Leslie Desmond July 2002 Ballston Spa

Leslie Desmond


7/11/02

It’s the inner attitude you’re going to ride.

As long as horse is uptight, you’re just cramming your agenda. Not in a learning frame of mind.

To firm up on him before he knows what you want, will only lead to trouble.

Just go home and change the way you are.

Don’t pull, don’t hit, don’t confront.

It’s not a mystery. First I have a thought, then asking, livening up.

Quoting Ray Hunt: If you like what you see, do what I done.

They need you to be sure. They don’t need you to be right or wrong or kind or anything. They need you to be sure. Sureness about your own space requirements.

The way you hold a horse with you is how you let him go.

In round pen: horse is looking to have that loneliness ended.

Pace of walking with horse is what he’s looking for. Match right and left footfalls. Follow cadence exactly of front footfalls. When horse can’t get with you, then you get with the horse.

Experimental accidents and accidental experiments.

Looking in the eye tells horse that we’re in some sort of mutual communication. Don’t look in face when firm or emotional – don’t confront.

Experiment in new ways to get horse’s attention, to break horse’s expectations.

Sometimes these horses get so used to the range of choices the humans present, that we need to stretch out and do something different.

Livening up and controlling the direction the life is going are distinctly different.

Give the life a place to go.

What is the value of “yes” if “no” isn’t possible?

When “no” is not allowed, the life gets dialed down.

Life up and go after the space.

Horse dies on a turn because float comes out of the rein and horse leans on rein/shoulder/forehand.

Need your belly button to ride the back feet.

Left lead footfall:
RH push off
LH brake leg and balance in combo with RF
LF roll over

Both hind legs serve as brakes when loping downhill.

Belly button on left lead: forward and up, back and down/stability

7/13/02

Groundwork for shoulders:
Leading rein/direct rein/opening rein
Indirect rein/supporting rein
First ask for life/withers up

It’s OK to have a horse that is obedient but not that THAT is all there is. Horse also needs to know he has choices.

What matters is the horse is clear and calm.

Help with straightness in the ride: be able to drive/lead horse from behind with horse understanding going in with straightness – can start by doing this down the side of a fence or arena wall.

We have to think to get this right and shorten the distress in horse/human relationships. What do they need us to do for them in order to give us the ride we want later?

UP! Up under chin with hand or halter knot, then give horse choice to back or not. But back from my energy, my taking the space in front of horse.

Distraction is not necessarily disrespect. But I’m not prepared with a job for horse to make me more interesting than whatever horse might drum up for good ideas.

Dullness is just bottled up courage.

Mounting a green horse: teach them right away about dismounting.

Show horse how to wait for you to get ready.

Fine line between getting stuck and being too free, between standing still and walking off.

Step down and bounce right up again at times when horse is standing still and relaxed.

Cones exercise – go fast around cone then walk casually between cones.

Indirect rein for turn – active but not necessarily against neck.

Asking for readiness when pick up reins.


Sun AM 7/14/02

RW:

Put that pushing to work for him. He could teach other timid horses how to go through streams, all sorts of new situations.

Horse get security from contact, confidence from 'I push in, you push away.'

Looking at head, holding him with gaze. (Not a good thing when you are asking a horse to move away.)

Intellectual awareness becomes knowledge through feel after lots of experimenting.

Horse is looking for sureness from RW when it comes out of realm of thought and into realm of knowledge.

Your plan was not clear.

Your body wasn’t telling him what your picture was. Something got lost in presentation of the picture you have.

You’re still looking ahead of shoulder when you drive him away and this leaves him confused.

More sureness about moving him off ground, not moving him. Clear the area, settle for his moving off.

Energy up – have less in your body and more in your presentation.

Turn and look at HQ not face.

Horse says: if you want the space, take the space dammit, don’t pretend about this.

“How do I know that I’m safe if I don’t look at the horse?”

You know he won’t [run you over] because you’re not thinking he will.

Set intent with sureness. The sureness you want from your horse has to come from your own being.

