GroundWork

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda frowned as Cray continued to resist her attempts to make the mare understand that she wanted her to move away from the pressure, although she had tried to stay at phase 3, unsure about pushing the mare. Finally, though, as Ms. Chevalier seemed about to move the class on, Miranda decided that she wouldn't let the mare get away with it, and pressed against the mare's shoulder with all she could. Finally, the mare side-stepped, and Miranda released the pressure, rubbing the mare's shoulder where she had been pushing.

Just then, Ms. Chevalier continued on with the lesson. Miranda bit her lip, unhappy about how far they had come the last round, but knowing that she would continue working with the mare, as Ms. Chevalier had said, before they moved on, and into the future. Again, the nagging thought of selling the black mare came to mind. She knew that she couldn't keep pushing the mare, not with the other horses that she worked with, and Cray wasn't a 'case' anymore, just a stubborn, unsure horse that was a nearly-blank canvas for training, now.

As Ms. Chevalier started talking about the driving game, Miranda nodded, listening, although she knew that she wouldn't be moving on the game just yet. As the instructor finished speaking, Miranda turned back to Cray, twitching the lead rope just slightly to get the mare's attention again. She stepped up to the mare's opposite side and rubbed her shoulder, relaxing the mare before she started pressing the hairs on the mare's shoulder. As they progressed through the phases, Cray seemed to pick up on what was being asked for her, and phase three was enough to make her step aside again. Miranda stopped and rubbed her shoulder, murmuring to the mare, before she moved on to the next spot.

[Deleted]

Olivia rubbed Barcinka's hindquarters as the mare moved her weight after their last round of the porcupine game, which had gotten progressively better, although the mare hadn't been quite sure what to do when they had begun. Just as she considered where to move next on the mare, trying to think of general areas that she hadn't covered with the mare, Ms. Chevalier called the class back to attention. Olivia loosened her already-loose grip on Barcinka's lead, letting the mare step away and browse the grasses as she listened to the long block of information. She caught the gist of it, trying it in the air as Ms. Chevalier spoke, but she doubted that she would be able to explain the nuances to anyone just yet.

As they were released to try their best, Olivia turned back to Barcinka, leaving the slack in the rope, and pretended that she was drumming the air. Barcinka watched her with interest, but obviously didn't understand what Olivia wanted, even as she upped the intensity. After taking a step forward, however, the mare realized what she was being asked to do, and stepped backwards, her ears still on Olivia. The girl stopped as soon as the mare moved, and stood calmly, smiling, for a few moments, as the mare relaxed, then approached her to stroke her.

[Deleted]

Luka finished playing the Porcupine Game with Quiz, having gone over all of the areas that he could think of on the gelding. He switched back to where the gelding had had the most issues, his lower caudal barrel. However, as they played it again, the gelding reacted better and better, finally shifting almost immediately. Luka rubbed the spot, then switched to stroking the gelding's nose, "Mein Guter."

He left the gelding some slack as Ms. Chevalier started talking, paying attention to what she was saying, and nodding as he understood what she was asking. It seemed very similar to the porcupine game, although he could see where the differences lay.

As the instructor finished her talk, Luka caught Quiz's attention and started slowly drumming the air. Quiz, his ears flickering at the new motion, eyed him for a moment, but when Luka stepped up the intensity, the blue roan took a step back, looking more confused than anything as Luka immediately stopped drumming. The blond boy let the gelding work through it before he approached him to stroke his nose, murmuring encouragements before he stepped back and started the same process, again having to move to phase two. However, the second time around, Quiz didn't seem as confused about the process, and by the third time, he moved at phase one.

[Anastasie Chevalier]

She unclipped Cedar's rope as the clinic broke up for lunch. Even though the gelding was known for being dominant when in the pasture, when he wanted to be anyway, but she didn't have any worries about the gelding in here as he knew that he was working and wouldn't wonder away from her.

After giving the students an hour to break for lunch, and had a sandwich herself and given Cedar a carrot, she called them back to attention. "You all did really well this morning, so let's continue. I am now going to teach you The Yo-Yo Game, which is the fourth of the Seven Games. Games #1, #2 and #3 are called the "principle games" because they establish the fundamental "alphabet" for communicating with your horse.

