Today we played some more with the ditch by the gate and worked on getting Kai connected. When he was ready I rode him to the arena. I quickly checked him for ticks and didn't find any. The garlic tick spray mom made for him is working better than the Fiskes! We started the session doing zone 5 driving in the outdoor focusing on trot transitions and changes of direction at the trot. There were two other people riding in the arena and Kai stayed connected to me. 
 
Next we played with canter circles and flying lead changes. Kai tends to get excited when doing fast changes of direction and can get bracy so for now I am using the fence to help him. He did a good change when I finally got my timing right and we quit on that. 
 
I decided to just try freestyle lead changes and see what happens. So I tackled him up in the bareback pad and set up a cavaletti on the lowest setting and then asked Kai to go over it at liberty. At first he ran off but then quickly came back and did as I asked. My reasoning was that if he did it willingly at liberty he is very likely to easily go over it when I ride him. When I got on I asked him for lateral flexion as always and then asked him to canter right away.
 
I cantered him a lap and then asked him to do a lead change over the cavaletti. And he nailed it!!!! Farrah showed me how to set up the horse for a lead change during my lessons with her in Cody. I also got to watch Isabelle Farmer 2* Parelli professional teaching her horse lead changes over a jump too. Observing Isabelle's timing helped me so much!
 
Kai did two more flying changes one in each direction and I jumped off and untacked him on the spot. I hosed him off and gave him his Apple before putting him back in the pasture. 
 

DAY 2 
Today was a slow session for us. 
We did some more zone 5 driving and each time Kai gets lighter and lighter. We focused on sideways and changes of direction. 
I did find some ticks on him but not nearly as many as last session. 
 
DAY 3 
Today Kai came to catch me on about  30 feet distance. It was so sweet how eagerly he came to me. When we came out of the gate I decided it would be fun to ride him back to the arena. I can mount from the ground but I thought it would be fun to ask him to stand in the ditch. It turns out that Kai has not stood in a ditch before and he felt unconfident doing that for me. So we played friendly game with standing in the ditch until he felt calmer.
 
When he was connected I mounted and all the way to the barn we did sideways alternating sides every ten steps or so. I also practiced asking his HQ to step left or right while we were still going forward. I experimented with touching my leg to his side in time with his feet. It was very neat that all of a sudden he was responding so much better and faster.
 
When we got to the arena I rode him on the rail for a few minutes reviewing stretching down at the trot. Next we did some ground driving building on the sideways we did last session. I am hoping to quickly get his zone 5 driving really good so we can start planning our level 4 online audition.  We also worked on getting the changes of direction going smoothly. 
 
We also began learning haunches in on both sides. Kai is trying really hard and can be in the right bend and still have three tracks for only half a step. I am so happy with that on the first session! I asked him to also bring his legs together a couple of times for teaching him to lie down. 
 
We did some Liberty spins before walking back to the paddock. 

On the day after we arrived back home we went to visit Kai. He has been running wild in the pasture up the road and has been completely abandoned for an entire week. 
 
I called him by the gate and all the other horses looked up and Kai barely flicked an ear in my direction. I called him again and then started walking towards the herd. Everybody started running away so I ran after them.
 
Kai very quickly realized that I was here for him and then he eagerly came to meet me. I gave him an apple and rubbed him all over. I told him that I was sorry for leaving him like that. We then started the walk all the way to the indoor. Kai was not only wet, he was a complete mud monster! I have never seen him this muddy before! I decided that it would be easier to hose him off than wait for him to dry and then curry the muck off. I started to hose him and found a couple of ticks on his coat. I used to be horribly afraid of ticks but after pulling a good bunch of them off Kai I don't think touching them is that bad. 
 
When Kai was all clean we went to the indoor to play! We did zone 5 driving first and Kai got it immediately because of what Farrah taught me. He wasn't that light but he could easily understand where I wanted him to go.
 
I then let him loose while I went to get the grooming tote and found him rubbing his tail on the wall. This is very strange because I have not seen Kai rub his tail before. I called him and he was so busy rubbing that he wouldn't come to me. I then went to him and started checking his tail bone for ticks but there weren't any. So I started gently scratching him looking for the spot when he spread his legs showing me that his whole inner thighs and bum were infested with ticks. I got to work removing them and then put fiskes all around his bum and thighs and sheath to sooth the bites and repel more ticks from biting him there. 
 
We did some zone 5 driving working on follow the rail and some figure eights. Since Farrah taught me about the driving rein and the porcupine rein all of our problems and misunderstanding were gone. Anna was teaching a lesson at the same time as I was playing and I took lots of breaks to watch. When the lesson was done I rode Kai bareback for a few laps around the arena. 
 
At the end of our session I let my brother and sister play some stick-to-me with him and I gave them a pony ride each. This is huge for Kai because he used to have an issue with my siblings handling him. He would quickly get very dominant and pushy and be unhappy when they rode him. I was so proud of him for behaving the whole time and being calm when they rode him. 
I have him a cookie and put him back in the pasture after that. 

