won't stand still until you have dominion over the movement. Standing still is the worst - get them moving.
Never underestimate the stupidity of humans. :-D
Don't attempt to leg yield unless you have a high functioning soft feel. If they are too green to leg yield out on a circle, then do a circle in the opposite direction and then go back to the original circle.
When there's a big rectangle the horse is working in, there's a lot of room for something to go wrong.
As your skills develop, you need more life to do what you do.
Dial it up and dial it down.
Get out while the movement still has quality.
Set things up so the horse can make a good decision.
The only thing the horse ever needs to be motivated is peace.
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