Games #4, #5, #6 and #7 are known as the "purpose games" because they incorporate combinations of the first three Games and put them to purpose.

Each Game builds on the one before it, so getting good at Games 1, 2 and 3 before teaching your horse the Yo-Yo Game is going to be very important if you want results. Also if you wind up having problems and the Yo-Yo Game isn’t working so well, go back to the earlier Games and get them a bit better. You will find throughout all of the Seven Games that when you are having trouble in one, you can fix the problem by going back to the Games before it.

I can hear the unasked question; "Why Yo-Yo, and Why Learn It?"

Why such a funny name for this technique? I called it the Yo-Yo Game for a couple of reasons. One is that the name easily sticks in your head so you won’t forget it and two, the Game is all about sending your horse back and bringing him forwards in a straight line and with equal force… just like a Yo-Yo. Your horse develops balance, lightness and suspension because he learns to be just as ready to go backwards as he is to go forwards. Since horses are naturally forward-a-holics (especially when they go right-brain) learning to think about backwards can balance them mentally and emotionally as well as physically.

Understanding why you would want to learn this game and where it can take you is the first step to success. As I often say, process and product are two very different things! Most people run into frustration with horses because they are constantly working on product. They practice spins, flying lead changes, jumping or barrel racing over and over thinking that things will get better. They can’t understand why their horse has a good day one day and falls apart the next or why it only gets a little bit better every year no matter how much they practice. What if those things could get a lot better each month instead of waiting for years for your horse to get it.

People have only tapped a very small amount of the potential with horses. This is because they are not looking outside their speciality, they are not paying attention the horse’s foundation. That’s why I developed the first three Levels of my program the way I did. They provide a solid foundation for any horse, no matter what he is going to do as a "profession". It’s like giving your child a good education throughout grade school before you ask him to do high school courses. How well would your child do if you just stuck him right in a high school English or math class at 3 years old and expected him to "get it" by practising sentences or equations over and over. Horses need the same type of developmental time. That’s why there are certain tasks I ask people to do with their horses throughout the first three levels. The Levels, like the Seven Games are progressive with each Level building on what you learned in the one before it.

In the early stages, the Yo-Yo Game is taught on a 12-foot line. Since the movements are exaggerated when you start, there will probably be lots of rope wiggling! As you and your horse advance, you will play the Yo-Yo Game on a 22-foot line, a 45-foot line, without a line at all and while you are on your horse’s back, all with very little rope wiggling. The Game is the same, what changes is how you play, where you play and where you are in relation to your horse while you play.

Let's get started with the Yo-Yo Game. The first step in teaching the Yo-Yo Game to start on the ground and make sure your horse has pretty good Friendly, Porcupine and Driving. Then you need to practice the phases for sending your horse backwards and bringing him back to you.

The Four Phases for sending your horse backwards:
Begin with your horse’s nose at about arm’s length from you and holding the very end of your lead rope in your hand. Give your horse a "Schwiegermutter" look (means German Mother-in-Law!) like you are another horse laying his ears back. Lift up your hand and wiggle just your index finger at him. When you wiggle your finger, the lead rope shouldn’t move at all.

Close your fingers on the rope and shake just your wrist. The rope should move a little, but it shouldn’t make the halter move at all. (Keep giving him ‘the look’)

Lock your wrist tight and bend your arm at the elbow. Move your forearm back and forth. This should cause the rope and the halter to move so your horse can now feel it quite a bit.

Lock your arm really straight and swing your entire arm from your shoulder joint. You may want to even spread your legs a bit to give you some stability while you are swinging your arm. Your horse will really feel this as the rope and the halter are moving hard.

It is important that you don't move your feet once you are committed to asking your horse to move backward. As soon as your horse takes even one little step – at any phase – stop immediately and relax your body. This is how he will know that he did the right thing. When he moves, even at phase 2 or 3, stop there and then start over again at phase 1 until he is all the way out to the end of the lead rope.

The Four Phases for bringing your horse forward:
Once your horse gets all the way out to the end of the lead rope, rest for a minute or two before asking him to come back to you. When you are ready to ask him to come to you, smile and look at him with a very friendly face (like your mother). Lift the lead rope and just motion for him to come to you.

Keep smiling and comb the rope lightly with open fingers.

