Maraschino's summer cover

This is Blue's Mark Todd summer cover. After a bath I decided it was time for Maraschino to start staying clean and out of the sun.

Before that we played heaps of Friendly game with carrot stick and savvy string. He still doesn't like it and can't tell the difference between my body being relaxed or energy up. I tried walking while swinging the CS and SS and he followed but stopped when I faced him initially. After a few more goes he followed me.

Then we tried circle game and he can do walk really well - unusual for a RB, but when I ask for trot he walks towards me and the carrot stick and string! Hmmm. Oh well we improved his confidence with the savvy string and also got a good draw.

I also tried to get him to trot with me leading him but he just stops and stares at me asking a question. He asks lots of questions.

We finished with some sideways which he got pretty quickly, just a few steps and stopped. He was looking so sleepy in our 'waiting' times that I called it a day. He did really well. Then I tied him up for a bit and then a bath, and his new cover. He was great for his bath too.

Garbo watched the whole session - I had 20 minutes spare before a photo shoot so I put Maraschino in his yard and took Garbo out to the play paddock for some figure 8's and some circles. We have trot now without breaking gait for >5 circles, and change of direction, just working on canter now. After that I took his hater off for some liberty and he followed me over the clay hill, to the tyre (which I have now filled with sand), I jumped up on top and he cantered round me. Pretty cool.

After that he trotted back to his yard and decided it was dinner time. Fair enough - it actually was!