I still can't believe how lucky I am to have Farrah Green as my mentor for the Parelli Foundation Future of Horsemanship Scholarship. Farrah is an amazing teacher and knows exactly how to feel for her students, both human and horse. I have never met someone who can teach with such finesse and timing before. In particular she knows how to put her students out of their comfort zones just the right amount, never letting them get unconfident or discouraged while getting more out of them and their horses than they thought they could. I end my lessons with her feeling even more excited to learn and always inspired and encouraged. 
 
I had a spectacular week with her in Cody, Wyoming, and feel so blessed to have this opportunity. My lessons with her focused on my next two auditions, Level 4 Online and Level 3 Freestyle. I couldn't wait to teach my horse Kai this stuff! 
 
We also all worked on an obstacle course for the horses during our stay. I did have some doubts about finishing it in time for the open house, however with everyone's hard work it all came together! 
 
It was beautiful to see Farrah leading and organizing the whole thing. She made sure all members of her team felt happy and appreciated while keeping us focused and on task. Because of this everyone gave a 120% and it all came together. 
 
When it was time for the open house I got to be part of a savvy team for the first time! I was so nervous at first but when I saw how happily the rest of the savvy team was working together in the arena I calmed down enough to really enjoy myself. I loved the energy of the whole savvy team-- so welcoming and so focused on building savvy and being better partners. 
 
 
I also got to ride in my first parade before we went back home to Canada. What was interesting is that the majority of the riders at the parade treated their horses with kindness and understanding.
 
I learned an incredible amount during my stay in Cody--about true leadership and teamwork and of course being a better partner for the horses that I play with. 
 

We practice the question box for our level 3 freestyle audition nearly every time the outdoor is available. Kai is pretty good at doing the smaller circles but when we do the large ones he disconnects from the pattern. At one point he went through a stage where I over did the stopping in the box and Kai would cut through the middle of the circle and rush into the box. He was also slightly reluctant to leave the box. I started alternating where we stopped and that solved the issue. 
 
 
Circle around the barrel
 
Kai is slowly getting stronger and he maintains the stretching down for longer periods of time. He knows that stretching down feels better and he wants to do it when he remembers. 
We also got pretty good at doing the sideways into transitions on the rail. This is another way I can get Kai to stretch down. 
 
 Liberty

Our liberty has also been going well. I can ask more of him and he doesn't think about leaving. And when he does leave he reconnects much faster. 
 
Farrah's lessons are so helpful and inspiring! She got us right to work on our level 3 freestyle audition and we are quickly getting closer and closer!
 
We are super pumped waiting for the Fawn Anderson clinic to finally happen! We have been waiting for months and to think that it is so close is so exciting! 

Today I audited Kari Bowser, 2 * Parelli Professional, giving lessons. I was happy to see complete beginners trying out PNH with their horses. I've been thinking about the principles and why we do things the way we do them quite a lot lately and how I would approach teaching. At first it was painful to see Kari not say anything and watch her students make mistakes and it drove me crazy. But then I realized that an important part of teaching is knowing when to shut up and let your student think it through. At the end Kari's students got a lot more out of it. I can't bear watching people that I teach make mistakes (for example, my sister) and then I micromanage really badly, which is not a good thing to do.

It was extremely refreshing to see Kari's "How can I help you?" attitude towards horses, even if the horse was giving her a hard time. She didn't think of phase 4 as phase 4, and her voice and body language reflected that. She kept doing what she was doing and helped the horse to keep up. Normal people use phase 4 as a punishment, Parelli people use Phase 4 as the last resort to get the horse to succeed. This attitude is what makes Parelli Phase 4 different from punishement. I find it easy to not get angry at the horse because they only do the best they can, even if this behaviour is inconvenient to me, but when I do Phase 4 I clench my teeth, which is not a true, tension free Phase 4. I'm aware of this, and I'm working on getting better, because it can significantly affect my posture when I'm riding, if I correct Kai with clenched teeth. My horsemanship is better when I approach every horse with a "How can I help you attitude?" and the knowledge that each horse is doing the very best it can at the moment, 110% of the time, even if they bust through pressure or run away in fear or defiance.

I was excited Kari cover the corners game with B. It was a good refresher and inspired me to go out and play it with Kai, because he would really enjoy this puzzle.

Today I had a nice but rather plain session with Kai. I tacked him up and did my pre ride checks in the indoor arena. I let a D. ride him for a few laps around the arena to try out my treeless saddle and then gathered my things and headed to the outdoor. I mounted from the fence and we set off working on follow the rail at the walk. We worked on headset and transitions for a little while and did some cantering.

