New Beginnings and Bright Futures~Lily's Log #34

Well, after having the pleasure of attending a 2 day workshop with 3* PP's  Maurice Thibault and Susan Nelson at the end of June, I feel re-energized and a new sense of purpose in my desire to succeed with my girls. Some of the simplest techniques I learned have made the biggest breakthroughs for both horses, but especially Kiowa! She had gotten very dull and lazy in her responses to my requests, but with these new strategies, she has made a huge improvement! I had no idea how light phase 1 could be with her..which made me realize I was allowing a phase 2-3 to be an acceptable response! She is so much more attentive and engaged. She even maintained a canter on the 12 foot line for 3 full laps without any support from me after the send! For this horse...that is a feat equivalent to walking on water!

Lily has become much more respectful. She is asking more questions and her focus seems much better (which I am sure says a lot about how much MY focus has improved!). I also realized that because she offered more difficult manuevers early on, I have allowed a lot of holes to develop in her training. After a near-disasterous predatory outburst (I am embarrassed to admit it happened, but I can at least say I handled by walking away and did nothing to Lily) resulting from frustration at what should have been a simple forehand yield, I had to take a hard, honest look at myself. This lead to the decision to pull out the old level 1 pack (with the pocket guides) and, in combination with the new level 1, start Lily over completely. Step by step, as if she had never done any Parelli, ever. I have set a goal to get her through level 2 and playing in level 3 by March of next year.

There is a reason for the seemingly random month as a goal..... See, the other thing I learned between breaking my arm, a lot of soul searching, and talking to Susan is that I am no where near the horse(wo)man I need to be in order to give Lily a proper introduction to riding. While I don't doubt that I could do it, it would take me years to get her to the point that she is safe, confident, and reliable. Along the way, Lily would no doubt suffer the consequences of my learning curve. So I have decided to send Lily to Susan and Maurice (whom are both 3* colt starters) next year for her saddle training.

When I adopted Lily, I wanted to be the one to teach her everything because I didn't want her to have any of the emotional baggage that Kiowa has as a result of her previous experiences. What I realize now is that, even with good intentions and a natural approach, I do not have the savvy to help her through this experience confidently. To proceed knowing that I don't have all the tools and knowledge needed, would be the ultimate act of chauvanism and probably result in the sacrifice of our relationship and both of us losing confidence....not to mention the potential for injury. I knew it was the right decision when (once I figured out how I could afford it) I felt a huge sense of relief....like a weight I didn't know I was carrying had been lifted of my shoulders.

So, now we are happily focusing on perfecting her ground skills before she goes. I want her to be as prepared as possible so I can impress Maurice and Susan with how solid her foundation is!