Keep smiling as you close your fingers while you comb the rope. The horse should now be feeling some pull on the halter.

Smile, plant your feet, bend your elbows and hold the rope steady. Just be like a fence post that he is pulling against and wait for him to come forward. Since he is pulling quite a bit, you need to make sure you are stable so you don’t fall backwards when he suddenly springs forward.

Again, you will release and go back to phase 1 whenever your horse takes a step forward. Some horses may never experience phase 4 because they love coming to you.
Yo-Yo Practice

Once you have taught your horse how to back up and come forward, you can use the back up part to cure your horse of nipping, biting and running you over. If ever your horse goes to nip at you, back him up right away and in a hurry using phase 4 of the backup. Every time he even thinks about biting or nipping, send him backwards. Pretty soon he will start to keep his mouth at a respectful distance. If your horse is constantly running you over on the ground, just back him up every time he comes into your ‘personal space’. You can visually define your personal space by drawing a circle around your body with one of your feet. If your horse puts his nose, a foot or any other body part over that line, back him up using phase 4. It won’t take long at all for him to find it more comfortable to stay at a respectful distance from you." She had intended to demonstrate all of the phases to get Cedar to back up and move forward again, but she couldn't ask the horse to not listen until phase four and the gelding backed up as soon as she closed her hand around the rope and then moved forward again as soon as she opened her hand.

"As you and your horse get really good at this, you can add in lots of challenges to test your horse’s mental, emotional and physical fitness. Try playing it in a variety of situations and with different obstacles.
Yo-Yo your horse through the pasture gates
Yo-Yo into and out of his stall
Yo-Yo in and out of the wash rack
Yo-Yo in and out of the arena, between two buckets or two barrels
Yo-Yo up and down small hills or a couple of steps
Yo-Yo over a pole, a log or a very low jump
Yo-Yo 9 in and out of a trailer with a ramp

Get the picture? You can use this Game to build your horse’s confidence while you are improving his back up. This is only the beginning of the Yo-Yo Game. At every Level in my program you learn how to take this Game further and improve it. Soon you’ll progress to learning how to use the same principles for teaching your horse to slide to a stop, do the piaffe, or sit on his hindquarter and burn a hole in the ground spinning… but that comes later.

All of the refinement and specialization starts with a good foundation and lots of rope wiggling."

[Othello Buskirk]

Othello found that it took longer to get hold of the driving game than it had the porcupine game, and he had to work for quite some time to get the gelding to move his hindquarters, with the boys always returning to the gelding's nose or forequarters, which he had no problems asking the gelding to yield from between working with the hindquarters. However, before he stopped for lunch, he could get the gelding to yield his hindquarters into a full circle on both sides.

Leaving the gelding ground-tied, the boy approached the instructor. "Excuse me, Ma'am? I left my bag in the barn, so I'll only be a few minutes." He wasn't normally so formal with his teachers, but his head was feeling a little foggy.

Heading out of the field, he walked back to the barn and grabbed the bag that he had left in the tack room, which he had obviously intended to take with him, as it was on the ground beside his locker. Pulling the bag open, he pulled out the bottle of Gatorade and took a long drink, closing his eyes as the glucose in the drink began to work it's magic and he felt better as the sugar worked it's way through his system.

Hitching the bag over his shoulder and returned to the field. Walking over to where Harry was grazing, he rubbed the gelding's forehead and then walked over to the fence where he sat down and pulled his lunch out of the bag and began to munch away.

When they were called back, he packed his things away and then dropped his bag over the fence and walked back to Harry, where he listened to the instructor. He liked the sound of this game, as it didn't sound too hard.

When it was their turn to start, he stood in front of the gelding, holding the end of the rope in his hand and the rest coiled up on the ground. However, as easy as the game sounded, he had to get to phase four before the gelding backed up, and the same when moving forward so he let the gelding have a break before trying again.

[Deleted]

Aurora found that it was easier to get the mare to move her forequarters and then her hindquarters that it was to get her to move backwards - as every time she motioned anything toward the mare's face, she shot backward. She ended on a good note before lunch, getting the mare to circle her hindquarters in one direction and her forequarters in the other. She was a little unsure about leaving the mare groundtied, but knew that Ms Chevalier would know how to handle the mare if she tired to bolt while the girl went to grab her bag, which her mother was holding by the gate. She hadn't needed to worry though as the mare kept pace with the girl and followed her to the gate.

