Lesson with Russell Higgins PP

I had a lesson booked with Russell for 5/5.30pm tonight and at 5pm I got a call saying he was running late. He had only just left the lady who had the other lessons.... and that was a good 2.5 hours away in peak traffic (not so much in normal traffic) but at 5 o'clock - heck I even avoid that stretch at all costs, at that time of the day.

I was already at Jool's so I saddled Garbo up (he was more than happy eating the arena grass for 3 hours!) and had a short ride. He was a bit distracted - we have never ridden much at 6pm before... Russell arrived at 6.50pm - and lately it's been getting dark at 7.45pm so we didn't have a lot of time (so much for a two hour lesson).

He asked me if I had a list - I didn't really but I wanted to work on Garbo's canter on the circle. He keeps in real close which makes it really difficult for him, then he turns to the outside instead of the inside! Making it triply hard!

As suspected, Russell suggested I do falling leaf. He seems to love that, as well as bow ties with riding. I tried but could not get my hands co-ordinated to pass the handle end of the carrot stick only under the rope (without changing the direction the carrot stick is facing).. so Russell offered to be the horse, and after one length of the arena I kind of had it - but a Russell Horse is 1000 times slower than Garbo and trying in real life with Garbo just resulted in Garbo crowding me and me trying to block him going past me with the carrot stick, which in turn made him canter - so reduced my time even more.

Russell had a go while I was doing something with the savvy string, just with the 22ft rope and basically threw the end and the coils of the 22ft towards Garbo and jumping at Zone 2... Garbo just about had a freak and of course - cantered on the 22ft a few laps - but to me it was not calm at all. Guessing that comes - but from then on Garbo was hiding from Russell, behind me and not letting Russell into his space at all.

By now it was dark - after having a break with some sideways refining, and we packed up. Garbo was a real star and loaded into a pitch black float, in a pitch black paddock - and it was so dark I didn't realise the personal access door and the tack box door were open - so they had been swinging open on and off the whole way (in reality most likely only on the downhill bit of our road and Jool's driveway).

Russell had suggested I reward Garbo for cantering on the circle by getting him to canter in to me while he was still in canter (not after he goes back into trot), but talking with my friend who has seen us together since we started Parelli - said that he has always loved coming in to me, so perhaps now it's time to start rewarding him for staying out - and stopping him on the circle, and not bringing him in, but go to him with the reward.

What a great idea!