Performance and the 7 games

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the Rolex 3-day Event in Kentucky, a test of the top competitors in the 3-day eventing field including many past and future Olympians. Among some of this years riders were Karen O’Conner (from “The Future of Training” with Linda & Pat Parelli and Karen & David O’Conner), William Fox-Pitt (this years Rolex winner), and Marlynn Little-Meredith (finishing a close second).

              In Eventing, the horse and rider are put through 3 days of challenges. The first day is Dressage, the second day consists of a Cross-Country jumping course – over 30 obstacles (including 3’ 6” tall jumps with a base of over 8 feet and jumps into water and at a gallop) while on course the riders and horses often exceed 20 miles per hour, and the course is 4 miles long. The final day (for those competitors able to continue) is stadium jumping (a course of jumps set up in an arena), meant to test the horses stamina and athletic ability. Eventing was originally designed to test horses aptitude to be mounts for the military. These horses needed to have great athleticism, maneuverability, courage and stamina to be good mounts for military men, hence the intense nature of the sport!

I have attended the Rolex event at least a dozen times in the past, it is where I found a passion for event horses and the challenge of the sport! After all those times watching the horses and riders this year something struck me with a new clarity. It’s one of those things that I’ve heard, talked about, practiced and even taught but “all of the sudden, out of nowhere” a BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) comes and smacks you right between the eyes! This BFO was: the 7 games, and how they were a part of everything happening over the 4 days of competition. Most of the riders have never wiggled a rope at a horse to back them up, but their success depended, in large part, to the quality of their 7 games while riding!

Over the long weekend I was able to watch the horses progress through the disciplines and I started to see a pattern. On the first day of competition I watched the riders go through the dressage test (to test these supreme athletes ability to exhibit precise movements). Keep in mind these are horses that are fit enough to jump and gallop over 4 miles (the following day) and we are asking them to come out and show their rhythm, relaxation and obedience the first day! As the horses were flexed around circles, asked for precise transitions (between gaits as well as within gaits) and demonstrated their lateral maneuvers. All I could think was Circling Game for every arc and bend that they did. Yo-Yo Game during the transitions, and Sideways Game during the lateral maneuvers and lead changes! Not to mention the obvious friendly game with 1,000’s of spectators and international waving flags from various countries!! And here’s the best part: Pat says “Observe, Remember, and Compare” – what a great opportunity to do just that! I had the whole day to observe these horses and see if right circles or left circles were easier, to see if upward or downward transitions were harder and if the energy of the crowd bothered the horses. “Well, how will this affect the cross country day?” you might ask, after all the horses will no longer be in an arena, they will be galloping not walking and trotting a predictable pattern and it will be over uneven ground vs. a groomed arena?? Here is what I observed: the horses who had more trouble on their left circle, for example they might leak out through their right shoulder just a little – making a slightly bigger circle than the rider wanted or doing it with a funny angle in their body. These same horses on the cross country course, when unsure about an obstacle/jump, would duck out to the right and refuse the fence instead of going straight as an arrow over the jump. The horses that had more trouble with a downward transition in the dressage ring were the horses that had trouble coming back from a gallop to a canter when approaching a jump and as a result may jump ‘flat’, meaning without balance causing them to have a hard landing or need more space after the jump to recover their balance. This meant that they were not  going to be ready for the next obstacle and may fall down or refuse to jump! Also, those horses that had beautiful half passes right but lacked the same ease left might miss a sharp turn, push through/ignore the riders leg and end up taking the long way around the course costing them valuable time (the riders often get options when coming up to several jumps, a difficult but fast way or a easier but slower way – the course is judges on time, so a rider needs to go as quickly as possible while making sure their horse jumps all the obstacles)!!

                As I watched these simple (simple not always easy) things happen and build as the days of competition went along it reinforced in me the passion Pat has about playing the 7 games with excellence. After all he has often said that Level 4 is just Level 1 with excellence, and after seeing (with new eyes) the Rolex, all 4* Eventing is; is 7 games with excellence! As I watched the riders and horses struggle with the balance of the 7 games I knew ways to solve those problems on the ground without having to struggle through while riding. Thanks to Pat and Linda I have tools that will help me even at the most advanced Level of competition. I have a foundation that brings those pieces of the puzzle into focus and helps me know how to solve the problems that show up. The simple brilliance of the 7 games has given me the horse-mans tool kit to puzzle solve the most complicated problems, and Level 1-4 has given me the emotion fitness to look at those problems as puzzles and something to learn from vs. something to dread and avoid!

