Liberty today

Well since it was the last day before the Dressage gang got back from HOY I decided to get some hay bales and put them in the paddock and play yo yo between them. Had two bales high on each side, and started about 5ft apart I guess - Garbo got it really quickly (and he didn't even try and eat the hay) - so I made them closer so they were touching his sides a little. After a few tries he got that ok too. The thing he had trouble with for a bit was once he was all the way through them (coming forwards to me - he had trouble yo yo-ing straight back from so far, so would go crooked. (The same problem we have in the stall door).

Anyway - he managed it in the end so I put two aside and laid the other two on the ground like a jump and asked him to send over the jump - he put his foot on it and tipped it over. I asked again - and again, after he would either go round the far end or my end!

Finally - he went through the middle of the two - seperating them - it was so funny - and the ultimate squeeze!

Then we went into the hill therapy paddock to do some liberty. I had some more videos but my camera ate them! I started with medium range stick to me and slowly got him out further. At longer range he bucked everytime I asked him to stay out but it actually helped his confidence I think in the end because I wasn't telling him off - just laughing.

When he was further out near the edge of the paddock I found moving back to Zone 5 and going closer to him would help him not change direction. He did less of the 'look out of the paddock and change direction' today.

Here's a little video - we got better later - but that one got deleted. Had the bucks and all it was so cool. I'll try again tomorrow.




The paddock we were in is next to the house where the yard owner lives, but her 'in laws' have been staying looking after the kids. About an hour later after I had put Garbo back and fed him the mother-in-law came rushing over to me and said "thank you for that wonderful display - it was so amazing". The Yard Owner was like 'what'? and the mother-in-law said 'her horse was dancing around her'!

Cool huh!