Our play session tonight was really great!! We started by backing into the round pen but this time instead of just backing America in, I yo-yo'd her several times. I called it quits when she backed herself in when I asked and actually lined herself up correctly without my help...no micromanagement here!!
I closed the gate and removed the halter and lead rope, tossing it aside. When I moved off, I invited/suggested America come with me and she did on the first ask! I tried a few turns, switching direction both slowly and quickly and she stayed with me the entire time.Hooray, we got stick to me/catching game at liberty, version 1 straight away...no need to go to versions 2 and 3.
I changed the order of the next two exercises, doing the relaxation on the circle before the back and over, hoping it would help America unstick her feet and make back and over easier. I think it worked because back and over was much easier tonight, even on her right side, and even during those times I need to reinforce a bit, it was not more than a phase 2. We're making progress!!
Relaxation on the circle was much quicker tonight...only 4 laps to the right and 6 to the left before America showed relaxation by lowering her head and slowing her gait. I really feel like America is beginning to catch on to the games!
We went out to the big pasture to play around with some online things. We started with touch it, sending America to different trees in the pasture, especially the ones with Spanish Moss dangling...she loves that stuff. Didn't take long for her to catch on to that! Did a bit of sideways without a fence, some one rein driving, put your foot on the frisbee, sidepass over the log, and ended up with figure 8's at the walk using the frisbees as markers.
Sideways without a fence is getting better but America still wants to creep forward occasionally, a light wiggle of the rope is enough to move her back into position. The one rein driving was nice although she could be a little straighter but for our first time, America was fantastic walking down the fence line with me in zone 5 (well out of kick range) and she did an awesome stop when I breathed out, sucked my energy back and stopped walking. I didn't even have to put any pressure on the rope! Putting her foot on the frisbee proved to be difficult at first so I placed a cookie on each of the two frisbees as a motivator. It didn't take long before America was honing in on those frisbees!! That worked to my advantage when we did the figure 8's as the frisbees were now important to her and she knew where they were. Drive and draw were wonderful and I didn't need to move my feet much. It was easy to PUSH her shoulder over to send her through the center using only my energy. On the first three reps, pushing her right shoulder caused her rush through the pattern a little bit. Pushing on the left shoulder was smooth and easy as was the draw on that side. I slowed down when pushing her right shoulder and drawing on that side and we did two nice, relaxed reps and QUIT!! This was our first time doing this pattern and America was reading me and my body language very well. I was paying attention, trying to be clear, and watching my energy and stick use; as little as possible but as much as necessary to be effective.
America was a bit unconfident with sideways over the log so we did some squeeze over, turn, face and wait until she could relax over the jump. Once she began to slow down, she was practically walking over the log then stopped 1/2 way over. I let her rest there for a bit. I then asked for sideways and she did several beautiful steps...TIME TO QUIT!!
It was a really fun two hours tonight. After we were finished, we just hung out for a while and we had a cookie fest!!
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