I swung my leg over Xena’s back for the first time on December 18th, and since then have probably mounted her about 5 times. My plan was to just sit on her at the mounting block, practice our neutral lateral flexion, and wait for her to lick, chew and blow (exhale). I wanted to know she felt relaxed at the halt, before increasing the challenge with thoughts of walking.

Tonight was about the same as other nights, except that she seemed generally more relaxed, so at the 2 minute mark I didn’t dismount. Instead I waited — basically I was waiting for some sort of sign. I expected that she’d soon become unconfident or nervous, and I’d dismount a.s.a.p. Instead, she licked, chewed and blew! I was surprised and thrilled, knowing what a huge achievement this was for her.

I was just about to dismount — thinking this would be a good place to stop for the night — when she took a couple of steps on her own! I asked her for lateral flexion, and she took a couple more steps in the new direction. We repeated this a couple more times, until she’d walked about 20 feet! As she came to a calm halt, I quietly dismounted, not wanting to push my luck.

What a great way to start the New Year! I’m so excited, I probably won’t sleep tonight.

When I first began working with Xena in February 2009, I couldn’t imagine ever riding such a frightened, withdrawn mare. Now after almost 2 years of Parelli groundwork, I’m bouncing with excitement at the very idea of becoming her rider.

I’ve been laying over Xena’s back since last August and for the last few months I’ve stood on a tall plastic stool in her stall. Last night she calmly ate her hay while I layed over her back for a full 20 minutes. Tonight I actually mounted her for the first time at the mounting block; for a brief moment, I swung my leg over and sat on her back. A few minutes later we had our first ‘ride’ with me laying over her back while she calmly walked her first few steps.

Xena is such a wonderful, affectionate, intelligent mare and I’m so very lucky to have her. We’ve learned a lot together, and I can honestly say that I’m more proud of her than I am of myself. It’s true I’ve worked and studied a long time to see her become the mare she is today, but it’s been Xena who was willing to learn, trust and change — she’s accomplished so much. I simply love her to pieces.

I recently learned about clicker training and how well it works in combination with my Parelli training. I’ve been studying Parelli Natural Horsemanship™ for two years, but at the same time, I’m open to other training methods that originate from the same compassionate, respectful attitude.

In the last few months, I’ve noticed that Xena and I seem to have hit a plateau in our groundwork training. She’s not yet safe enough to ride, but at the same time I think we need a new challenge. She seems bored, even though I constantly strive to make our sessions interesting. I’ve re-studied several of my Parelli DVDs, looked through the Horsenality™ material again, and even tried taking a break from our training sessions for a few weeks, but still Xena’s just not interested.

It was during this period that I began searching for new ideas, and came across clicker training. Clicker training is based on positive reinforcement, while the Parelli method is based on negative reinforcement. The two methods may seem to be at opposite ends of the training spectrum, but actually they work very well together. There’s a lot of information online about clicker training, and I’ve discovered that many Parelli enthusiasts have integrated positive reinforcement into their Parelli sessions.

For Xena and I, clicker training has been a refreshing change that has accelerated our success. She’s more enthusiastic and animated than I’ve ever seen her. She quickly understood that the clicker marks the exact moment when she performed correctly, and that a treat is forthcoming. The clicker is only used during the teaching / learning phase, and it’s discontinued as Xena learns to perform each skill on cue. But at the same time, I’ll be clicking and rewarding her other new skills she’s learning.

If you’re already studying the Parelli program, you’ll discover that you can breeze through clicker training because many of the skills we learn in PNH Levels 1 and 2, also form the foundation for clicker training. For me, clicker training has been a quick, inexpensive addition to my training program, and more importantly it’s meaningful for Xena.

Clicker Training Books I’m Studying:

The Click that Teaches: A Step-by-Step Guide in Pictures by Alexandra Kurland A concise, comprehensive book that teaches basic to advanced clicker training skills. Even if you are a novice handler, you’ll find these step-by-step lessons easy to follow and learn about the “clickable” moment in each training sequence. The lessons in this book have really helped me with my timing and were easy to integrate with my existing Parelli methods.

The Click that Teaches: Riding with the Clicker by Alexandra Kurland Even though I don’t yet ride Xena, this book has been a great resource for preparing her to be re-started under saddle. Many of the skills begin as groundwork training, and Alexandra explains how they will transfer to the saddle. A great extension of my Parelli training.

I’ve begun researching saddles, in preparation for my first ride on Xena in a few months. I’ve read many favourable comments in online forums regarding the Barefoot Treeless Saddle, so I’ve begun my search with a western saddle by Barefoot.

The Barefoot Atlanta Treeless Saddle

In the photos below, the saddle is sitting at the edge of her scapula, as recommended by Barefoot, instead of the traditional two fingers behind scapula. Even in this forward position, it still seems to place the rider’s weight too far back. Xena is a Quarter Horse / Paint, so the medium gullet should fit her, however it seems to be tight underneath/behind the front concho and applying pressure on her withers. Also in this position, the billets are angling to the front instead of hanging vertically. But if I move the saddle more forward, it will put the saddle at an uphill angle and place more pressure on her withers.

I’ve also ordered the Barefoot Physio Saddle Pad but unfortunately it’s on back-order for a few weeks. The pad is considered to be a vital component in the saddle’s fit and positioning as it has custom shims which fit into a built-in pocket.

Update – October 24, 2010
Unfortunately, I’ve decided to return the Barefoot saddle. The Physio Saddle Pad still hasn’t arrived, and I’ve since learned that the Physio Pad is non-returnable if it becomes soiled during a test ride – that’s $315 with tax! I’m still not confident that the saddle is the best fit for Xena without the Physio Pad, and I don’t want to risk $315 to test the pad.

My other major hurdle is that I can’t test ride the saddle on Xena, because she’s not yet rideable; we still have a bit more work to do on the ground. I was planning to test the saddle on a similar sized lesson horse at my coach’s barn, but didn’t because I was reluctant to risk damaging the saddle, if it wasn’t a good fit for Xena. All things considered, I think the Barefoot just isn’t right for Xena and I at this time. I’m planning to make arrangements for a professional saddle fitter to assess Xena, but he’s unlikely to have much experience with a treeless saddle.