Learning Parelli-ism isn't just about accruing skills it seems, but also about divesting myself of that which is no longer useful.   First thing to go has to be emotion. Not attaching importance to success or failure but just observing what is happening and adjusting accordingly.  We haven't *failed* if we don't do it correctly.  I just haven't made myself clear or my timing is off or something equally innocuous - and as fixable.  It was very freeing, exhilarating actually, to not be emotionally attached to the result.  Worked on driving at a distance and found big holes in his understanding.  I thought we had it.  It didn't matter because we worked on it until he stopped being *emotional*, thought about it, got it and did it calmly and consistently.  Was a brilliant session.  But the repercussions of this simple lesson has to be more than learning about driving at a distance.  It has to be learning how to teach and for Balthazar, learning how to learn; with trust and without being emotional.

No riding today.  So that every time I go into the paddockand put a halter on him he doesn't think it's groundwork or riding, I often take him out for 'pick'.  He appreciates the lush green grass we find.  Interesting today for I clicked him up to move him on to another patch without putting any pressure on the line.  He was a bit sluggish first time and very quick the second time.  It was the reward of going to another greener patch which worked as the reward.  The click and bridge was my kissing him up to move.  He does know 'kissing' means move but when he's rewarded with fresher pick it was rewarding (to me) to watch with what alacrity he moved the second time.  Who says horses are dumb?

Have adopted the Parelli NH as a method to forge a working relationship with Balthazar.  Part of forging that relationship is getting over my reluctance to do anything whatsoever with him, thinking that it is morally wrong to ride a horse.  Perhaps it is.  Perhaps it isn't but if I am going to ride I have to take as a working, believeable hypothesis that riding horses IS acceptable and can even be a pleasureable experience. 

I've been doing some ground work and have ridden a little.  Today we puddled around the arena.  Worked on subtlety.  He's just learning how to interpret the requests from one rein.  Combining one rein riding with body and weight position so we will eventually be able to be ridden without a bridle is a possible goal.    We broke these exercises up with passenger riding although I did not attempt trotting.  We only trotted while one rein riding.  We also backed up.  Found that backing up with one rein didn't work as I thought it would.  If I framed him between two reins we got a straight back.  If I used one rein, the right for instance, and thought his hindquarters who go left, he didn't....or was it the other way.  Only tried a couple of times and quit because he was becoming unhappy.  Until I have it clear in my own head; how I'm going to ask and what to expect, best to leave it alone.

It was an illuminating 20 minutes.  I had to really listen, to ask with the smallest amount of 'noise' and give Balthazar time to answer.  If it got it wrong everything fell apart.  I'd have to use both reins for which sin was answered with head tossing.  If I was really subtle and patient and observant we got some really nice moves.  I am tring to build a relationship based on humility.  The humility of knowing that I know very little about him at the same time as I know he has to trust me and follow my lead.  I've seen what Balthazar turns into when I don't lead well enough; an ear pinning, tail swishing, hindleg lifting threatening-to-kick bully.

I was very delicate while grooming him.  Super gentle with the body brush, not very effective for cleaning but effective in keeping him happy.  Something Linda Parelli said in one of the magazines lent me by Peter hit home.  Paraphrased she said some of us groom our horses as though we were cleaning a wall.  That's me.  So focussd on grooming for cleanliness that I ignore the signs that Balthazar finds it and me annoying.  So today we did as LP suggested and groomed with love.  We didn't entirely avoid the ear pinning and chest biting but the incidence of it was dramatically less. 

Short sessions that are comprised of good work is my goal.  What's the point of shlepping around for 40 minutes if your horse isn't *with* you and everything you attempt is only half done or done with reluctance.  I'm not using carrots for treats anymore but am using voice, a pat (which may or not mean anything to Balthazar) and time outs.  Watched for chewing as a sign that he'd mulled things over.  Have read that some reasearch indicates chewing as a stess response.  I can't go there.  I have to be selectively blind for if chewing is a stress response and I'm doing stuff then waiting for that chew than I am intentionally putting stress on Balthazar.  So we will do short intense, in that I am trying to be precise in my communication and precise in my observations, sessions and quit on a happy note - like we did today!