Send them somewhere.

I'm figuring out that part of problem with lead departures is that I'm trying to bridle her up and pick her up instead of kicking her forward with my legs and making her go somewhere. Its also helping her move out in her circles. I'm letting her and the two year old lift their head up and go forward, really forward and move out. I see too many people, including myself sometimes spend too much time messing with the horses face and driving them up in the bridle. They say, well, I'm trying to keep him off the front end. But speed will help keep the horse off the front end without so much wrestling around getting the horse confused and mad or just bound up.

It is ultra important that the horse is giving to the bridle but trying to make them travel in a way that isn't natural for them can be a waste of time. It works out better to get them soft in the bridle- but you also have to pitch them away and let them carry themselves in a way thats natural even if it means packing their head a little higher than you like- as long as the horse isn't getting scared and bracey and raising up. That even goes for the turn arounds- they need to be where they can turn the best.

Letting them go a little faster and sometimes quite a little bit faster - of course without scaring them to death- in the circles and fencing seems to really clean up all the manouvers and keep them off their front end without making them mad. Speed takes care of a lot of problems.

Several Important things

Most important I figured out at the show was to bump the horse off the bit during the lead change and it reall helped Jolena- saw Trent Peterson doing it at the Oregon reining Classic. Popping that chin in and head down into the bridle really gets them off the bit and changing leads- keeping their shoulder up in the circles and turning correctly and faster.

When I really got Jolena bumped down and off of the bridle and shoulders up in the circles- it made it really easy to just use the neck rein a little to keep the horses shoulder up in the circle- really using the neck rein only in the show- if you keep them honest while practicing.

The Mattt mills guiding drill I did on Sally really helped get her relaxed and not pulling on the bit- also it helped Whiz to relax - you have to do it untill they are tired.

Rolling back into the fence (to the outside of the circle)really helpes whiz to not drop his shoulder into the inside of the circle circle and tip his nose to the inside like I like it.

Rope nose band really got sally to keep her nose down and jaw soft and in the bridle.

While I'm thinking about it I better jot down a few of the things I'm figuring out.

keeing the face soft in the lead change with soft hands

keeping the horsse in the bridle while turning helps the horse stay soft and turn harder.

Turn, circle, turn. circle and frame turn, circle and frame, turn, circle and frame repeat, repeat repeat instead of turn turn turn traintrainturnhammerturn.stop.

Turn, quarter circle, turn, quarter circle, turn, quarter circle repeat will get them hooked and keep them looking the right way if you repeat it and keep the eye with the inside rein. The results may be more evident the next day.

Always work on turning the horse each direction- even the good way.

Really camping out in the snaffle bit and getting the face and parts broke broke broke will make them all that much better when you stick them in the bridle

If you practice the Dell Hendrick circle drill and guide them back into and through the middle using only the neck rein they will get really light and responsive to the neck rein.

Thanks Dr Laura and Dad

Dr Laura
I was thumbing through the channels in the van today and came across Dr. Laura who got a call from a women who's son was going into the military. She asked Dr Laura what to do with her fears about her childs safety. Dr Laura told her, "dont think about it"How do I do that? the Lady asked."Think about something else."Since Dr Laura has a boy in the service. She must head her own advice. So its real.But that is good advice. I think about stuff that upsets me. I used to do that as a little kid and get all messed up. I'd think about the saddest stuff a little kid could think about. And dad came down to comfort me and told me to replace my thought with happy thoughts about going fishing and being happy. So I did, and it helped.So I think I will take Dad and Dr Laura's advice once again, I've gotten off track. Instead of dwelling on problems, even troubleshooting I've got to trust that God will show me the answers and when thoughts get me messed up I need to think of something else.Dont think about it, Think about something else.God always comes through for me. No matter what problem comes up, Or how stumped I am, an answere always comes through. So I need to stop fretting about stuff, and when I do I need to stop thinking about it and think of someting else. The answer always comes. Like today when Sally was throwing her head in the air when I asked her to change leads. It came to me to work my hands and slide the bridle and sure enough it fixed the problem. I was so worried about if I could get her ready to show or not, and the answere is, probobly not the next show, but I know what to do to get her furthur towards the goal and I know how realistic the goal is. which is more than I knew yesterday. So it all worked out. and my big wreck in the showpen worked out for the best because I learned a valuable and lesson and improved myself and my skills and my horse.

