2nd ride prep - Maraschino

My friend Michelle came over for a playdate with us today and I played a bit with Maraschino in the round pen. I have trot poles (pink ones) in there now, barrells, jump pole and stand....

We did a bit of circle but with a transition and stop at every quarter so that he had something to focus on every little bit, instead of just running. This got him quite focussed and very calm.

We set up trot poles for him and he conquered those (3) no trouble at all.

I also did a bit of 'unwinding' - you know when you put the rope over their head and over their back and round the back end and you stand at their head with the other end of the rope, and gently flex their head by pulling the rope, then unwind them basically.

He panicked a little feeling the rope behind his legs so we did half unwinds till he got confident again.

Then we left it at that - he had a lot to think about!

What a clever boy!

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...

Reiki

I had Tracey Fergusson (Hands On) do a treatment on Garbo and Maraschino last week. It was really interesting. She also does Animal Communication as well.

While with Garbo she said he had a very old solid energy - like a Kauri tree and when I was telling her how I lost my confidence he butted in and told Tracey that "she just needed to trust me"... sweet...

He said I was 'his' person and that without me he would most likely be a grouchy old man in the corner of the paddock (somehow I doubt that)...

She then asked how I make him think my ideas are his ideas.... funny.... I explained Parelli to her a little and told her about Tit for Tat etc.

She didn't say much about Maraschino - just that his energy was very "zing zing zing" all over the place.

Coco came in at this point after watching through the yard fence, and sniffed Tracey. As she was still doing Maraschino she slowly began touching Coco too - and scratching him. He backed up to her, she said she couldn't get much from him initially - but then she said lots of sadness. That we was locked in a yard with no food or water for a very long time. She said he didn't know this was his home - and kept expecting to be taken away again - we set him straight on that. And you know what - he has been very brave and curious since then! Even with loud strangers!!

Muriwai Beach

Today Cilla was going to ride Annie on Muriwai Beach but I didn't really feel ready to get on Garbo - when we arrived he was tense (mind you there were no other horses in sight and he had not been there for like three and a half years).... so we just walked around and went over some logs and through tree gaps in the tie up area. The tie up area is really really huge now - hitching rails everywhere - it's very cool.

We had about 30 minutes before anyone else arrived but I knew he was not ready to ride - and wouldn't be - it was all too new for him. At one point I thought - gosh the two times I came her he was ok - but that was pre-Parelli and I bet he wasn't - I would have just been blind to it. No wonder so many people fall off.

So finally the others arrived and Garbo and I headed off on the 22ft to the beach through the access (deep sand track) - it took about 15 minutes on foot and he was leading the way all the way till about 3/4 way - where suddenly he could hear the waves.

He stopped. I asked him forward and he backed up fast - so we headed back to a safe point and waited for the others - it seemed like an eternity but finally the appeared. Garbo then followed the others with me in tow over the rise and down the sand dune to the beach.

He was unconfident but he trusted me - that's all that mattered for me today. We stopped with the others briefly and then they headed towards the water and along the beach and we just walked along - quite away from them. He was a bit unsure about the black sand lines coming from the shells in the sand, the tire treads and sometimes just the lines in the sand the wind had made. But he didn't stop or spook - just looked. He had two nervous poos though!

We got to the Estuary and he wasn't even interested in playing in the water - so the others went on and we headed back (alone). He was very keen to show me which way home was! But he didn't go faster and always stopped when I asked him to - keep coming to me but not walking into me.

At one point we actually joined up with his hoof prints from the way 'to' the estuary and he recognised them as his. He hauled me up the sand dunes (I was quite knackered by now) and waited while I trudged through the deep sand - he would take two steps and wait, two steps nd wait.

Back on the track he was not confident enough to graze again until the float was in sniffing distance. I tied him up for a rest and a think and had some water, then we headed home (3 hours after setting off).

I was really pleased with him today - and with myself for not riding. But also how confident he was just with me - completely on our own - walking away from other horses.

And the loading was fab too. Maraschino apparently had some little run arounds.