I then decided to try something just to see where we are at. I asked Kai to canter on a circle and the next time we were at X I asked Kai to trot and then canter the other direction on a new lead. We did this a few more times and then cooled out on the rail. Kai was very bracy when cantering but he got his leads correctly all but one time. I think we are closer than I thought to doing simple changes! Kai was very hot and tired by then. He is holding onto his thick winter coat despite the heat and he gets tired and sweaty faster than usual. I untacked him and set him loose to roll in the sand. Kai came back to me when he was done and I put him away and gave him an apple.

Today I began our ride by asking Kai to move forward at a canter. When he had a good rhythm and was moving freely I asked him to slow down. We played around with transitions briefly because I don't want to drill Kai on this, however he does need some practice.

M. came and I invited her to bring up her horse so that we could ride together. We set up some trot poles together and took turns using them. I want Kai to be in shape for the Fawn Anderson clinic in the end of June so I made a point of trotting Kai a little more than I usually would. I began to wrap up our ride and trotted less and walked more. I got a 22' line and tied it through a cone so that Kai and I could practice dragging it. Poor Kai was very confused about why the cone suddenly started following us. He turned to face it and snorted. He soon calmed down so I dropped the rope and walked him around some more. I let him roll before putting him away.

Today Molly and I tacked up outside for our lesson. I finished tacking up first so I began to do my pre ride checks outside as the indoor was still taken. Kai was calm, connected and responsive so I mounted him almost right away when we went to the indoor. Today we did lots of transitions and practiced trotting with relaxation. Before I knew it the lesson was nearly over. Molly and I started our game with each of us holding the end of the lead rope and riding side by side. When Molly was on the outside she had to go faster and I had to go slower. And then we switched and I had to ride faster! Kai and I were somehow falling behind, so when I asked him to speed up he cantered! He was offering a nice and happy balanced canter all on his own! When the game was over and Molly dropped her end of the rope I kept on dragging it. Over all it was a great lesson and I am getting more confident in asking Kai to find his rhythm and give vertically.

Today when I haltered Kai I knew he was is a dominant mood. I groomed and tacked him up outside. As I was leading him to the indoor he started pulling on the halter and leaning on me. I quickly backed him up and when we were inside I made him move his feet. I put him on a longer line and pushed him at a canter and even tried some flying lead changes. It looked like he had his feet in order and he managed to do some clean ones. I then decided to practice some zone 5 driving. Kai leans a lot and braces into pressure and I had to bump pretty hard.

I decided to try to take him on the trail so that we could practice without having to keep turning around. Kai was good at first and then he decided he was going to lean big time. I yanked his head around and backed him up hard. Kai then offered a really nice, soft, fast and balanced back up.

We went to the outdoor arena so that I had a safety net in case he pulled the rope out of my hands.

We tried more zone 5 driving and Kai was pretty bracy at the walk. I decided to try to trot in case it would help him be softer and have less time to think about bracing. Mom filmed a video so that we could send it to Farrah (to get some help with this).

Kai surprisingly connected and was soft and relaxed. I thought we could go for a ride then. Kai was offering a relaxed level neck at the walk, so I decided to ask him to trot. Kai then did a very tense and quick trot anticipating that I would ask him to canter. I kept asking him to relax and stretch down and he would lower his head but then shoot it back up. Kai then decided that trotting quickly was not comfortable and offered a really nice and balanced canter transition. I decided to not correct him for cantering but to keep asking for the head to go down. Kai broke back into a trot and kept bobbing his head back up and tensing his back.

We played around with transitions and a relaxed head. Kai would relax his head down for an entire lap around the arena and I would change something and he would tense back up. I don't really think he was tense out of fear, I think he was tense which made him uncomfortable which made him more tense. I need to help him find balance and comfort within his gaits.

I even jumped him over some cavaletti. He jumped two and then balked at the third a few times but I worked him through it and he could jump all three. I was not in the perfect jumping position but I made sure I was very light on Kai's back and that I was balanced. We then went back to trotting and working on his head set.

Kai was sweaty and working hard but I didn't feel him run out of gas at all. I had ridden him a few weeks ago and he was so tired and I felt his energy sort of die under me. I was proud of how easily he could handle this much trotting and cantering in one go!

I then tried some bridleless. I wanted to try to ask him to canter in a circle instead of going on the rail like before. Kai was bracing and he was ignoring my leg so I bumped him harder and harder. I felt Kai ball up underneath me so I prepared myself for a buck. He gave a small buck so I dismounted and backed him up faster and harder than ever. I threw his halter back on and jumped back on his back. We cantered fast and hard and I made him respect my leg and go in a circle. When he did a good one I walked to cool him off while doing serpentines directing him with only my leg. We were both exhausted but Kai was soft and respectful.

I was pretty excited how fast his breathing got back to normal! I think he is really getting fitter which opens a lot of doors for us! We have not previously been able to work on these things because Kai would get too tired. But this time he had enough energy for me to really work through!

I cooled him out and put him back in the paddock with some treats.

Today was not an easy session, but it was full of progress. I feel a lot more confident in how much I can push him and in my ability to correct him and help him.