Leslie: I don’t have that sense of possibility around me, in my being.

Horse’s stopping was not an accident, it was response to RW’s turning to look at him.

Intent has to be like surgery.

Running across pen – with sureness – this is work regarding bringing up life.

You do want to work toward light cues, but start with BIG, unlike Parelli where you start with a little and build. That leaves horse certain about how uncertain the human is.

Horse needs to get sure about your sureness.

Changing focus from horse to space.

No sureness about lope. Need feel of your vision to come through to horse.

RW: "[My horse...] is really doing everything I asik, all at the same time.”

You teach him to crowd you, run you down when you drive him and block him at the same time.

Coil up, get lively and suck back with your hips -- this releases him to the lope.

Don’t be on your guard – be clear this is my space.

Need to turn him away in the pen. He already turns in fine.

He’s looking for a place to get right with us. So don’t pull him in then send him away (after he stoped and turned in from the circle.)

Stuck leading forward, stuck leading to right. Knees need to bend more.

Clumsy when he didn’t get weight off shoulders.

When weight is on shoulders, near front leg will go ahead. When weight is on hinds, near front will track behind far front. BACK until horse can turn with weight on hind quarter.

Ideal – front end free to step over because not using front end for balance.

Paradigm shit doesn’t come from change in technique.

FG:

Colt: has sureness about his dullness.

Leave curiosity and uncertainty in him – keep him guessing.

Direction of float needs to be something horse can follow when you’re walking in front leading.

Want horse to notice meaning in your life without pulling on him.

'Get firm when nothing else works' = expecting that nothing else will work.

Think about how to get sure so that firmness isn’t required.

Turning hand upward allows breathing to continue.

Leslie Desmond - RI date unknown

Another set of index cards, this time large index cards, undated, from clinic time with Leslie Desmond. Rhode Island

Educate them so their only job is to keep a float in a rope, by shaping their head, neck, shoulders, ribs, hips...

Plan: follow horse then draw. I'm not reading her mind, she's reading my mind. Follow... lead... follow -- not "drive" but follow.

Horses do really well when the human is sure about what they want the horse to do.

Letting the horse run into the end of the rope teaches a horse to expect pressure, to wait for pressure before responding.

Accepting "no" from the horse.

Set horse up to succeed - mentally and physically.

Regarding "firm up and wait" business, all it does it teach a horse to wait for pressure.

Shared intent, feel. Story about mural in St. Louis of horse lead by string by women.

Decide instead of practicing. Do instead of trying. (Referring to holding a mental image for long enough.)

Be sure. Hold thought long enough for horse to be sure.

To make it clear especially with a stuck horse, both hands on one side of face, in one eye during change from leading to driving.

If we don't experiment too quickly, it gives horse the chance to experiment.

Trailer loading: interest in trailer. Knowing how to get out of trailer with ease.

Practice trailering ahead of time will make it so you can count on the horse loading.

You are only able to deliver what your experience has been -- dictated by how you were raised to feel about yourself.

Release horse forward, not chase.

Leslie worked on changing the horse's expectation of the human -- that way the horse can deliver.

One basis of a good ride is having the front end connected through a float.

If you've invested pressure, you'll get pressure in return.

Horses need flies to keep them fit when it's too hot to ride.

Leslie observes horses, doesn't try to pretent to be a horse or label any horse as lead or dominant, etc.

Use the horse to learn everything you can about being human.

Training routines create bored, tuned out horses.

Ask horse to participate.

Power - from strength and clarity versus fear and doubt.

Problem: delay between ask and response. Feeling like I'm talking throught molasses at times.

When to say "NO", when to say "OK I'm going with you", out on trail.

Working with the space gives meaning to the float.

Crowding and push/pull with head and halter creates heavy front end.

You are not going to get the withers up unless you can control the head, the neck, and the shoulder.

Basic things:
forward
back
left
right
start
stop

Feel that reflects an accurate intent.

