Bringing the hick into town

And the next thing is to get Max back into town so I can try to get some riding in. It looks as if I am expected to work this weekend (well, what's one more weekend worked?) so it might be Sunday before I do this.

So we are dosing him up with the marvellous Stressless as it has been some months since he's even been near a horse float. It's quite a trip into town from his "country retreat" - complete with rough roads, bridges, steep gorges and the possibility of stock on the road. Not quite the same as his usual travels around flat Hawkes Bay, so I hope he isn't going to be traumatised!

He was a bit of a pain to load up last time. He seemed to have lost all his manners and cool, confident knowledge of going in the float. It took the threat of someone else with the dressage whip before he surrendered and went in. So by the time we arrived at the other end, I handed his lead rope over and said "You sell him and you get half of the money." Naturally, I didn't mean it but honestly!!!!


Some of the best advice I got about getting a horse to go into a float was to make out that you had all day to do it. Often it's when you have time pressure on yourself that it all goes wrong. I tend to forget how sensitive horses are and how they can sense how I'm feeling even if I'm pretending everything is just fine. Even good old Penny, my sensible old mare could stick me up some days.

They are nothing if not great teachers!

See! We can go out and about!