A Lesson in GoLightness

See? I can be serious! Seriously!
My sister had just asked my dear old red dog a very serious question. Much younger red dog. She's mulling it over. It's important. Old red dog loved questions. Do you want to go ____ (fill in the blank)? Is Simon cat upstairs? Most animals love questions. Cats, usually, already know the answer, and are bored by your stupidity. Jethro, my old cat, loved jokes, more than questions. Simon brother cat just liked sleeping in my lap.

The tone of your voice describes who you are. I wish DDF wasn't quite so clairvoyant. I know I've been raising my voice, I have this Flip dog with a predilection for poop. And a lovely habit of ralphing it up in the middle of the work night. Rarely weekends. ReallY RarelY!

So, I do indeed sometimes startle Flip with my tone & volume, because it's instinctive for me to "GasP" when I don't like the behaviour, at all. That's hard to do, to quit the "Aghh!" uttering. She "got" me last weekend. Flip knew my eyes weren't watching. I am practicing my silent training again, too. I needed the reminder. And as long as I'm fair, Flip seems to get my quandary with her. She's SO soft. I can't be harsh, or angry. I'm not. But oh, my patience streeeetched on Sunday, and I gave her a Cesar touch. It was a soft touch, and it was AFTER she'd decided to come away from the hole.

I know the timing seems wrong. Flip yelped, the big suck. And Flip stopped disappearing, for the rest of the day. Played happily, fetched as if she was a born retriever. Funny Flip. I wonder how she was started, sometimes. Flip has esteem issues, that disappear when she's on that squirrel patrol.

Now that the farm season is beginning, it's crucial that Flip's not deaf!
Unless I say so:) Flip's been forgetting that, she's a very smart dog. Smarter than me, reallY. Flip is pouting, she hates it when I type about her.. Do SO. Do Not. Do SO!!

We will have an increased amount of traffic on the driveway, with the farm workers doing their plantings. Gotta keep sharpening up her recall, and remind her of her boundaries.
Blaze is always where I am, or where I'm pointed, so we're good there. Blaze is a little short on work though. Blaze is 2 and a half, and an amazon of play. Busy Blaze! Blaze has three words that make her eyes BLAZE.

"chipmunk", "squirrel" and "crazy." Blaze will BEG me to say them. I use them as exciting play reward words. It's hilarious! They work better than her name, when she's thinking about wandering the way her sister has so kindly demonstrated. Blaze is amazing. If I say "Where's Chipmunk?", she bows, and spins, and waves a paw, and might throw in a roll-over for the laugh she loves.


Okay, now that you're completely bored, let's have a lesson. I feel like teaching. Have you noticed? I've been suffering teaching withdrawal for yearS. It's annoying, eh?
:)
I'm going to do a novice lesson, okay? So all you advanced folk, just press ignore:)
I'll be meeting you and your horse for the first time, at your barn.

I'll call "Hellllooo?" as I come in the barn. Your horse will perk her ears, and maybe whinny:) Hey, it's a dream lesson, mK?

We''ll chat about your horse, as she stands in the cross-ties. I'll be looking at her behaviour as you talk about her. Does she relax, maybe nod off, content at the sound of your voice? Does she fidget, or fuss? Do you laugh at her, or worry at her? We'll chat about where you've been and what you've done with riding. We'll talk about your good rides and bad rides. I'll ask you what you think your strongest physical features are for riding. And of course, your weakest. I'll comment on your posture, and gently flatter your ego. I'll notice your build, and how you walk. I'll ask you how long you usually ride for.

Then, and we're assuming your mare is broke, we'll tack up. I'll have already noticed how clean or not your horse is:) If it's not acceptable, I'll show you what I feel isn't appropriate. I'm nuts about keeping the saddle/bridle/girth areas perfectly clean, and so should you be, even when you're short on time. I won't lecture about it, but I will "finish up" anything I feel was missed, and why I am doing it. We'll check her legs, and I'll make sure the backs of her pasterns are clean and dry:) (Something else I'm nuts about.)

We'll walk out to the large sand ring, and we'll get you longing your horse for a few minutes, to see how you handle her on the ground. I'll help, if I see that your mare isn't respecting your requests to stay out on the line. I'll show you that triangle shape we are always trying to achieve. You as focus, horse's back end driven by your whip hand, horse's head as the third "point" of the triangle.

If you seem very nervous, I'll ride your horse next, just to see what she knows.
I won't use a mounting block, which will "wow" you. Your mare too:)

I'll "flatter and coax" your mare, to see what her best and worst points are. Does she move off my seat and leg? Is she dead as a door nail? Is her mouth numb? I won't try to change her, and I won't "get after her".

I'll hop off, and we'll get you sorted out. I'll check how your legs fall against your horse's sides. We'll talk about how stirrups are there to help the horse and you, too. We'll make sure the stirrups are of EQUAL length. I'll stand in front of you two, and see how straight the two of you stand. Then, if you say that one stirrup feels shorter/longer, we'll drop your stirrups, and re-adjust their length, until you feel comfortable. You may be crooked, physically. It takes time to loosen and straighten your muscles equally, on both sides. I'll allow you to keep your stirrups at your regular unevenness, if you feel they are too completely new in their "even" position.

Then, we'll go for a walk around the ring. I'll tell jokes about the various animals I've ridden, and hopefully you'll be smiling as you start to ride. I'll ask you to show me how you post, at the walk. I'll flatter and coax you, too.
To be Continued...
This is long enough for now:)

Oh, that's me on "Concordiana", in 1970. Second/Worst Barn. My stirrups are still too long:)
Yup. People were alive and RIDING in 1970. Sheesh, that's almost four decades.

To Horses. I can Almost smell them.