Don't need to be aggressive or angry, just clear.

Being dependent on praise: as much as I am dependent on external praise, I will assume others need praise and offer it which, if they don't need it, it's an intrusion, an insult, to give it. Presumptious.

I'm not looking for a new way to teach my horses, this is not about teaching them something. It's about asking, waiting for answer, and hoping to help the horse find the float.

Friday PM: PG said it looked like I knew exactly what I wanted the horses to do. I responded: when I was really focussed, I hardly knew where the horses were, simply that this area in front of me was clear of horses.

Sunday AM: I came to be reconnected to some ideas I was introduced to before. Ideas I've tried out then lost sight of amidst the input of other clinicians. But ideas I was eager to retrieve, to find again, because parts of my horse handling had gotten harsh, in my opinion, with my impatience and my idea that I can do this or that to make my horse do this or that... I really like what happens for the horses Leslie relates to. I want to do whatever I have to do in order to be in a frame of mind to want this more than anything.

Back: lift on halter knot under chin to elevate. Use body moving into space to move horse.

Joe Wolter, August 2002

About backing up: you won’t pull on him. He won’t pull on you. Release for shifting weight, don’t pull him back.

Take the slack out and wait. Reach for him, gather up the reins, take the slack out, and wait for him. I’m not giving him anything to pull against.

Feel how he’s starting to get ready to back.

If you were effective, it was understood.

Only the horse can tell you how much to do.

Horses are just looking to get along, to have zero pressure. And they’ll do whatever they need to, to get zero pressure.

Do something different.

All that these horses want is zero pressure. It’s when you release that tells the horse what you want him to do. Everything they do is what we’ve taught them to do.

If you release him and he springs forward, he might have been backing but he was thinking forward.

Gather the reins up slow.

The horse is getting ready to speed up when she picks up the reins because he’s getting ready to be pulled. Those reins mean “nag”.

I’m going to give him the opportunity of not stopping. I’m not going to try to make him stop. I’m going to fix it so he wants to stop.

Go slow so you notice. Slow down and think. What is really taking place?

Don’t be so predictable.

If you don’t like what’s going on, change what you’re doing, don’t be trying to change the horse.

I’m lazy. I like to see how little it takes.

The first thing I offer a horse when I want to stop, is a thought to stop.

A lot of us don’t release soon enough. Turn him loose when he’s thinking about stopping.

Ray Hunt used to say: I want my horse to do my thing his way.

Be inventive.

Ask the horse to leave before he’s thinking about leaving, or just when he’s starting to think about it. Take him a different way: use legs, use reins, rock back and take him to the left...

You take them before they take you.

Allow them to stop but it may not be for too long.

We’re talking about getting with the horse more than them getting with you. If you get with them, they’ll get with you.

Before he leaves, take him someplace and make it interesting. Feel how light it is.

Your job is just to get him ready. Work on the preparation.

They need to be exposed. Be a little less predictable. Get things interesting. Change directions, change speed. Be smooth about it though.

Ride her. You’ll feel like she’s right with you. You’re not holding her. She’ll get straight, even, and ready for you.

Be smooth with your hands on the reins (said to someone who was wiggling the reins a bit).

Gather up the reins real slow.

She’ll speed up if you slow down.

Let the horse carry you.

Sometimes you have to do too much to find out what’s enough.

Let things get out of shape, then do something.

Break it up. Be unpredictable. The horse will start waiting for you.

Don't try to keep her going, let her die out. Ask again. Be effective. Let her go someplace once she’s going. Don’t ask for more once her energy is up.

A real green horse will be searching all the time for zero pressure. I like it when they start leaning on you, shows they’re getting gentle. LIke a kid who only misbehaves when they feel comfortable with someone. Don’t leave them there, but it’s nice when that shows up.

(When looking to back up:) Wait until he backs away from the bridle. Let him do the pulling.

Don’t be so predictable, keep life interesting. Have the horse thinking "where are we going now?” That’s where I like to have my horse.

All “straightness” means is they are right with you.

