Back to the forest after 8 months

Once I start not going to the forest it tends to drag out and get this whole new life and energy of it's own. Garbo was not happy (his hip was sore) last time we went in February, so we turned home early and ended the ride. So I had todays ride planned from ages ago - well not the day - but leading up to it - preparing. I had done a little work with Garbo online and a little riding so it was time for a 45 min walk in the forest. I got a little nervous before hand and wondered how my rule of not getting on nervous would play out, but it was all good... let me tell you....

So - Garbo loaded really well - my new thing is to put the rope over his back as a signal to load. I'll let you know how that progresses...

We arrived early which was great - time for me to settle down - I can't think of any reason why I am nervous (certainly not of Garbo) but Bronwyn pointed out that it's the other peoples horses who we tend to worry about - they canter up behind you without warning or whatever - well that has never happened - but I think she's right.

Garbo was so calm tied up to the hitching post waiting while I fluffed around getting him saddled. So calm - when I think what he was like 4 years ago, even a year ago - and the carpark was full of horses too!! Loading, unloading... I heard the mother ask the daughter with the horses next to us "do you want the crop?", "what for?", "To smack her if she spooks"... hmmmmm

I ignored it and so did Garbo.

Emotional fitness is what it's all about hey.

So horses came and went as did trucks, there were forest staff there too having a meeting. A few trucks left and it seemed to quieten down. Bronwyn and Critey arrived and parked on the opposite side to us - another challenge - but he was great!! Even at the end of the ride when we went our separate ways he just happily stood over by his hitching post with his leg cocked.

So - by the time Bronwyn saddled up, I had put on my fluro jacket, and hat, and got my camera, locked my car, we headed over to the mounting lock - aka picnic table, I was calm and was not nervous - yay I could get on!

Off we set and basically Bronwyn and I chatted the whole way so I can't really remember the scenery much but it's always nice in the forest - lovely and cool.

Things that came up on the ride and I how I dealt with them;

• Garbo trying to hurry Critey along by biting her bum - I got Bronwyn to wave her whip behind her, and at one stage we went ahead - he was so confident - I really do have a new horse on my hands.
• Trying to rush down hills... I used sideways as a distractor so we zig zagged form one side of the track to the other, all the way down. That worked really well... Pat's idea of course but as usual a blimmen good one.
• He sometimes got a bit jiggity so I used a little partial disengagement - as usual awesome result - thanks Linda!!!
• He spooked at something behind him at one point and ran forwards, I wasn't quite balanced enough not to tip back - but I didn't lose my stirrups. And my adrenalin didn't come up either.
• The lead rope part of my hackamore came undone from my saddle without me realising - Garbo kept stopping and pawing and putting his head down - Bronwyn noticed it trailing along the ground - thanks Garbo you are so clever.

Garbo loves to have a roll in the sand afterwards!! He was sweating from head to toe, and had an icecream bum.

We're going to go again next week.

Brave the weather

I decided yesterday that if I carry on waiting for the weather to get better I may lose all of September as well. So not having played with Garbo since May (on any real scale) I re-read David Lichmans notes and took Garbo and my 22ft line to Woodhill Sands.

It's just round the corner from here, it's a naturally sandy surface and usually dry but it had a few puddles today. But no mud! He loaded well, on Pats scale probably a 2/10, i.e. he hesitated briefly and had a smell of the inside. Keep in your mind the wind was about 30 knots.

Maraschino didn't even look up from the paddock - just kept on eating.

We arrived and he unloaded too quickly for my liking - we'll make a note to work on that. There were no other horses there, but some grazing around the perimeter paddocks. He was walking fast along the sand pathway towards the arenas so I took the opportunity to drive him from Zone 5, focussing on moving him left or right or sideways as he decided to go see the horses or eat the grass edging. He moved sideways well with a tap on his side with the carrot stick and the feel of the rope on his side. I was standing behind his tail but close enough to touch his tail and I was thinking how many people would see me and wonder what I was doing! But you know what - I didn't care.

In the arenas there were all sorts of interesting things - flower pots, white boards, show jumps, cross country jumps, flags in cones, judge boxes, huge tress blowing in the wind, office, cafe buildings - oh and lots of puddles and horse email - otherwise known to us as horse poop.

