> Back in November, I think, you posted the beginning of the Parelli > Passenger lessons. I think you got to step 4 then they stopped.
I forgot to continue sending them. Here's #5: Step 5 Set yourself a time goal to do a Passenger Lesson for at least 20 minutes. You need to be there long enough in order to let down all your defenses and for your horse to let down his. And if this feels a little long to you, start with just seven minutes and then build from there. Step 6 When this is going well you can advance the Passenger Lesson to the trot (a rising trot) once again allowing transitions to the walk and stopping if your horse feels like it. After several steps at the walk, urge him into the trot again and be willing to do this many, many times if necessary... without judgement! Allowing the horse to slow down is so important because he learns that he can do this with a rider on board which is especially important for impulsive horses who tend to think they can't slow down! Think of it this way, the more it happens the more you learn to ride transitions smoothly. Step 7 As you ride around pushing forward on the neck you'll start to notice some things... - You'll learn about your horse's behavior, his confidence or insecurity; and his way of moving... tense or relaxed. After a while you'll probably notice that he gets calmer and his gaits get smoother. - He moves his head, neck and body differently when he's tense as opposed to when he's relaxed. When tense the horse usually turns his head one way yet goes in the direction of another. His ribs stiffen and push to the inside of the turn. When he's relaxed, his body tends to follow his nose and everything feels smoother and easier to ride. Experiment with this and match your body to his body exactly... look where he looks, bend where he bends, stick your ribs out when he does, relax when he relaxes, speed up when he speeds up (fast walk, fast trot) etc. Mirror your horse exactly, do not resist him mentally, emotionally or physically (unless he goes too fast for comfort, in which case nicely bend him until he gets the gait you want again.) Important: Don't micromanage speed within the gait, go with it. Just correct it when the horse changes gait. Pretty soon, your horse will get totally relaxed. He'll lower his neck, round his back and it will feel wonderful for you both! I've consistently seen this happen in as little as 60 seconds to an average of about 8 minutes. Hang in there! - When you push on the base of the neck it takes the tension out of your legs and body. Instead of gripping with your legs you start to feel more moulded to your horse. If you get concerned about your horse getting faster, just push harder with your hands. This makes you feel more secure and will actually be calming to your horse because your body will feel more relaxed. You'll use the same technique once you graduate to Passenger Lessons in larger and even undulating areas. Note: Speedy and sensitive horses have emotional trouble when their rider either loses their balance or stiffens against their movement in fear of getting run off with, so being successful at this will make a profound emotional change for you both. - You'll start to feel more when you get less tense because your body will move with your horse instead of resisting the movement. In fact, start exploring things like where in your body you might still be holding stiffness or falling into old habits like bracing against your stirrups. What can you do about that? Experiment. What will it take to eliminate all resistance in you so that you can become totally fluid? It's an interesting thought actually, the more stiffness you have in your body the more stiffness or tension you'll create in your horse's body. And if you get a sore back or neck or knees when riding you'll most likely find your horse gets a sore back or neck or knees/hocks too. It's hard to ride a horse and not pass on your imbalances and this is why Passenger Lessons are so valuable. They help you shed all that tension and become part of the horse. It's from this point on that you can really learn the art of riding naturally... where it's a thing of harmony and beauty and totally devoid of tension... all the way to the highest maneuvers if you want. ____________________________ Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