So, with a renewed passion for excellence in the simple things I am on the road again teaching and seeing just how good I can get those simple things with my horse. Even though we may not be riding every day I can be practicing what it takes to be excellent at my riding goal every moment I am with my horse. There doesn’t need to be a day where “we just played on the ground, and didn’t have time for riding - so I didn’t progress towards my goals”, every day even if we just halter and go out for a bite of grass I can ask myself how am I preparing positive patterns today that will serve me when I’m riding on a cross country course? How was his flexion when I put the halter on? Did he pull on my lead rope while he was eating grass? If yes, then we’ll take an extra moment to fix the flexion or to be sure I am not practicing heaviness by my horse pulling me around to the grass. One day that lead rope will be my rein and I need lightness so that there is no question about my horse sitting his weight back after a long gallop and getting balanced and ready for the next set of jumps/challenges! No matter what our goals or dreams are as horse-man no moment with our horses needs to be practicing the wrong thing, we can get excellence in the littlest things, after all our big goals are just made up of lots of little pieces.

Kathy & Taurus "Getting to Know Each Other"

My newest partner, Taurus!!

I am excited to get to know my new horse partner Taurus! He is a 6 year old Fresian from Florida and found his way to me due to his size and a less then ideal first 60 days under saddle. I am really looking forward to developing a relationship with him and he may become my new demo horse that travels on the road to clinics, etc.

He is extremely people friendly, and curious about people and their 'toys'! He is eager to learn and loves it when I pick him to play with!

At the moment I am getting to know him on the ground only :-), and John has agreed to put the first 30 or so hours on him while I focus on keeping myself and our new (not yet arrived) baby cool and healthy during this very warm summer!! Here is a picture of Taurus with his first session under saddle on our farm. . .

To begin with he was a little concerned with the motion behind his drive line, but by the end of the ground and riding session, he was looking lovely and relaxed . . .

Thank you John for your help, and I can't wait to watch as he continues to progress!!

What I have been focusing on after our first sessions together:

*Improving Taurus' confidence with things 'switching eyes', particularly in zone 5

*Higher energy friendly games

*Approach and retreat with canter

So far Taurus has made great improvements and is now able to accept the stick and string over his back with relaxation (nice low head, and soft eyes). He has also started to learn to pick up the right lead in front and behind (to start with the right lead was often a counter canter), and he is starting to read my body language and energy so that he knows if we are playing friendly game or driving game.

I'll keep you updated with his progress and look forward to learning more about him!

-Kathy Baar

A really useful article that I copied from Daniel Stewart's Newsletter! If you don't already get it you can sign up here!

Donna asks "My instructor is encouraging me to set goals. I think it's a good idea but I just can't seem to get into the habit. I've spoken with a few other riding friends and they can't seem to get into it either. Is this normal"? I commend you on your desire to include goal setting in your training program and encourage you to not get discouraged, it's actually quite common for many riders to struggle with it. Having said that, goal setting is one of the most beneficial tools any of us can develop, it helps us learn to use our training time more efficiently, stay focused on what's important, identify strategies that lead to success, provide us with feedback on our progress, gives us reasons to keep going and provides us with a clear vision of what we want to accomplish. There are many reasons why riders might struggle with goal setting, knowing what they are may help you understand what's holding you back: Fear of Failure - We might avoid setting goals so that we can avoid the possible disappointment of not being able to achieve them. Fear of Success - We might worry that if we achieve a goal today we'll have to keep achieving them in the future or be labeled a slacker. Impressions - We might believe that others will think badly about our weird way for training or of trying to exceed being average. Wrong Tool For The Right Job - We may have been discouraged in the past because we set outcome goals (only focused on winning) instead of the long and short-term goals that create success. A lack of willpower can also lead to goal setting difficulties. Willpower is defined as having the self-control to resist instant gratification so that we can achieve long-term success. Many riders believe that goals require too much time and doubt that the efforts they put in today will benefit them tomorrow. When done correctly however goal setting can actually be a time saver because it gives our training sessions greater structure and purpose and makes them more efficient by focusing more of our time on the skills that will benefit us the most. Understanding why we don't set goals is only 1/2 the battle... the other 1/2 is learning how to set them. For more information on how to do this I suggest you read the following Tip of The Month and to remember that: Any goal worth setting is a goal worth working for. Thanks for the great question Donna! If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future newsletter feel free to email it to me at: www.stewartclinics.com