Also, it worked good On Lindas horse which has plagued me with for two years with bad lead changes. Linda tried it on her, messagging the reins and it really helped the mare stay soft and change leads. So all of the fretting and stewing and struggling I've done and imposed on both these mares could have been softened a little if I'd been a little more patient and confident that the answer was on its way.

Sally

Well, Sally is not turning out exactly how I'd planned but She is showing me all kinds of new stuff, not the least of which is how she excells more the softer she is in the bridle. What I figured out is when she sticks her head up when I ask her to change leads all I have to do is messagge those reins or slide the bridle across her tounge or see-saw or shake her off right when I que her and she gives her face, stays soft in the bridle and changes leads. Linda tried it on Jolena, the lead changer from Hell. Sure enough she got the lead change without too much fuss.

Perfectionism

It has come to my attention that I am a perfectionist. I got in a big disagreement with my three year old futurity mare, (again) and it is donning on me that our goals are entirely different. She refuses to copoerate. Not with training but with my dream. Perhaps I have set my goals to high, and, being a perfectionist, I consider myself a failure for not reaching my goals.

Its not that I haven't reached my goal. But I've come to the realization that my goals are out of reach. Placing in a respectable reining futurity with the mare is a stretch. The negative way to say it would be to say that its a joke. But after studying perfectionism on the Internet I've learned not to use strong language, in order that I can start to become an optimist, which is what you have to become to not be a perfectionist. I'd like, now, apparently, to become a "high achiever." Which is a healthy persons version of being a perfectionist. When a high achiever doesn't reach a goal he doesn't fret, he just enjoys being on a path to improvement. In other words he's a looser. Oops there I go again being negative. Optimist's put a positive spin on everything. They dont feel pain, they experience discomfort. They dont get mad, they become annoyed. In other words they are idiots. But at least they are happy.

Perfectionists are unhappy, suffer from low self esteme, and frustrated.

So I'm reprogramming myself to be an optimist. This could take a while.

An interesting thing learned is that perfectionists are critical of themselves and others. I am very critical of myself when I train a horse. I try to make it a habit not to be critical of people though, so it took me a while to figure out that who I am critical of is the horse I'm training. I'm critical of him or her and also of myself.

The great horseman Tom Dorrance is quoted as saying, "be picky, but not critical." But I'm very critical, specially if I feel the horse is thwarting my goal on every level. I try to convince the horse through all of the training methods I can think of but the results often come slowly, and sometimes progress either ends abruptly or goes backwards and I become frustrated and she becomes frustrated and when the dust settles I perceive myself as a faliure while she happily munches on really expensive feed.

Never mind that I've done a really nice job on a mare with limited potential. I often tell people that you cant make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Which means if you want a horse to be a star reiner you cant just take a common pooper and expect miricles. No, you have to start with a horse possesing the requisit talent and brains to accept the training and enjoy the work. Yet I expect myself to make chicken salad. No offense to the horse. The horse is always right.

I've chosen a tough challenge, It takes a year to make a reining horse. Over two years ago I started training another mare that I have recently all but given up on. She just turned out OK. Barely. The reason she turned out ok is that I turned her over to my wife, Pookie and she gets along with the mare. She accepts a little progress and puts the mare up. She allows imperfection and this keeps the mare from becoming upset. Pookie is one of those happy high achievers. God love her.

So I started on this new fillie over a year ago and now I realise that she is just going to be ok but nothing to write home about. So I am basically relaxing my high hopes on her which will be a relief to us both. I'm accepting her for what she is and will base my further training and showing of her accordingly. To use baseball as an illistration: I was hoping to make the major leages or more realistically the minor leagues with her but she will most likely end up in the church league softball division. Slow pitch. Crap.

Or, in the spirit of becoming more optomistic. Stuff.

Also I will begin employing self affirming self talk techniques. The idea here is, you change your speach to constantly say what you want to be like, it eventually gets in your subconciounce and before long, pretso: Your the man. So, without further adue, here I go!

I am at peace.

I am happy.

I work well under pressure.

I am wise.

I am calm.

I am blessed.

I am lucky.

Success is 98 percent failure.

I am cool.

I am smart.

And for the mare.

She tries.

She is sound.

She is patient with me.

She is quiet.

She is forgiving.

She has some ability.

She has taught me much.

She doesn't owe me anything.

She is pretty.

She is kind.

She is meek.

Me again...

I am meek.

I am humble.

I am kind.

I am gentle.

I am secure.

I am going to bed.

Or shooting myself.