I fitted quite alot into 3 hours

After a bit of a stressful morning (spending an hour on the phone to another business person giving them business advice they didn't want to hear), I called Garbo after hooking up the float and he came in. Awesome! The other two did too - so I gave them all some vegemite.

Gave Garbo a quick brush and a hoof pick and off we went... we were on the road 40 minutes after I walked outside to hook the float up. Garbo loaded nicely and with the rope over his withers after front two feet on... decided I am going to trust him to make the right decision.

Not a soul was at Woodhill Sands but as soon as I pulled up I spied a horse through the trees in a paddock having words with his cover - it was round his neck (buckles at the top) and around his front legs. I texted the facility owner and got no reply - and I could see he was getting tangled trying to walk so Garbo and I went to the rescue. I tied Garbo up to some baling twine on the fence and went under the electric tape to take this horses cover off - a horse I didn't know. I held out my hand and he sniffed me, then he looked quite relieved so I undid all the buckles and got rid of it for him. Garbo just ate calmly I was quite impressed.

So back to the float to swap ropes to the 22ft and off we went. I had decided not to ride since there was no one there at all... just to be safe.

We had some major squeezes to get to the arenas the back way - through trees and round X-Country Jumps, and one was uphill and round a tree 270 degrees round the tree!

We worked on - change of direction without panicking - he panics when I ask him in for COD and rushes past so I can't touch him with the savvy string... so I concentrated on asking for COD while maintaining walk. He got it after a few goes and lowered his head at the walk in both directions - yay.

Then I worked on disengaging the HQ on a circle - but - don't come in - just disengage - I feel I have not seperated this from disengage and come in - he thinks disengage means - disengage and come in. Didn't take him long but he looks so put out when I ask him to stay out - don't you think?

If I could sum up Garbo's day I would say it would be best described as an unconfident day - he had airplane ears alot - but it was good practice for him and me, and for him to realise I can be a good trustworthy leader.

We spent some time looking at the X-Country Jumps - I love the look on his face here as if he's saying "and you know I ain't gonna jump this right"?....

I had to go to Phase 4 at one point on the travelling circle and he lept in the air and bucked - honestly you would think the savvy string was an Australian Stock Whip at times.

This fence is our sideways along the fence and half circles fence - how cool is it??!! I am not even at the end of it.

This is what we get for sideways along a fence at the moment - bum trailing. Although Sideways without a fence is quite good...

There was a little back at the side of the arena with a large water pipe at the bottom of it so I sent him over the pipe and up the bank - and then down again - a few times. That was cool.

We checked out some more jumps as a wind down before heading back along the lane back to the float. A few times he tried to tell me which poop (horse email) he wanted to smell and which grass he wanted to eat so I bumped the rope to remind him who was driving who. Oh yeah - he says. He spooked at a bird jumping out of the trees along the lane... it was at that point I had been considering a ride round the car park - but I thought - nah - thats just silly.

I still feel like I have hit an imaginary brick wall - feels like I am boring Garbo - and he's like "yeah yeah" although there are some things we have not yet achieved. Either I don't know how to ask for them or he doesn't understand... or both.... Don't get me wrong I still enjoy our play dates but sometimes it does kind of feel like we have lost sight of the end result desired. Just at the moment. I know what needs improving; just a bit lost as to how to get there....

We loaded brilliantly and off home we went. Then I gave Maraschino a go at being a big horse...float loading practice.... I'll blog about that tomorrow - it's after midnight... tired...