LBI quote: Linda Parelli savvy e-news

Welcome to the land of "Why should I? What's in it for me?" This horse reads people like a book. She knows what you want and she's not going to give it to you, unless you treat her right. Even though she appears stubborn or lazy, she's not at all lazy in the mind! Reverse psychology is where it's at, oh, and treats! Trail riding is perfect for this horse! It is great that is where you do most of your playing! Being in an arena will be challenging for her. You will need to find ways to keep it interesting for her and keep your sessions in there brief. Use incentive: treats, grazing, rest, scratches, etc. Give her time to think. She's not a slow thinker; she's just got to stop thinking resistant thoughts before she can be more in tune with you. Variety is important; it makes life interesting. Use more drive than draw. Teach her some tricks. This is fun for both of you and is a good way to make her feel clever. The Parelli Patterns will help you to spark your imagination and to stay progressive. This program will allow you to progress to the next level one Pattern at a time, instead of holding you back until you are able to complete all tasks. This will help you to keep variety in your mare's routine.

Why can't the circling game be fun?

Ideas:

1. Vary the rope--22/45
2. Vary the location
3. Have fun yourself
4. traveling circles--inc straight line for horse
5. obstacles
6. goal thinking on the circle
7. transitions within the canter--slow, fast
8. use her ideas
9. reward the play drive/exuberance/temper tantrum
10. circle to some clover
11. go part of a circle and rest
12. go circle to barrel with a treat
13. my attitude non adversarial
14. my energy, how light is light but effective phase when necessary
15. sometimes let things go i.e. too fast/too slow trotting behinds; other times be more particular.

Other

• Diamond gets the same way when we do a "boring" circling game. I've found with him it helps to go over obstacles while moving in the circle-poles, barrels, tarp...whatever. AND if the horse REALLY doesn't like circling-have pit-stops throughout the circle. When Diamond really hated the circling game(he used to flat-out refuse to circle after one lap) I put two upright barrels positioned parallel to each other, so that on a circle my horse would pass to the outside of each of them. On each of the barrels I put a treat. Pretty soon Diamond realized the faster he moved on the circle, the quicker he got to the treat and we were TROTTING in the circling game even when I was just asking for a walk!
• Gotta agree with the others. I put a treat on the top of three barrels in the round pen, then sent Tango out on the circle. She did her usual head tossing snotty face until I got her to stop at a barrel. LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!! It only took one for her to get it. I added a verbal Whoa, along with a complete relaxing of energy and danged if she didn't coming to a sliding stop at the next one. I took one barrel out, leaving two and used the Whoa sometimes and kept her going another. I was tickled that she didn't anticipate stopping but waited until I brought my energy way down and said Whoa. My next step was to take another out, playing with just one barrel and I started to mix it up more. She loves puzzles so I didn't get any snotty looks after that. Cones, barrels, small rubber dishes - anything will work! I've learned to slow it waaay down and make it a brain teaser.
• I used the traveling circle game to get to a cone ( I scattered them all around the arena ) then stopped him at each one for a rest and a treat! I used a change of direction followed by a halt to keep him interested in the trot, but as I got more savvy I decided teaching him to stop at a cone for a treat was probably the way to go for my LBI so I taught him to canter on a circle that way, it was so easy and now he offers me a canter! Wish I'd known that when trying to get a few steps of anything faster than a slow walk LOL!
• snappy departures to THAT patch of grass there (no more than a full circle away) - change of directions, quick - get to that dandielion right THERE and you get to eat for 20 seconds!

Circling Game - Levels 1-4

Level 1

1. yoyo back, stop, wait, then send
2. 2-4 laps walk, trot not breaking gait
3. disengage HQ GAME OVER

Level 2

1. 4-6 laps af the trot and canter on the 22' line
2. change direction at the trot
3. traveling circles
4. obstacles - maintain gait

Level 3

1. 6-10 laps of canter
2. walk/trot/canter transitions
3. 45' line: change direction at the trot, walk trot canter
4. simple change
5. s shape and falling leaf
6. obstacles--hills, tree

Level 4

1. 10-20 laps 45' line canter
2. flying change
3. flank rope w/12' line
4. back 1-2 laps 12' line small circle
5. decreasing and increasing circles
6. spin and go using rope to teach