Finding a space by themselves, she sat down and ate the roll that had been prepared for her lunch, and shared the apple with the mare, she leaned back against the fence post and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax for a while.

All too soon, they were being called back to attention and she listened as the next Game was explained. Rory arched an eyebrow, wondering how the mare would react to this one. Holding the rope at the end, she wiggled her wrist and the mare shot backward, coming to a sudden stop when she ran out of rope. Leaving the mare time to calm down, she loosened her grip on the rope and then began to comb it through her hands. She needed to put a little pressure on the rope before the mare came toward her again. "Atta girl." She said as she rubbed the mare's forehead, smiling as the horse leaned into her hand and sighed. "Let's try this again."

[Becca Walsh]

Becca continued to play the driving game with Frye until she was satisfied, cutting a little bit into their lunch time. She's brought her lunch with her, so when she was ready, she ate with Frye, keeping a hold on his lead, but letting it out a bit so that he could graze and walk around a bit. She finished eating her lunch quickly and had a little bit more time before Ms. Chevalier began again, which she spent playing the driving game more with Frye.

When Ms. Chevalier started talking again, Becca stopped and listened to her explain the yo-yo game. She was pretty confident that the backing part wouldn't be an issue, but it would be harder to bring Frye forwards. Sure enough, when she started, Frye back up quickly by the time she got to the second phase, and she stopped, repeating until he got to the end of the rope. Now came the harder part.

Beginning to comb the rope through her fingers, Becca reminded herself to keep smiling. She combed harder, and Frye still didn't move, standing warily away from her. It was odd how he preferred to be away from her, but was still aggressive and would get way too far into her personal space when forced to be close to her. Holding the rope steady, Becca stood firm, and Frye began to lean back against the rope, still refusing to move. She pulled harder, insistently, and he begrudgingly took a couple steps forward before Becca started the process again. It was easier the next time to get him to come closer, though he obviously didn't like it.

[Deleted]

Nina rubbed the mare's neck as she was happy with how Ratio has progressively gotten better at the Porcupine Game. She heard Ms. Chevalier ask for their attention once again. She gave the mare one last pat in accomplishment as she turned to listen to the woman for the next set of knowledge and as well directions for what they will be doing next. She attentively focused on the instructor as she spoke and tried her best to remember all the small, yet important details in her speech as it seemed to be rather long. Although she knew that the length of the information given was neccessary, so she didn't question it.

When Ms. Chevalier finished speaking and left them to try on their own, she turned on her heels to face Ratio as the mare seemed to have been bored during when the woman was talking. She rubbed the horse's nose to get back her attention as she gave the Arabian some space between them as she decided to quickly get started so they wouldn't waste any of their time. She beat the air as the mare, at first, didn't seem to quite qualify her request. She increased the intensity of the rhythm as Ratio just eyed her as the mare's ears were faced towards her. Just when she was about to start moving closer to the horse, she observed as she start to cooperate with her and took a step backwards. She halted herself as soon as she saw the movement. She stroked Ratio's nose and smiled as she praised the mare.

She continued on with Ratio on the driving game as the mare seemed to be alert and cooperative towards her this time. When it was time for a break for lunch, she has to say, she was quite happy that it was that kind of time in the day as she was starting to get hungry. She remembered that she already brought her lunch with her as she almost thought she has forgotten it. Glad for that, she opened up the brown paper bag that held her lunch as she sat by her horse and started biting into her meal. She observed Ratio as the horse has started to be more content at this time, so she didn't ground-tie the animal as during the whole break Ratio just attentively grazed along the field. Once she finished her lunch, she got up and stood by Ratio and stroked the Arabian's neck as the mare just continued grazing and minded her own business.

The next game seemed quite easy by the sounds of it, although she knows sometimes it may sound and look easy from watching/listening to Ms. Chevalier, but it all depends on if Ratio would cooperate. She got started as soon as the woman informed them they could and held the end of the rope in her hand. At first the mare was just zoned out, but then got the message and backed up for starters at phase three. Nina tried again, and this time got the horse to move just from phase two. She let Ratio rest for a minute as she then gave a sincere smile as she combed the rope lightly with opened fingers as the mare started to move forward back over towards her. She kept smiling as she was happy with how they have been progressively improving.

