After a hectic week and a couple days of rain, Brody and I were both ready for some playtime. Wanting to make the most of it, I popped in my “Level 2 On Line” DVD for some inspiration and heard Pat Parelli talking about the importance of fun, for both human and horse. It’s like he’d read my mind—working on various exercises had begun to feel like… work. Mr Parelli’s comparison of learning basic horsemanship skills to learning to play a musical instrument made sense. First you have to learn the notes and scales, and after a while those drills can get tedious. But then you start playing music, and the fun begins!

Brody stood at the gate and watched while I freshened up his blanket. He followed me around while I picked up manure in the paddock. After a little scratching, I held the halter below his nose and Brody stuck his face right in it.

I let my imagination go, using the whole paddock and looking for opportunities to flow from one game to another like I’d seen in the DVD. Back away, yield forequarters in a circle, yield hind quarters, follow me, stop. Give me your foot. Now back away, circle, change direction, keep circling me as I walk to the fence, now move sideways-- good! Squeeze between me and the fence, yield hind quarters, follow me...

I tied Brody to the fence with the Blocker ring, rubbed him with my stick, and swung the string back and forth over him. He startled when I took off my coat so (à la Clinton Anderson) I spent some time on either side of him, coat on-coat off, flapping my arms, flapping the front of my coat open and shut. Each time I kept going until he walked forward again if he’d backed away, and showed he was relaxing by cocking a hind leg, lowering his head, or licking his lips.

Then I set up four cones in a line and we had a blast mixing it up with figure 8s, weaving, and circling. Figure 8 around the right two, then weave to the end, faster, now circle twice, change direction, enter in the middle and figure 8 around the center cones, weave to the end and the all way back to the other end, then figure 8, then circle at a trot.

We wrapped up with a hand graze in the front yard, stopping to touch the cars and a ramp and dolly set my father-in-law was coming to pick up. Heading back into the paddock Brody walked and backed through the gate a few times, then was ready for a drink of fresh cool water. We both slept well last night.

Today I went into the paddock and whistled for him. Brody came to me-- at a walk, but he came. I gave him a treat and a good scratching. He was ready to stick his nose in the halter, and go again. After a times through the line of cones, and much calmer trot today, I put the cones in pairs, on their sides, tips facing and slightly overlapping each other. Some visitors stopped by, and Brody let them stroke his head and feed him carrots. Alone again, Brody wanted to play with the cones, so I let him chew and stomp them for a while. Then I reset them and put my stick on his haunches, jogging beside him as he stepped through them and each time we reached the end we transitioned back in a different way-- yield forequarters around, yield hindquarters 180^○ while I stand still.

We went out to hand graze, and I decided to head out onto the service road where we hadn’t gone since Brody had his panic at the end, on the side of the main road. Brody was alert and interested in the scenery, but carried his head the lowest I’d seen yet and was content to follow behind me at a moderate walk. Thrilled, I decided to quit while the experience remained positive, and we turned around after traveling only about ¼ of the street’s length. I don’t know why I continue to be amazed at the carryover effects of challenging, engaging groundwork, but I am. It pays off in so many ways, most of all in helping us become partners.

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