Tip of the Month Setting Goals For Success Riding is a very goal-oriented sport, whether we're training a young horse, moving up through the levels, learning to jump or developing a conditioning program, goal setting is an integral part of what we do. Learning to set goals is important but it's just as important that we learn how to achieve them. Below are a few tips that can help you do this: Correct tool for the correct job - Set short and long-term goals that focus on your skills and behaviors instead of those of others. Worthwhile - Goal setting requires hard work and dedication so your goals should make the effort worthwhile. Realistic - Set goals that are challenging but achievable, too easy and you'll loss motivation, too hard and you risk feeling disappointed. Schooling and Showing - Since the vast majority of learning occurs in training you should set goals for your lessons as well as your shows. Self-Determined - Goals should be all about you, meaningful to you and not someone else (avoid setting goals to make others happy). One at a time - Goals work best when you set 1 long-term goal at a time and set no more than 3 per season - quality is better than quantity. Measurable - The best goals let you know if you've achieved them or not. Non-measurable goals like "trying my best' are too ambiguous. Time Bound - Create a target date for your goals, it makes them measurable and helps you avoid procrastination or complacency. Believable - If the gap between your ability and your goal is too big your mind won't be able to accept the discrepancy. Perpetual - A goal that requires a lifetime commitment is fine but goals tend to be more achievable when you work on them one day at a time. Ethical - Setting goals that go against your morals (i.e. sacrificing your horse's safety for a ribbon) will leave you wondering if it was all worth it. There are many other ways that goal-setting can set you up for success... watch for more goal setting tips in future newsletters!

A week with Kathy & Quick

“Teaching flying lead changes from zone 5”

As you can guess by the title this week I decided to try and teach Quick flying lead changes with long lines from zone 5! I chose to use the figure 8 pattern – something that he already knows, to help support the flying lead change pattern.

Some things I found useful to already have in place before starting this week’s project: In a nutshell, at least Level 3 ground skills with Quick. Plus, confidence in zone 5 with two rein driving at walk, trot and canter. Also, a positive pattern on my 45’ line doing the figure 8 with just one line. In addition, I have been practicing Walter Zettl type 2 rein sessions with Quick, getting him highly in tune with my energy up and energy down so that we can make precise transitions without heavy use of the line. Lastly, we have been playing more and more with zone 5 driving while I keep my feet still = lots of circles, figure 8’s, and weave (with very long lines and lots of ‘drift’).

Day 1: With all the preparation we have done I felt Quick and I were ready to dive right into the Figure 8 pattern. We started at walk then trot and built to canter with simple changes by the end of the session. Once we got to canter I focused on seeing if I could keep my feet as still as possible and would allow Quick to do several circles around me while I prepared to be in the right position and when we were both ready I asked Quick for the transition and new lead when he was in between the cones. Once on the new lead I allowed him to circle several times until we were both ready and then asked for the transition through the center and into the new lead.  Quick caught on quickly (no pun intended J), and we finished on a relaxed canter around a cone, a nice downward transition to walk and then back out around the other cone in the new lead about 3 times.

Day 2: We prepared with a VERY short session on the 45’ line to get his energy up (it was very HOT, so a short session was key!). Once he was connected we played with 2 22’ lines in zone 5 warming up with the same pattern as Day 1, all was coming smoothly. So, I chose to ask for the change. On the first attempt Quick did a slip change (not quite enough ‘Shwung’ for a flying change), but after a few repetitions and some “go button” practice he offered a flying change!! We stopped, rubbed, scratched and gave him a cookie. Then to the other side, and he immediately offered a flying change the other direction J Stop: Rub: Cookie and we cooled out for the day!