[Anastasie Chevalier]

Anastasie was thrilled with the progress the students had made with their furred friends since the clinic started. "Have you ever wished your horse would maintain gait without constantly squeezing with your legs to keep him going, or pulling on the reins to get him to slow down? Have you ever wished your horse would just keep his attention on you instead of veering off every time he sees something new?" She asked while they were still working on the Yo-Yo Game, drawing their attention back to her.

"Our next Game addresses exactly those kinds of things. This game is used to help your horse understand that it is his job to maintain gait, maintain direction, watch where he is going and all the while stay tuned into you as his centre of attention.

Of course to get good at this game you first need to get good at the four Games that come before it. The Games are cumulative, so without the Friendly, Porcupine, Driving and Yo-Yo Games in place first, the Circling Game can turn into the mindless exercise of lunging.

And speaking of—what is the difference between the Circling Game and lunging? Are they very different? Do they have a different purpose or are they the same thing with different names? The Circling Game and lunging are different in several ways, but most importantly the attitude and knowledge behind the two are what really set them apart.

Most people lunge their horses before riding because they want to tire them out and knock the freshness off them. However, we want our horses fresh, alive and full of vigour because all that energy can be channelled to do fun (and safe) things! People also lunge horses because they want to exercise and condition the horse, teach him how to travel on a circle or curve, get him used to a bit, or teach the horse to carry a certain head set within a frame. I know you all want these things as well, but I'll teach you how to attain those goals naturally, without gadgets that force the horse to comply physically while ignoring his mental and emotional states.

Lots of people who lunge horses, especially for the reasons just mentioned, don’t realize how much can be accomplished On Line or how they may be making their horses dull with never-ending lunging circles. They tend to chase their horses around the circle, constantly clucking, slapping the ground or cracking a whip to keep the horse going, while the horse strains at the end of the lunge line, often turning his head to the outside of the circle and not focusing at all on the human. The human ends up doing more work every day just to keep the horse going, while the horse gets dull and his mind is unchallenged. This is not at all what the Circling Game is about.

What the Circling Game is… and what it’s not

The Circling Game, as in each of the Seven Games, stimulates a horse mentally, emotionally and physically, while teaching him to stay connected to you. Just working on the horse’s physical fitness by sending him around and around in mindless circles does nothing to help his mental and emotional fitness. That’s why it’s far better to make a game out of it.

Horses love to play games! They especially love one called, “Do exactly the opposite of whatever the human wants by out manoeuvring him until the human gets so frustrated that he gives up and leaves me alone.” They play it all the time with us whether we realize it or not.

That’s why the Seven Games change your relationship with your horse so dramatically. They teach you the language that horses use with each other, the games they play and what their rules are. Once you get so good at these games that your horse declares you the winner and the ‘best horse,’ he will start to look at you with more respect and greater attention. You become his herd leader, his alpha.

Now, on to How to Play the Circling Game

The object of the Circling Game is to have your horse willingly and snappily head off in the requested direction, maintain gait and direction once on the circle, and then come back in at the slightest suggestion. Essentially the Circling Game can be broken into three distinct parts—The Send, The Allow and The Bring Back. Each part is just as important as the other.

The Send teaches your horse to follow your direction and suggestion. The four phases to the Send (asking him to go out on a circle) are: Lead It – Lift It – Swing It – Touch It. Lead him with a light pull on the lead rope in the direction you want him to go. Lift your Carrot Stick or the tail of your lead rope in the other hand to support the horse in the direction you want him to go. Swing your Carrot Stick or lead rope if he hasn’t moved yet. Touch him on the neck with the Carrot Stick or lead rope if he is still standing there looking at you. If he still hasn’t moved, then just start again from Lead It. The next time, do it with just a little more energy and a determined look on your face.

At any stage in the four phases, if your horse even tries to go in the direction you asked for, stop asking and allow him to go on the circle. If he only makes it half a lap or even a few steps, that’s okay. Just start over with a new Send as many times as you need to. The object of the game for the human during the Allow is to not move—no turning, no talking, no slapping, no clucking, no smooching and NO lifting the Carrot Stick. Just pass the rope behind your back. The only time you get to move is if the horse stops. Then you just Send him again and go right back to the Allow as soon as he goes.

