Playing with Andy can be sooooo much fun, but playing in the snow is far more amusing than I could of imagined :)
We played together yesterday in a heavy snow storm and it was the most fun we’ve both had in ages. We started be playing touch it with some cookies, Andy loves this game, anything for a cookie:)!!! Although this time Andy got more than he bargained for, not only did he have to rummage around in the snow looking for them, which gave him a very handsome Santa beard but when he found his cookie he had a mouthful of snow too, which led to lots of face pulling lol! To spice things up a bit, instead of driving Andy from zone 1 I though id have ago from zone 3 :) I applied rhythmic pressure to zone 4 and let the rope slide through my hands as he walked past me, not phased by this Andy preceded to the next obstacle in search of a cookie :)
We spent some time playing stick to me, and Andy did a great job :) Matching my paces perfectly. To shake things up a teeny bit I turned to face him and ran backwards to see if he’d follow, he did, at a trot, and with plenty of slack in the rope too, with a look on his face as if to say “Wahoo, it snowing” lol im assuming this is one of those moments when a pet looks like their owner coz that was exactly what I was thinking lol!
With things going so well I thought we’d have ago at the sideways game, something I normally bi pass, coz it seems every time we try it, the worst we seem to get at it. We go every direction except sideward and I end up getting wrapped up in the rope, all round it’s just not very fun! This time instead of applying pressure at zone 1 and then 4 with the carrot stick I help the rope taught, not so as I was pulling on it, but there was no slack either. I had heard Linda say if you can control and direct zone 1 then you have control over where the rest of the body goes, not only did I hold the rope taught but I applied rhythmic pressure in 3 and 4 if it was lagging behind a little. This worked a treat and going sideways didn’t seem a big a mission as what it had been previous :)
We ended our session with loads of cuddles, the snow and chilly breeze had made him all fuzzy and more huggable than ever :) He was enjoying all the attention, resting his nose in my hands, he began to fall asleep. By this point my face was beaming with joy, its been a long time since Andy has shown me any kind of affection, let alone all this, too long in fact :) It seems we’ve finally got out of the rut I’d got us stuck in to, and im eager to progress further in our Parelli journey :)

With the success of yesterdays play session still fresh in my mind, me and Andy set off up the field, trudging through the snow to work on our circle game, and, like always, just try and have some fun.
Like any other we started with some stick to me, just to get him paying attention to what I was asking, he did it perfectly :) Time to try the circle game. I wiggled the rope and he backed away, reluctant to leave, I upped my energy and he picked up the pace. I swung my arm round to the right and pointed, he followed not a problem but at a snails pace, so I picked up the carrot stick and tapped the floor, with a swish of the tail and a look that said “huff, okay!” he picked up his energy. Same as always he kept stopping out on the circle, 9 times out of 10 behind me, instead of just giving up, like I normally do, I got assertive!!! I flicked the Savvy String at his tail, it had no hope of catching him as it had twizzled its way round the stick but it was enough to send him back out round on the circle, he maintained gait and direction for whole circle, not wanting him to get bored, I lent my head to the one side and looked at his hind quarters, he turned them away quick as a flash, I began to walk backwards and combed the rope through my hands with that Andy took a few steps towards me, I swung my arm out to the left and guided his zone 1 with the carrot stick, he continued out on the circle not a problem :)
Next I wanted to try the sideways game again, to see if our new method still worked; only I thought of being a little more imaginative. Like I had done yesterday I began to drive Andy from zone 3 over to the fence, like yesterday there was no problem. Once I had lined him up against it and pulled the rope taught I began apply pressure to zone 3 again, Andy was a little confused at first but I just had to wave the carrot stick over the zone which was “Stuck” soon we very marching sideways along the fence with ease :)
I bought Andy back to the centre of the field. Whilst deciding what to do next, a tree not too far from where we were suddenly fell!!!!!! The loud cracking noise sounded like the quick snaps of a whip and then the sound of it crashing to the ground carried across the filed. Andy’s head was up, ears alert and eye on stalks, and began pacing a little side to side, I was able to read that Andy hadn’t gone right brain because he was looking over to where the noise had come from in a curious manner, rather than trying to run away, he was simply a left brain on adrenaline. Although I knew if I didn’t address this behaviour fast he’d soon loose all confidence and try to run back down to the stables in search for safety in his herd. I thought, I must direct his energy, get him thinking and concentrating on something and keep his feet moving. YOYO GAME!!! I began wiggling the rope but I didn’t get much of a response so, bringing out my assertiveness once again I threw a wave in the rope so as it would give a clunk on the head collar, it got his attention and he turned to face me, and he began backing up, I brought him in a little way, then backed him up, again and again he got more relaxed but I had noticed a pole lying on the ground right next to us so I flicked the rope at his hind quarters and he swung them away which meant he was lined up in front of the pole, we played the yoyo game over that next, putting one foot over then the next then backing one foot away, this calmed him even more, with this I thought Id call it a day and end on a good note. I brought him, I could see that he was still a little concerned with the commotion that had gone on with the tree so a I rubbed my hands all over his head quickly with lots of energy, waiting for that look that said “err, what was I thinking about?” Then we walked back to the stables with me in zone 3 once again, we’re getting pretty good at that :)
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