Frye working on collection and aframe

I have had 2 challenges to overcome in my training with Frye.  The first is the need to teach collection and cue it early.  When evaluating my typical training progression, I realize that early on I emphasize building drive for both running and for taking the obstacles.  In doing this, I reward a lot of extension as opposed to collection.  The only true collection work I do early on is jump grids. 


When you look at the videos I've posted of Frye's early runs, it is clear that this girl loves to run, and it is also clear that she has built up tremendous value for the obstacles.  The problem has become steering her on course.  So in today's training session I worked reverse spins while she is in  full extension in order to get collection on a jump.


The second challenge has been training a running Aframe.  It's not to say that this was easy with Braddock.  I did have to work at it with him too.  But for Braddock, it was just getting the head down so that he hit the yellow consistently.  For Frye, the issue has been all about striding.  I took a class with Paulina Hope who told me to start working and up-contact.  She felt certain that if Frye could hit the yellow going up, then she'd likely hit yellow coming down.  I've been training in alignment with this philosophy and sure enough when Frye hits the target going up, she has a nice "one, two, three, four" stride which leaves her on the yellow when she comes down.  We will need to work in motion, distance, other obstacles at the end, but so far, I am seeing progress.  In this video you will see where Frye makes a mistake and does not hit the target going up, so I mark it, help her remember her job, and then she nails it.