Meanwhile the horse is going to try to get you to move as much as possible by stopping, especially behind your back! The only way to win this part is to be passively persistent. The horse stops, you Send. On and on, this dance proceeds, until finally the horse thinks, “Wow, it’s a lot easier to keep going around the circle than all of this stopping and starting all the time. I’ll train my human to leave me alone.”

Ask for the Bring Back only after your horse has completed a minimum of two laps at any gait. Don’t do more than four consecutive laps or your horse will start to check out mentally. You want to do just enough laps to help the horse understand it’s his job to keep going, without doing so many laps that he gets bored.

When you Bring Back your horse, you will follow the same phases used in the Send: Lead It – Lift It – Swing It – Touch It. Only this time you are going to Lead your horse in by running your hand down the lead rope and then bringing it to your belly button. Bring your hand all the way in and pretend you are “poking” yourself in the belly button with the lead rope. Lift your Carrot Stick or the end of the lead rope and look at your horse’s hip. Swing the Carrot Stick or rope a few times towards his hip, then Touch your horse on top of his hip to get him to face you. Obviously you can now see just how important those Porcupine and Driving Games were! If your horse doesn’t respond by facing you or coming to you the first time, then just shorten the rope and go through the four phases again." Ana broke off her explanation of the Game to give the students a chance to take in what she had said already, but to also give them a demo.

She clipped the lead line onto Cedar's halter, not that he needed it, and standing up tall she pointed and looked to the left and grinned when the gelding started to walk to the left. After he had done half a circle, he raised the hand that was holding the lead and the gelding instantly broke into a trot. Once he had completed two laps, she bent at the waist and looked toward the gelding's hips and he instantly turned in to face her. Without giving him a chance to walk toward her, she pointed and looked to the right and Cedar happily change reins and headed to the right for a lap at a walk before she looked at his hip again and he turned to face her, being rewarded this time by being allowed to walk up to her for a well deserved rub. The whole time, her feet hadn't moved, and as the gelding had gone behind her, she had just passed the rope from one hand to the other.

"So, What’s the Big Deal? Now that you know what to do, it sounds simple enough. What makes it so mentally and emotionally challenging? By playing the Circling Game this way and by these rules, you are actually developing some wonderful skills in you and in your horse.

Take the Send and the Bring Back for example. When you Send your horse without moving your feet, you have to use Direct and Supporting Rein positions. The leading hand directs and the Carrot Stick hand supports. You learn to become very effective with your hands and your body by Sending the horse in a particular direction while he is facing you. When you Bring Back your horse you are effectively using an Indirect Rein position and teaching your horse how to bend to a halt from any gait. Being able to bend your horse to a halt is your equine emergency brake! We use the same or very similar equipment on the ground and on the horse’s back. So learning these “rein responsibilities” transfers easily from ground work to under saddle and makes perfect sense to the horse.

By following the four phases described for the Send and the Bring Back with perfect consistency and effectiveness, your horse quickly learns to have snappy departures and smooth transitions down to a halt with a minimal amount of effort on your part. Again, the horse has no problem transferring this new knowledge to when you are on his back because you will be using the same techniques, and he has newly-found respect for you.

The Allow part of the Circling Game teaches your horse that it is his job, his responsibility, to maintain gait and maintain direction. Horses only learn through the release of pressure. Constant pressure on a horse just desensitizes him and makes him dull and resentful. Because you are specific in asking only when you want something and are not constantly driving him around and around on the circle, your horse learns that he can find comfort and life is hassle-free as long as he just does his job. Remember that horses are just like husbands—they hate to be corrected!

Now, all horses are bound to make lots of mistakes until they figure out what their job is, so you need to have enough patience (your own mental fitness!) to Send him over and over again until he understands what you want of him. Your job is simply to stand still and smile when he is doing the right thing. Don’t let your horse believe that you think he is stupid by nagging him constantly. Show him that you know how to give him comfort by leaving him alone.

