Maraschino's adventure hack from home

Michelle kindly came over to ride maraschino while I rode Garbo and we had a plan to ride both of them on the paper road.

We warmed them both up and then got on. I actually warm Garbo up at liberty most of the time because he loves it so much. Today he went sideways over a jump stand lying flat on the ground (one of those big plastic square ones that loo like part of a jigsaw puzzle).

We rode around the track twice. Garbo normally hates that because "it's boring Mum" but we told him it was his job to show maraschino the ropes and he was really good. Maraschino had a wee trot away up the hill part of the track and Garbo was like "yeah, nah".



Then we headed out into the private road, past the three neighbours, one with barking dogs and turned left into the paper road which borders the length of our neighbours property and ours.




At the end is a field of maize. I think they would have liked to just keep going in actual fact - had we let them I think they would have trail blazed throughout he maize.

On the way back Maraschino went ahead on hs own - brave boy - and Garbo didn't get bothered either.



When we got back to the top of the paper road they wanted to go left further down the paper road - rather than down the private road back home... but it was a tad stony so we left it there and headed back to Coco.











What good ponies.
And lots of cute ear and eyelash shots!

Addressing the capriole

Three days since I stopped giving Garbo the Fibre Ezy which is a supposedly non heating chaff in the form of a chopped haylage I suppose.



Garbo trying to put on Maraschino's bridle too.

We warmed up online and there was nothing untoward. I got on in the arena and there was a horse there being tormented by a girl - the horse was terrified  - goodness knows how they got it in the trailer to get the horse there but it took her a good 30 minutes to be able to get on - and Maraschino (not Garbo unusually) got quite upset about the fact that the lady was using her whip to make the horse stand still  - without success I might add. Then she proceeded to attempt to risk life and limb and ride this terrified tip toeing horse around the track.

Anyway - Garbo didn't seem phased and we managed to trot with no drama so after 15 minutes or so we rode in the track - again with no drama. I checked in with him alot to see what he was thinking but I was worrying over nothing he was as good as gold.


Maraschino's slightly worried look.

The scared horse finally got back to the float but of course it took a long while to load him - in the end they backed the float up to the stable door and loaded him from there somehow. He was trying to kick his way out of the float as they drove away. Maraschino was very pleased to see the end of that lady with all the angry energy. He was still really good and although he spooked a couple of times in the track he only jumped slightly and then went forward and stopped.

2nd ride in a bridle - pretty impressed of calm he was.
Garbo was my Garbo again rather than the caprioling stunt horse from last week. Phew.

Caprioling Pony

Well - within a few days Garbo has caprioled 5 times over two rides.

Ride 1  - bit, on track, out, relaxed rein, with Maraschino

Ride 2 - from home down paper road, in hackamore, no bit, on his own, loose rein

so - as you can see - nothing was in common with each other to cause it.

Ride 1, I was totally relaxed. Totally came out of nowhere and was fine again seconds later as if it never happened. 

Ride 2 not as much. ;-) Neither was he. 

On the paper road he did it 3 times then I got off. 

I asked my friend to ride him two days later and she's a really good rider. He did it to her too and she said it was a spook - just a high spirited one lol. So she rode him really forward and half halted him - slight partial disengagement when she could tell he was thinking up things to do. He went really well after that.

Only thing I have changed is his chaff so I am going to cut that out from tomorrow. 

Hopefully that helps.

off up the private road 

checking out the sheep next door 

Hubby came for moral support 

what an amazing day

and amazing view...  

garbo was looking strangely at George for taking photos strangely 

Ventured out of the round pen

I haven't really ridden Maraschino in the paddock since he was started in June. I've ridden him in the round pen and in a couple of arenas. Tori rode him on a trail around Waimarie, and Michelle's ridden him on the track at Crescent. So today was the day. My fiend suggested I ride him from the round pen back to the barn. So that was my plan.

Yesterday we did some yo yo between the pedastal and the jump stands, and today when I asked him to do the same he offered to get up on the pedestal. Happy about that.

In this photo he was chewing on something and I had a look and it was a piece of rubber from the arena...he spat it out. Funny thing.

We did a little trot to make sure he wasn't emotional and then I got on.

We've been working on the mounting process. He'd been moving off which we have fixed, but now when I hold his mane to mount he lifts his head up. Yesterday I did lots of up and down until he relaxed, then I got on, then I got off. :-) today he was really good at standing and the head lifting is getting better.

We did follow the rail, and don't come off the rail today. Then a little trot a couple of times, and then we practiced mounting again because I needed to open the bungee....didn't want to try out doing it while on board with Maraschino just yet. I can do it with Garbo just fine. Then I got back on and focused on heading back to the barn.

I had been playing Jewel on my speakers and at the end of the songs was applause. He looked up there after each song while we were playing and riding. So heading back to the barn wasn't as enticing as it normally is lol. He was drawn to the left to see Garbo so I turn him back to the round pen as a retreat then headed back to the barn again. We got half way before he hesitated so I got off there. Pretty happy with that.

 

Another trip to the track

Wow what a gorgeous day it was today. I headed out early before it got too hot - taking advantage of the fine days and the holidays!

We arrived by 9am and were ready to ride by 9.30am. Michelle was there with Flipper and she suggested she pony Maraschino while I rode Garbo around the track.

The track has a great surface on it so it's super for tender feet (they were just trimmed yesterday) and with Garbo collecting abbesses this year - it's a great way to get his fitness up again now they seem to all have finally burst out.

So we spent most of the time walking and trotting. On the first lap Garbo charged out ahead and he went into trot without me asking him so I applied what Linda said at the Clinic in November (which isn't always easy for me) and encouraged him forward. He soon came back to walk :-)

During a trot lap where Flipper and Maraschino were ahead of us, Garbo went into canter and I just allowed it and while I didn't go so far as encouraging it, I didn't do my normal panic and think he was going to run off. Michelle looked around at one point and said "oh you're cantering"! YES.

It actually felt really good.
We cantered a few more times too. His squeaky belly relaxed after about 3 laps.

Tori helped me decide on my new mantra.
Garbo is not the same horse anymore, you can trust him, he won't hurt you. 
I love it.