So I have been involved with Project Proprius, an online course in which the focus is on assisting your horse in forming new neural pathways, which coincides with alignment changes. All good stuff.

Tonight, in reading the online comments –which right now are taking the form of questions – I got a little anxious because either I am not grasping important key concepts or others are making things far too complicated. Hard to say. I am going to keep doing what I’m doing with my horses, mainly giving them autonomy in the Playground of Higher learning and encouraging them to have a good time.

Steiner, who is the Icelandic horse trainer – says that horses need to be encouraged to be “badass.” I suspect that he’s referring to movement – if, for example, a horse strikes a bag and has considerable lift in doing this, this is badass.

Badass – how does one really define the term? I got to wondering this late this afternoon. I was out in the Playground of Higher Learning and was thinking of ways in which I might do agility with the goats, which were present. All of a sudden, Tyra and Hrimmi, who were loose in the yard, came charging into the arena. Tyra immediately went over to the Shanty (this is what I call the new building) and began pulling stuff out. Stuff included mats, the green box containing my TTeam stuff, balls, and hula hoops. And Hrimmi first knocked over the barrels with the flags in them then went over and knocked over the jump stands with the fun noodles on them.

It was quite the scene – there was, though, an eye in this hurricane. I worked with them both – and they took turns standing on the mat, racing around with me, and doing crunches. Then each would go back to being badass.

I sense that this was a good thing – the two horses were being autonomous. But it is not a good thing when one horse, in this case Hrimmi, while standing on the matt, lunges at Tyra who is coming to check out what she’s doing. This, in fact, is bad badass.

I am feeling like a newly appointed playground director, which is one who is figuring out the rules as she goes along. It’s a good thing – letting the horses have a say in the matter (as I am doing now) is way different than me setting the agenda, which is what I have been doing with agility.

I later had Tinni in the playground, by himself. He moved slowly but most definitely enjoyed standing on the mat. It is helping to rebalance him, and as well, having the same effect on Raudi. Both stood and gave some thought to the matter – Raudi at one point had a head twitch – could have been a major readjustment – I have sensed for a while that something has been out of alignment. If this is so, then the matt is a powerful tool in terms of neural reprogramming.

Lots to learn. I am going to have to remind myself that I’m exploring options here, and that positive things will come of this.

Next: 260. 9/2017: Doors Open, Doors Close, Doors Open