Rain thoughts

It's been raining for what seems like weeks so I have not ridden since goodness knows when, the paddocks are too wet - not for riding but they will get pogged up - I hate pogs, maybe I am being precious but we only have two paddocks so winter riding really has to be outside the paddocks.

I could take Garbo out to an arena if I knew of a local one to hire. The other thing playing on my mind is leaving Maraschino behind. I did heaps of seperation training in summer but as Pat says if you don't seperate them every day then they get used to the other horse being around all the time.

I took Garbo out just before the last lot of rain and stuck him in the next paddock and every time he went out of view (I think), Maraschino would gallop round the middle paddock. I think it could have had something to do with the fact that Garbo was eating grass and he wasn't!

So - that leads me to think about what he might do to my paddocks while we are out. What I might do tomorrow is make up a little feed for Maraschino and do our seperation routine (away and back before Maraschino gets uptight- making each trip longer away)... that way I can take Garbo up the driveway. It's a shame it's due to rain on Saturday because I had an idea I could let Maraschino into the hay shed paddock (to eat grass) while I took Garbo up the private road.

Anyway - if the worst comes to the worst and I can't take Garbo out all winter - well - it's only three months... we coped last year ok.

I have set myself a goal to film my Level Three audition for liberty and online by Xmas - hah - that's three months to get it done after winter.... crazy or what! Freestyle by Xmas 2010.

My husband commented on "what would I do if I didn't have Parelli" as I read the Savvy Times in front of TV. He was meaning I would be bored - as Parelli takes up so much of my thoughts... I watch videos when ever I can, and I am always reading either Pat's book, or the latest Savvy Times, or thinking about how I will do this or that.... heck I even dream about Parelli. There is always so much to lick and chew on.

I groomed the boys tonight (always good for Maraschino to practice being tied up), and Coco kept coming up to me as if to ask if he could have a brush too - if only he was brave enough. I let him smell all the brushes and he licked my hand. He is definitely motivated by food.

I clean out the yards before I go to bed and when I am done I give them all a carrot. Coco and Maraschino don't take their eyes off me, watching and waiting. Maraschino nibbles on my belt loops and my zipper tassle... while Garbo looks at the hose (that's the last thing I do - fill up the water buckets).

I let Garbo graze in hand tonight on the grass next to the wash bay, it's very long, and then when I brought him back in to be groomed, he was busy leaning over the fence on one side of the hose that hangs down from the roof.... as he moved along the fenceline the hose ended up on his back.... I moved it off and carried on with Maraschino.. next thing I look over and Garbo is standing there just looking at me as the hose was over his back with the spray gun fitting on the near side. It was like the hose was playing sideways to the fence and he was doing it. Very funny.

I stuck the plastic bag on the end of the carrot stick tonight - he has never liked it much (Garbo) so that's a good winter game. I walked away and asked him to come to me and he did and sniffed the bag. After a few tries I ended it there. Maraschino just sniffed it as if to say 'does it have any food in it?'. I stuck the carrot stick over the yard gate and showed Coco, he looked up at it and then turned away.

I have rabbitted on enough - but what I do realise from watching all the Fluidity TV Shows on the Savvy Club over the last few rainy days, is that I need to ride Garbo more in an enclosed area to build my confidence, and his. The only way I am going to improve my fluidity is to put the hours in. So bit of a bummer about the dilemma above.

I have been working on my balance, every day not holding on to anything while I put on and take off my socks, shoes, slippers, and trousers etc.