Day 3: Well, after ‘Day 2’ you may be thinking goal already accomplished, but . . . Today I warmed up, reviewed the pattern from Day 1 and decided to try 2 45’lines for the changes, my thought was that with the longer ropes I would able to be very savvy and keep my feet completely still while offering him drift. However, we only got slip changes. Still we finished on a relaxed, obedient figure 8 pattern with slip changes and off to eat grass and cool off. After dinner while reflecting on what happened I believe I was allowing so much drift that Quick was getting ‘flat’ and loosing elevation in his canter therefore making it harder for him to change (the same thing that happens to most students when they try to get ridden flying changes – that’s why they need a ground pole – to increase the moment of elevation). So, tomorrow back to the 22’ line!

Day 4: Back to the 22’ lines and a much better result! What I learned was that the shorter lines caused me to keep him more elevated because if I allowed enough drift for him to become ‘flat’ I was out of rope! So tomorrow I’ll be back to the 45’ lines to see if I can allow drift at the right time and ‘bring him back’/more collected when he needs to get ready for the change.

Day 5: We started with low energy today, perhaps due to the heat (only 90 at 9:00am!). So, I realized I needed to make a quick session of high energy and we spent time warming up Quick’s brain with some slow but particular tasks, like places one hind foot on the pedestal and playing ‘touch it’ with his tail! After he was in the mood, we moved onto the 45’ line. After 2 slip changes we added some energy and ‘Shazam’ we got 3 changes in a row! The 45’ lines worked great, I was able to allow drift to get the forwards then shorten about ½ circle before the change to help him set up for the change – and it was a success!

A week With Kathy & Quick "Bridling While Mounted"

Bridling While Mounted

A Week With Kathy & Quick

This week I decided to see if I could get Quick to act like a partner while I was in the saddle and bridling him. My goal was to get Quick to have a positive response to the point that I could hold out the bridle and Quick would offer to take it without me having to bend over and ‘chase’ his mouth around.  The following link is to a video of our progress at the end of the 5 days:

VIDEO

One of the things that I needed to have in place to make this 5 day goal a reality was a positive response to bridling while on the ground (video link of Quick Bridling on the ground):

VIDEO

To build this positive response to the bit I have been playing with Quick getting something ‘tasty’ each time after accepting the bit. It is the same idea that Linda Parelli shows in the ground simulations on the Game Of Contact DVD.

Day 1: I checked our bridling from the ground and rewarding with a treat to make sure we were set to go for this week’s goal -all was good. Now I needed Quick to solve a more complicated puzzle, I just held the bit out and asked him to ‘take’ it (up until this point I have been setting up the situation as perfectly as possible). When he did he got a little cookie.

Day 2: I started where we ended on Day 1, asking Quick to take the bit in an awkward position, ex. Up higher and down lower than normal. Also, at this point I started simply holding the bit out and waiting for him to come around and choose to stick his head in the bridle.

Day 3: We started on the ground and then I moved to sitting on the fence and asking Quick to take the bit. This was a little bit of a challenge for him to make this leap, but I stuck with him and rewarded the slightest try (ie. Sniffing the snaffle) with a cookie. After about 2 cookies he figured out the game was the same from the fence and was able to take the bit while I sat above him on the fence.

Day 4: After warming Quick up online with a saddle I started our bridling session on the fence, all went well. So, after mounting I rode over and picked up my bridle. He had a similar reaction to the first time I was on the fence – a little unsure about the game. I went back to rewarding him with a little cookie for just touching the bridle with his nose. After about 3-4 repetitions he figured out the puzzle and put effort into putting his nose and mouth through the bridle and onto the bit. We repeated the bridling while mounted 3 times rewarding him with a cookie and scratch after each success.

Day 5: Today we warmed up On Line and then videoed out progress (see video link above). After figuring out it was the same game he is used to just in a different zone it took no time at all to get bridling like a partner while I was mounted!