Thanksgiving Day!

Hi! Well, on Thanksgiving I went out and played with Brizzee! My mom was done cooking, and my Uncle & Aunt were outside, looking at the horses. While they were looking at all the other horses, and my mom talked to them, I got Brizzee's halter, the Carrot Stick, and started to play with her. Boy, she is not the horses she used to be! We played the Circling Game#5, she did very well. She walked, trotted, changed direction, etc. Then, we played the Sideways Game#6. Storm, our Arabian, was on the otherside of Brizzee, the side that I wanted her to go sideways. I was going to do something else, but decided to go ahead and try it. She did it! She went sideways, and guess what else? Storm was going sideways too...until Brizzee laid her ears back and nipped at her. But Brizzee kept going Sideways, so I was excited!

Then, we played Stick to me!! I stood in zone 2, with the carrot stick in my left hand. I was walking, she walked beside me. I then ran, and she trotted with me. I stopped, and she stopped. Then I backed up, and I was in her zone five (in fact, I was looking at the back of her legs), wiggling the rope (Yo Yo Game #4.). She backed up...STRAIGHT!! I was really excited!

Then, I went into the round pen, took off her halter and lead rope. My Uncle & Aunt sat on the fence, watching me. Brizzee left me at first, and sniffed things. I then went to the center of the round pen, pionted, and then she started walking! Usually in the round pen, when I start playing the Circling Game, she goes Right Brain Extrovert, and starts to Canter, and won't listen, until after a few minutes, but she was really calm this time. She went around, trotted, changed direction, and then came into me.

I then sat down, and tried to send her off...hahaha. She wouldn't leave me. She just kept getting closer and closer to me. At one piont, I thought she was going to my backs with her hoofs, she was that close. I leaned back just a little, and could lean against her legs! She had her head over me. I kept trying to send her away, but she just kept finding a way to get close to me again. She was nervous, because of the two people sitting on the fence, and she wanted to stay close to me...at least that is what I think. It used to be that she didn't want ANYTHING to do with me, so I was really excited.

Finally, I stood up, backed her up, pionted, and sent her. She finally went. I then sat back down, and she did everything I asked. When I asked her to change direction, it took a few minutes. I kept pionting, and finally, I kept flicking the Savvy String in front of her. She finally turned around, and started licking. She was just a little confused. I think glared at Zone 3/4, and she came right in to me! I then picked up both of her front feet from on side, and slowly stood up. I then walked around the round pen, and she was really close to me, her head over my shoulder!

My uncle & Aunt thought that was really cool. I decided to end it on a good note, and turned her loose. At the end of the day, I thought back to the way she wouldn't leave me, and I remembered what Pat always says: "After you take the halter off, the only thing left is the truth!" So that means that she WANTED to be with me!! That gives me a really good feeling inside! That night I printed out the Level 1 "Official Assessment". I then asked my mom the serious of questions, and I am Level 1 in everything...almost. I'm not in Freestyle yet (riding), but I'll start doing that soon. The only thing I need to work on on the ground is:
Getting her to jump.
Go sideways,
And when I play the Driving Game to move her hindquarters, she moves her front end a lot more then she does her hindquarters. I wasn't even aware of it until my mom mentioned it to me. So, we need to work on that stuff, and then riding. And then, I'm hoping to "officially" pass Level 1 and get my Red String!! Let's, I think it is red!!

Well, that's it for tonight!

Savvy On,
~Randa~ & ~Brizzee~

"May The Horse Be With You." - - Pat Parelli