I made a conscious decision to not react to anything he spooked at but to really keep his attention and focus on me. It worked really well. After 10 minutes he was completely confident and calm. I worked on Davids suggestion of doing circles but as soon as Garbo looks out (arching his body out) I would disengage him and politely ask him to go again. If he came in I would vigorously send him again.

It certainly got his attention on to me, and we worked a little with smaller circles and getting his nose in towards me, and hind end out.

I did lots of change of direction, then some touch it from the end of the 22 - like the show jumps, the start sign, the cone with the flag.

Then we did some stick to me - just because he likes it - we did it in and out and around the show jumps. They were a bit high to go over (about 5ft high), but great for sideways!

After a very quick hour, we headed back to the float and had a bit of a relax there. Then we loaded up and wet home, loading was about 2/10 again. I was able to ask him on from outside onto the float, but it wasn't immediate or fast.

On arrival back home Maraschino was looking up but not worried at all.... he called out once to say "THERE you are", and then just carried on. The top door rattled alot in the wind as Garbo was backing of the trailer and he rushed off so I took the opportunity to ask him back on, then a huge gust of wind did it again, so I asked him again, but this time just on to the ramp while I banged things inside, like the light and hit the side with the end of the rope. He volunteered to get up sideways on the ramp so I left it there and took him back to his bright green grass.

Forest ride

It was so windy today that when I got the float out Garbo started chasing the others. I wonder if it's excitement - he seems to do that quite often when he sees me get the float out (or worse still after getting the float out that I might hater Maraschino first!).

My plan was (for a 12.30pm ride) to play with Maraschino after grooming Garbo, and then leave. Well - I soon realised while grooming Garbo the wind was spooking him alot. His head was high, he couldn't stand still, and when I tried to put him in his yard he tried to jump out when I walked away to get Maraschino - so change of plan!

I realised I needed to actually play with Garbo to calm him down before loading and that I quickly needed him to realise it was ok (because he was with me). So we did some Figure 8! I figured the change of direction would get him thinking again. Then we did some fast circles.!

Luckily over by the float the house was acting as a wind shelter so loading was fine and off we went.

At the beginning of the ride Garbo went off on his own little cross county course - he is so funny.

Garbo was great - at one stage he did try to get in front of Critey, and I did some partial disengagement (if any dressage queens had of seen what we were doing without a bit they would have been green with envy) - Garbo looked amazing - and he calmed down a bit. Then again near the end when the track was really narrow he started trying to bite Critey's bum again so I asked Bronwyn if Critey could perhaps walk faster?? Garbo doesn't like to dawdle! That fixed it! He was happy then. We could hear the wind high in the trees above us but it was calm in there. Nice!

Afterwards he had a big roll in the sand and off we went home again (after nearly a whole hay bag before and after the ride). When we drove down the road I could see Maraschino and Coco eating happily in the middle (and not close to the gate) - Maraschino had only called out about twice (having grass probably helps!).

Oh - I tried out my new iPhone trail app - we went 3.9km and average speed was 3.5 km/p/h. 55 minutes!

Reply from Linda

The other day after my amazing canter I emailed Linda to thank her for her article on partial disengagement - well I emailed the Head Office and said Dear Linda on the email - not really thinking she would see it - but hoping she would.

Well - today I got a reply from Linda herself!!

Dear Vicky,

Don't you just love this stuff?!! Thank you for taking the time to write to me about this, I'm thrilled to hear of your results.

I'm sure you'll get a lot out of the new levels program too - first time we've ever been able to do all four savvys, at four levels all at once. Huge :)

Stay savvy!

Linda

Partial disengagement - I am in love with it

Oh this programme just gets better and better. I had great success with this today with Garbo - it worked just like Linda said it would and it was easier than I thought too!!

Went to a very cool grass arena today (and on that note yay that finally I have found an arena I can use anytime I like - no need to book and basically no one else ever uses it in the day. It's surrounded by trees but not on the edges of the arena - around the property boundary fences so the whole place is really sheltered from this annoying wind.