Standing perfectly still in the middle of the circle and smiling is also perfect preparation for your independent seat. Having an independent seat takes as much mental focus as it does physical. You need to learn to let go when things are going well. Relax completely and allow the horse to do his job. When things don’t go just right, then do something about it until they do, and then immediately go back to relaxing.

One of the greatest benefits of the Circling Game is that you start to become the centre of your horse’s circle, the focus for his release and reward. When you stick to doing just enough laps to make sure your horse knows his job, then he never gets to the point of tuning you out. He will stay mentally and physically focused on you because he gets to stop as soon as you begin to ask for the Bring Back, and he knows it’s coming soon!

As your horse starts to see the middle of the circle and you as the “sweet spot,” he becomes more mentally and emotionally connected to it. (Now you can see why the Friendly Game was so important!) You can tell when your horse is really paying attention to you because his inside ear will be on you, his nose tipped slightly in, his body forms an arc on the circle and the lead rope will have lots of slack in it, if it’s not already completely dragging on the ground!

After a short time playing this game, you will find that your horse knows how to stay straight on a circle by himself. This is something that top riders seek with endless hours of training. But all you have to do is turn the task into a game. Set it up so your horse finds the most comfort by doing exactly what you ask. It is that simple once you understand how a horse’s mind works… once you have the know-how." She gave a bright smile once she finished speaking. "This field isn't big enough for you all to be able to ask your friend to circle at once, so why don't half of you take yourselves out through the gate and spread out." The area outside the gate was still fenced off, just without a gate.

[Othello Buskirk]

Othello was having fun with the Yo-Yo Game and had Harry moving off by him doing nothing more than pointing his finger at the gelding, and the horse moved forward just as eagerly. "That's my clever boy!" He praised the chestnut as he rubbed the horse's forehead. He had just backed the gelding off again when the instructor spoke up and he quickly asked Harry to come back to him as he turned his attention to the woman who was speaking.

He occasionally lunged his gelding, if he hadn't been able to be out with the horse for a week or more, and he felt that this Circling Game would work much better for him, as the only reason he lunged was to reconnect with the gelding before he mounted. He watched with interest as the woman demonstrated the Game, and Leo wasn't stupid enough to think that it would be that easy to get Harry to move off, even if he could get the gelding to back up with no more than a point.

He followed the idea of using the area outside the classroom field and took Harry into the area outside the field and chose the corner away from the gate, keeping far enough away from the fence so that the gelding had a free area to circle. With a good amount of slack in the rope, he drew himself up to his height and drew his hand to the left until his arm was straight, he also looked in the same direction his finger was pointing, to his total surprise, Harry moved off to the left. He wasn't going to try and get the gelding to trot, so he just asked him to walk for two laps before he looked pointed at the gelding's hip and drew his hand toward his belly button. He had to stop himself from doing a celebratory dance as the gelding turned in toward him. Leo then pointed his finger to the right and his eyes followed his finger, and again the gelding followed his finger.

[Deleted]

Aurora wasn't finding the Yo-Yo game any easier, no matter how many times she went through it, as soon as she lifted her hand, the mare shot backwards and would then need loads of encouragement to bring her back in again. She didn't know if she would get in trouble, but she put the carrot stick on the ground in front of her own feet - kind of like creating a line she wasn't allowed to step over. She then straightened up again and offered the mare her hand to sniff and then rubbed Beau's forehead. "Try this again?" She asked as she put her shoulders back, raised her hand that was holding the lead and pointed toward the mare, wiggling her extended index finger. She grinned when the mare calmly jogged back a few steps. Unable to wipe the grin from her face, Rory combed the rope through her fingers and threw her arms around the surprised mare's neck.

She turned her attention to Ms Chevalier as the woman began speaking again. Being somewhat new to the real horse-world, Rory had been lunged on horseback before, but never actually lunged a horse, so she listened intently as the new Game was explained. The more the woman spoke about it, the more Rory's heart dropped as she was sure that she would encounter the same problems with this game as she'd had with the last one.

When it was their turn to give it a go, Rory led the mare over to an empty space of the field they were currently in. She was worried that if she took the mare out of the field, Beau would think that she was going back to the barn. Getting herself organised, she mentally went through what she had seen Ms Chevalier do and pointed her hand to the left. She wasn't too shocked when the mare did nothing more than flicker her ears.

