Maraschino's first ride out - 2nd time round

So I'm going to call her the Crash Test Dummy - but her name is Tarryn and she is one cool cucumber and a great rider, and lovely person - great with the horses... the girls get her in for the first rides...

Before she arrived Michaela had done some ground preparation with the flags - he thinks he's pretty clever now with the flags. Any sign of lameness was gone so that was good.

Then Tarryn checked him out on the ground, bumping stirrups etc, disengaging the HQ, they call it rolling over the HQ. Then she hopped on and basically did exactly what Parelli peeps would do which was lovely to see. One rein riding with just the halter and lead rope and tossing from side to side, lateral flexion alot, disengaging the HQ, lots of rubbing.

The new kitten was watching him go round the round pen with me.

   

Tarryn was really good with Maraschino and I liked the way she was with him, really patient and so confident.

Michaela was there to drive or send from the ground if needed. Or to move the HQ, or move the FQ.

At one point she was trotting him round the outside and touched him on the rump with her hand and he did a huge scoot and tucked his bum under him - she just calmly asked him to a stop with one rein with no change in her voice what so ever while she talked to him.

Then she asked for canter and he managed 1/4-1/2 a lap before he got a bit worried and started bucking - not big bucks, so Tarryn asked for a one rein stop and it took a while for her to get his head (they don't use the power position like we do) - he was pretty worried with the whole canter-buck-emergency stop - she ;et him ret for ages and you could see he was busy processing.

She trotted him again both ways and stopped nicely before getting off and by then he was licking alot  - I was really happy with the whole session.

Maraschino's first ride

It was a bit chilly till the wind died down but we made some great progress with Maraschino.

I put the rhythm beads on him, the cherokee bridle and the bareback pad - all without any reaction from him. The jingle bells are a bit loud for him sometimes as they go over his ears but he was really good.

I had a play with him, we did some walking on the tarp, backed up onto the tarp, looked at the barrel and the cows, and then some circle in trot and canter, and I got two trot circles!

He did a nice squeeze in between the tire and the round pen and Michelle started by just leaning on him, then jumping up next to him - all of which he was fine with because I've done all that with him right from day one practically. The only glitch we had was the end of the savvy string came loose and flicked him in the eye so we took it off after he over-reacted a little, and then didn't swing ropes over his head - just not today. We didn't want to stress him out.

So then I was charged with having him online basically while Michelle got on and took turns putting her knees up and rubbing him etc, he moved forward the first time, but I positioned him again after going 360 round the tire and after that he was fine. She was armed with carrots so every time he looked round at her he got a carrot which he thought was pretty cool.

So it wasn't too long before she was able to get her leg over and sit up - literally about 10 minutes. And she sat there for a while and rubbed him, gave him carrots etc.

Then it was my job to move him in a way that everyone would be safe, since Michelle didn't have reins. I moved him forward then immediately stopped him by lifting the rope and moving his HQ over.

All he really did was stumble a little, trying to get his balance and figure out how to move forward with Michelle on top. Then when stopped he looked round at her shoes which looked very much like carrots in all fairness.

We walked forward again, then stopped after a few steps and repeated that a few times, went backwards, and then Michelle got off, then back on again and by this stage he was walking out with me with his head down and relaxed and he licked and chewed.

Then Michelle had a go with the rope at directing him forward, left and right - and he was so soft and so responsive!

Just like that!!!!!!! How cool is that...

Here's the money shot!

Thanks Michelle. xx

Jane's Visit

Dante studying Garbo's Horsenality Report!

Today Jane kindly drove her float just over an hour from her house to mine so I could have a go at loading both horses into it - with the idea that I will need a new float if I want to take both big horses out together - most likely one like Jane's For you overseas readers float= trailer. LOL.

Firstly we went to stick some posters up in feed stores about Jackies November Clinic. Then Jane bought us a birthday lunch - which actually wasn't that fair since her birthday was two days before mine!

Then back to my place to have a play with the boys. Firstly I showed Jane a few things I am currently working on with Maraschino - working on getting him to move forward with me in Zone 3 and also to take notice of the rein aids and also the one rein stop (once I plant my feet).

Coco joined in too.

Then we had a play with both horses on the float - Garbo has never been on a different float apart from his since I have had him (5 years now) and so I didn't push it too much but we ended up right on and going on and off several times calmly. We'll leave doing up the dividers to another day (maybe a sunny one)....

Maraschino was very keen to play Touch It on the float with Jane and he was trying to nudge her onto the float so he could also get on and get all the carrots. It was quite funny. Jane was playing the game no - you can't get on the float. Great!

Doesn't Maraschino look huge!

Thanks Jane and awesome awesome news!!!!!!!!

Bareback Pad On.

The boys were in all day and had their polar fleeces on....

Garbo's is a bit small!

Guess what - I put the bareback pad on Maraschino today and did the cinch up for our ground riding session. He was so calm and his one rein stops are so cool... check it out...oh Coco likes to walk in circles with us too! His little helper.

The boys had been in the yards all day as the paddocks are so wet, so I was impressed with how calm he was. Poor Garbo didn't get a session...his turn tomorrow.

The bareback pad kept sliding backwards as you can see...

Riding Maraschino on the ground

Hee hee - thought that would make you take a 2nd look....

Maraschino was busy getting anxious in the paddock this afternoon - looking at scary cows he could hear over the hill but couldn't see. He wasn't getting calmer so I stepped in - in fact he was winding himself up like a spring. I've been doing heaps with him and giving him extra magnesium so I really don't know what more I can do apart from send him off to a 400 acre farm for a month!

I wouldn't worry normally - if the ground was dry - he could just get over it eventually - but we have 2 acres and 2.5 horses (sorry Coco) so I need to preserve what little grass we have left after the 6 month summer drought, from getting turned instantly into mud!

So - I managed to get him into his yard with apples, then halter him. I got a wee bit frustrated I must admit when he would not focus on me and bumped him and backed him up several times. Then I calmed down as I realised it wasn't making much difference so I took him into the wash bay.

He gets so beside himself he can't think.

So I did heaps of what Michelle suggested, standing really close into Zone 3 so my side is pressing where my leg will go, and holding the 'rein' on his withers with my right hand (when standing on the near side) and then clucking to go with a tap with the rope near his withers, and off we go, leading with the nearside rein to turn a square/oval/circle in the washbay. Everytime he looked up I would cluck him on again, and eventually he was walking with his head lowered and listening to me alot. We did this many many times, both directions, each change of direction rubbing the rope up his face and over his ears to change sides, and everytime we stopped we did a one rein stop. 20-30 minutes later we rested and I left him tied up high while I made up a small feed for him. He was very calm after that so I put him in his yard for the rest of the day. I'll get a video of it tomorrow.