Any horse, especially a stallion, I want him to wonder what I’m going to do, not me wondering what he’s going to do.

(Talking about using spurs:) Real gradual, turn your toes out and let your spurs meet. Real gradual, press...

Let the horse die out. Don’t try to keep her going. Real gradual, press. Don’t poke her. Let her take you.

Press, let her press into you until she moves out on her own, then heels off.

Don’t rely on spurs. I want them to feel my leg getting ready. The timing is when it comes out (getting ready) not when it comes in, when they get lighter.

I am experimenting. If it works, it’s a good thing. If not, I was just joking.

I’m trying to get you more sensitive and more effective. If it’s effective, we can take these spurs off. It it’s effective, I want to develop a feel, an understanding. The spurs are just a last resort.

We need to catch up to our horses. We need to learn the opportune time to do things. Life is timing... when you ask for things.

You might be getting the maneuver done but it’s almost under duress. Getting the physical done without getting the mental.

That’s what I’m always deciding: is it a life issue or a straightness issue. It’s the life that comes first. Do what it takes to get the life up, then you can start directing.

Don’t ask your horse to lope, ask him to get ready to lope. See how fast he’ll trot.

If you’re effective, the horse will be doing more and you’ll be doing less.

Make sure you ask her to slow down and she doesn’t quit (on her own).

If we applied it correctly, tomorrow we’ll have to do less.

I wouldn’t start out using my spur, I’d start out using my calf.

99% of the problems are because they’re not moving, not going anyplace.

Allow them to search. Allow that to happen.

You’d ease off when he got ready to... [go to the left, go to the right, walk off, etc.]

Don’t pull him back, let him feel his way off that rein.

Don’t make it happen. It will happen. Set it up and wait.

[Backing:] Try to let there be an escape for the horse. At first you might need to give and take ever so slightly.

Reward her for making the arrangements, not for the action.

If they don’t act, maybe you didn’t make the arrangements. Or you held too long.

It’s not a take over if they’re trying to get the job done. [Referring to a horse who will offer something before you ask.]

When I have a horse that wants to go too fast, doesn’t want to stop, I’ll work at placing those feet, not trying to stop him.

[Speaking about S’s horse:] She trusts you. She might not know what to do but she’s searching, looking for what to do to get along with you.

A lot of us try to get it our way right off the bat. But if we drift a little here, a little there, pretty soon... [the horse figures out what we want].

When you pick up on the reins, you should notice where the horse is going. She’s trying to get out that way [forward in this case] but the answer is out back through here [front feet reaching out and back for the start of a turn on the hindquarters].

When cantering a horse in a circle and they drop a shoulder at one point in the circle, shorten them up and drive them by the opposite side of the circle, then let them loose. Don’t drive them when approaching [the area where they lean in]. Another thing is to cut across, driving across [area they are drawn to] and open up, get out of their way [when they are approaching the area where they lean in].

Instead of bumping shoulder and picking up the inside rein to hold them. Work on it before the fact [at the opposite side of the circle], not after the fact [when you are already there and the horse is leaning in].

To stop, just sit down. Don’t push your feet out in front of you. Especially if you go to working cows, you need your feet under you. Otherwise the horse thinks it needs to go out and around your foot [walking a small circle instead of stepping directly over to the side].

A lot of people try to hurry a horse away from where the horse wants to be. I ask the horse to speed up when they’re moving toward the thing that draws them. Take that into consideration. Ask for speed, you’ll get a better transition.

Instead of worrying about where the shoulder is, worry about where the mind is.

With the older horses, start riding with your hands a little bit closer together. Start there and spread your hand out if close doesn’t work.

You need practice getting short [on the reins].

If their nose is leading the way, they won’t drop their shoulder. They only drop their shoulder if the nose is not leading the way.

Speed him up when he’s heading toward where he’s drawn. Just go with him when he’s headed away.

The horse wants you to come along [improve on what you’re doing] while they are coming along. They need you to do that.