Straightening up a little more, Rory brought her hand back to the centre and picked up the other end of the rope. Sweeping her arm to the left again and looking in that direction, while also swinging the rope in a circle that led in the same direction as her hand and, even though she leaped forward into a high stepping trot, but she still moved in the direction that Rory asked for. After two circles, Rory pulled the lead rope toward her stomach and pointed a finger at the mare's hip and grinned when Beau turned toward the girl.

[Becca Walsh]

Becca finished bringing Frye back to her with the Yo-Yo game just in time to listen to Ms. Chevalier's explanation of the fourth game. It soon became apparent that the clinic was going to become a bit rougher for them. Sure the Circling Game had its differences from lunging, but it still seemed very similar. Lunging was something that Becca had done a lot with Frye since her first attempt at it with Ms. Chevalier. Sure, they had gotten better at it with her help, but Frye still frequently bolted around the round pen and sometimes charged into the center towards Becca.

She decided to stay in the same field, since moving would mean getting Frye used to his surroundings again, which would make their task even more daunting. Instead, she took a couple strides away from the closest pair to give them more room, and let the lead out a bit more. She started, pulling the lead counterclockwise. Frye took a couple steps in that direction, but didn't move until Becca flicked the carrot stick in that direction a few time. Taking off at a fast, choppy trot, Frye seemed a bit confused about what they were doing. Becca always lunged him without a line now, so at least this experience was differentiated a bit. Hopefully it would be a bit more positive.

Frye continued at his choppy stride and soon seemed to get the idea of what they were doing, turning his nose out as he usually did when they lunged to best evade her aids. Although Becca wasn't fond of the was he was moving, he was going in a circle, so she "allowed" as instructed for as long as she could. The difficultly came when she passed the lead behind her back. When lunging, she had to turn with him, forcing him to stay out with her whole body, and whip in hand. Now, when she just passed the whip behind her back, Frye slowed and turned into her. 

Starting over, Becca again wasn't surprised when Frye did the same thing again. The third time, however, she was able to keep him moving even when she passed the lead behind her back. After the second lap, she started to bring him back. When she began to do so, Frye came in, but he kept trotting towards her, forcing her to step aside before he ran through her. These were the sort of antics Frye pulled, and Becca was growing frustrated with her pushy horse. Sending him out again in the opposite direction, she struggled to get in another two laps before bringing him in again. This time she was able to slow him before he reached her, but it was still a close call, and she wasn't happy with how it had went.

[Deleted]

Nina was glad that Ratio was starting to be more cooperative the more they get into these games. She finished off with a last round of the Yo-Yo Game as she just happened to bring the mare back in again to be asked for their attention once more. She gave a soft smile to the horse before turning to listen to Ms. Chevalier explain the next game. She could hear the circling game's similarities to the actual lunging. She remembered lunging with Ratio and even Hope back then, and this game seemed to be more effective. She watched and listened attentively as the woman demonstrated what she was talking about. She soon got anxious to try it out with the mare.

When they did get the chance, Nina decided to take Ratio out through the gate like Ms. Chevalier asked half of the students to do. She guessed the mare didn't mind as she seemed to quickly prance along with her outside. She found a spot in a corner that wasn't already occupied as she gave enough room to circle Ratio and also enough so they wouldn't bump into another nearby pair. Giving enough slack in the lead rope, she gave a light pull on the rope and lifted the carrot stick in the clockwise direction. At first the mare just stood there, but then moved in the suggested direction when Nina swung the carrot stick. She stopped what she was doing as she 'allowed' the horse to move in the cirle as she she moved only half a lap for their first try. It didn't bother her as she just deicided to try again. This time the mare moved a full lap as she passed the rope from one hand to the other as Ratio moved around, trying not to move in her spot or even take a step.

After the second lap being done she started to run her hand down the lead rope and brought it to her belly button. When she lifted the carrot stick and looked at the mare's hip, she was estatic when Ratio started to face her. She gave a small smile towards the mare's cooperation as she seemed to be understanding what they were doing now. She then lead the horse in the other direction, counterclockwise, as she gave another light pull on the rope as the mare followed the suggested direction. She knew the mare's attention was on her now with Ratio's inside ear being pointed towards her and nose tipped in slightly, just like how Ms. Chevalier mentioned.