Ride at home

Since Maraschino has been home I have been playing with him every day and when I do that he's such a fast learner. He was much more relaxed today despite the rain this morning and he offered to get but on the pedestal. Now this is no s mall pedestal. It's a filled tractor tire!!!

This was just as he was getting off.

Soon after this Michelle arrived as she had offered to ride him for me. She was happy with what she saw I'd done after seeing him canter and trot, and she hopped on. It started raining!

She did some lateral flexions and disengaged the hq. Then we got him hooked on to me to get him to go straight instead of what he seemed to like to which was going round in circles. He had a couple of frights but she's super cool and calm and one rein stopped him. We observed that he almost gets so fixated on something he's concentrating on that he momentarily forgets he has a rider, then gets a fright. She just walked today but he went really well. It was bucketing down at the end so it was challenging for him and he did really well.

 

Maraschino's weekend workout

I spent the weekend and Friday getting Maraschinos confidence and curiosity back to where it should be plus advancing all the games and pre-ride checks. He's very good at staying focused in me now rather than getting distracted. I did two sessions a day. In the AM we did sending to obstacles and walk trot and canter with the saddle on and stirrups down. He didn't blink an eyelid.

 

I also put the bridle on for the first time, starting his bridling training off well by getting him to have his head low and seek the bit. He spent the whole time chewing the bit but I think he likes chewing on things. I did the bit simulations for contact and also lateral flexion like Linda showed with Hot Jazz. I also did some liberty in the pen with him. Little more difficult to get the HQ to move round than the FQ.

In the afternoon we did circling with me on the barrel, walk trot canter and change of direction then figure 8. By the end of tonight he was trotting and cantering quite relaxed then he did figure 8 at trot. Cool.

Then I got up on my huge tyre and did some work from up there, getting him to stand for mounting, do figure 8s back toe, and lateral flexions as well as HQ disengagement. Lots of relaxing and rubbing too and head down....I'd spent the middle of both days this weekend watching all the RBI DVDs again.

Taking the bridle off the normal way (not undoing the buckle) made him out his head up tonight so we worked on that till it was good. Lots of yawning after that.

I got Tori's Tshirt yesterday...it's nice.

 

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.

and then came the saddle

Michelle and Maraschino swapping secrets.

Yesterday my friend Michelle came over for a catch up on Maraschino's progress and to give me some pointers on where to from here. We headed down to the round pen - I had my new green ball in there - wow it's massive (thanks Jane xx).

He was pretty unphased by it. I led him near it and he headed straight for it and touched it.

Funny story - blew it up in the garage - guess what - it doesn't for through a normal doorway! Trap for young players... I had to take it out the roller doors and around - then lift it over the wash bay gate - much to Garbo's horror - he lept up (front feet off the ground then back feet off the ground in his little panic mode) and then looked away - just refused to look at it. Out of sight out of mind.

George and I took it into the paddock as the boys watched on from their yards and we bounced it - it bounces higher than two or three of me!

So - back to the round pen and Maraschino sniffing the green ball - no problem at all.

I went to get the saddle while Michelle used the savvy string to make a cherokee bridle. He actually quite liked it - he loves chewing anyway. She also worked on putting it over his ears and off again like we would with a normal bridle.

Then I just put the saddle on just like you do in Level 1 - and he was fine about that too.... he actually went to the saddle and touched it while he was chewing in the savvy string bridle.

Girth up - no problem. Michelle moved his HQ, and FQ's around with the girth done up about as much as you would before the last tighten to get on... and he was still fine.

Then she handed him over to me to just send him out and get him moving - and he did - just as normal - no problem at all - what an angel he is.

Did that for a bit - playing with the green ball a little too - then we put the stirrups down while he was standing still, and flapped them around rhythmically - that was really the only time he had any reaction what so ever. But once we had done it on one side the other side was fine. He had also stopped chewing on the savvy string by then too.

Then I just got him in the mount from the fence position for ages rubbing on him till he got all sleepy - and we ended it there.

Today - same all over again just with some obstacles. I'll do that all week and Sunday/Monday all going well he'll have one of us sitting on him (just sitting for the first session).

Lessons with Russell

It was a very foggy morning and I got up at 6.30am to be ready for the first lesson with Maraschino at 8am. I had to hook up the float, take covers off, etc, and have breakfast and coffee...

We only had a small area really (by the hay shed) to do stuff in as I didn't want my grass dug up. I asked Russell if we could work on Maraschino and picking up his feet - he picks them up but not for long. He said massaging the legs for ages is a really good way to do this. And that we would work on it a bit later. But first - he got my swinging the end of the rope like a poi, while standing at the driveline to test friendly (Maraschino was pretty good) and then to swing the rope under Maraschinos neck and catch the end with my other arm. Yeah right - have you seen how tall he is!!

The end result was the rope end under Maraschino's neck like the bottom of a tied savvy string would be round his neck - and lifting the rope up while standing at the drive line, and holding till he stepped back. He said to do this with Garbo too - great way to introduce feel for Maraschino and savvy string riding for Garbo. But OMG my triceps are so sore now from holding my arms up so high for so long!

Then we did some rope swinging round his legs, and Russell said my friendly was pretty good and that he thinks the problem with him not letting Jools pull his legs forward for trimming (last two times) is a bit of stiffness and a bit of lack of respect - he didn't think there was any fear there. Maraschino at one point while having a rope round his fetlock was more focussed on the cows next door. He would suddenly kick out at the rope firmness and give himself a fright when the rope slapped him back.... but he was pretty good by the end of it. Still a ways to go but much better.

2.5 hours later we finished and Garbo was loaded in a mad rush to get to Jools where Leigh was waiting.

It was the most gorgeous autumn day, and we warmed up online then swapped to the 12ft lines to practise Mount From a Fence. I had seen Linda's Savvy Club DVD on this but Russell elaborated a bit more. Make the fence side the calm happy place, and the driving side the busy side. So when they were standing calmly alongside you, pat them, rub them for ages.

Garbo got it pretty quick - the electric fence was on two (2nd wire up from my feet!!)

Such a pretty place to ride!
Jools place looked great with all the trees loosing their leaves. We were in the big big paddock (the old arena). Finally we got on (funny I should say that).

We started with the hackamore but not using the reins but the lead rope part for more counter turn practise. I need to practise it so much - I have realised I don't use my leg... you know eyes, bellybutton, leg, rein, carrot stick - well mine is eyes, belly-button, rein, carrot stick. Hmmmm I can't remember having to use leg - can you? If so please direct me to the appropriate DVD so I can review lol.

We practised riding along the rail then doing 180's without swapping rein sides, so one turn was direct the next a counter turn.

Russell explained why the direct rein was called that and why the indirect rein was called that and did a demo on the ground with us trying in the saddle, to see where our weight shifted to for each. For direct we look up and to the direction we want to turn, making our weight shift away from the same front leg (same as the direction of the turn), so it can move first.... but for the Indirect rein - to the right say - we look towards the hip making our weight come forward and off the opposite hind (which moves first) making it the indirect rein. It all makes sense now!

Then we did dome backing up - 4 steps then moved the FQ over 4 steps, then backing up 4 steps again - to get them off the forehand, the trick being to keep the neck straight by using the supporting rein. Oh we had two reins again by now.

I had to keep taking Garbo for some point to point or follow the rail as he got a bit bored with all the talking. That was fun - we even had a couple of canters.
Then lastly we worked on getting canter leads "the best way" according to Russell. Bending the horse's head and neck slightly in and leg yielding away then straightening up, and opening up into canter. It was surprisingly easy.

Three hours later we wrapped it up!