I was supposed to meet Bronwyn at the top of the driveway at 10am. I played with maraschino and loaded the float with my saddle etc, and then at 9.45am went to load Garbo. He must have picked up I was a bit nervous (new place etc), and he decided he wasn't going to load. It shouldn't have mattered but of course I knew Bronwyn was waiting on the road so was in more of a rush.... and he knew it! Then the neighbour teenager came down to the fence-line to go through the gate and into the paddock where he has a smoke I think - in his camo gear and hoodie. I said Hi since he was like right there but then he decides to chat and then after the chat was finalised by moi - he decides to just stand there and stare. He was kind of between bushes so it was a bit annoying - shouldn't matter I know - but it did. Today anyway. I finally asked him to move. "Do you mind NOT standing there?" I said. He goes "oh' and wanders off. Felt a bit bad but heyhoo.

So - Garbo not wanting to put Zone 5 in the float for some reason....at one point he turned on the ramp so I was real quick and backed him in there heehee. I tried to relax - I texted Bronwyn to take the pressure off - that was at 10.03am.

We were on our way by 10.07. Garbo still wasn't 100% but I decided to work on that when I have more time - I know - I can hear you saying "take the time"...but you all know what it's like when someone is waiting for you.

So - we arrived at Jools place and it has a very peaceful feel to it. Garbo had lots of long grass and carrot weed to eat while we were saddling up. I untied him to out the hackamore on and he wandered off after that while I was talking to Bronwyn - leaving Critey and us and going off to visit the other horses no less. I got him back and then he did it again....so I had to pry him away. Garbo seems very relaxed there - as do all the horses actually.

So - we had proper rails - post and rail all the way round and a line of tires on the ground down the middle of this lovely flat spongy arena (weedy kykuia grass).

We started at walk following the rail - I tried the partial disengagement at walk and we did loads of follow the rail both ways with a few corners thrown in for good measure. At trot though he was a bit more emotional - he was a bit tense (head down grabbing reins, looking like he would buck and he did buck twice so I did the partial disengagement - OMG - I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT!!!!!!!! It was really easy and here we were feeling like we were doing fancy dressage around the arena with him facing out 45 degrees. At trot!

It turned him into this amazing lovely calm horse - and any time he got a bit tense again or rushed I just popped him back onto 45 degrees - instant results. I we made a few patterns of follow the rail at trot and he was really getting into the pattern - I was really pleased. In fact he was so calm and going so well I felt confident to ask for canter - and you know what - we cantered round the rail for about half a straight at a time - on both leads and on all sides!!!!!!!!!!!!

But BEST of all - for the first time ever I had a TRULY loose rein. I could sit back and feel relaxed, didn't grip with my legs and I didn't come out of the saddle. Relaxed - hah - it's actually a lovely gait when you relax!

Bronwyn got some of it on video for me....that's her doing the commentary lol.

Well I still have a grin on my face - I had just been saying to Bronwyn that I have not had the chance to really practise my position in canter feeling relaxed - and voila! Now I have this arena to use I know we will advance in leaps and bounds. I am going again on Sunday and then on Wednesday too.

Garbo was pretty hot afterwards so I hosed him down (I have water in my float) and we came home again - loading wasn't fabulous but an improvement (only about 5 asks).... Bronwyn kindly said she wouldn't leave till we had loaded.

Got home and the boys were waiting patiently - I had made up some food to give them as I left but in the rush I didn't - I sneaked it to Maraschino when the other two were back in the paddock. He was happy.

Partial disengagement

In the Savvy Mag this month there is an article by Linda about Partial disengagement to make a horse more relaxed and less tense. I am going to try that on Friday when we go out. Seems like a good idea and I have been thinking alot lately about how I can relax Garbo when we are riding with other horses and they get tense. And then he picks up on their emotions.... (emotionally scattered??).... It's something I have not really dealt with yet (just avoided the situations).

Quite often he will get tense and try and toss his head (grab the reins) or go faster (jig jog), I usually pull on one rein (or sometimes both in a moment of auto predator reaction) and he hates it (and normally bucks).

So I am going to try it on Friday as I think his sister will be tense being that it will be a new place for her.

I'll let you know how I go. I'll read the article a few more times first.