Kallibear
Well-Known Member
Toby has found his job in life - as a flag horse. 
Well, that's not entirely true - he hated the majority of it, but he was very well behaved and tried so hard.
I'm this years Ensign for the Currie Common Ride, which went ahead on Saturday.
Sadly due to strangles in the area we decided it was safest to postpone the proper ride (100+ outside horses coming into the area isn't a good idea) so just my horse and my friends horse were going to do the much shortened ride and the local school kids were invited to walk along with us on foot.
Toby is a right Drama Queen and what I'd class a as a 'sensitive soul' but we'd spent weeks practising with the flag, and he did the full ride last year and was really good. My friends young TB has never done a Common ride before but is so laid back and sensible (he's Toby's security blanket when out hacking and scary things happen) we thought he's be fine.
Apparently not - silly TB was totally overexcitted and when the pipe band joined us he started to show off his rather impressive rearing and bunny hopping skills.
Poor Toby - he wasn't that bothered by the crowds, flags or even the pipeband - but his Bestest Friend Archie having a paddy fit stressed him out no end.
We set off, in the hope that moving would calm Archie down (standing still is not a forte of his) but he just got progressively worse, bouncing down the road sideways and terrifiying poor Toby further.
So the naughty boy was sent home in disgrace and Toby carried on by himself.
What a superstar. He was so so brave . His best friend had left him with a big scary crowd, a loud pipeband and lots of flapping flags and he soldiered on, depsite trembling so hard he could bearly walk but doing as he was asked.
Our biggest problem initially was walking slowly enough for the kids to keep up - he wanted to powerwalk to walk the stress off but couldn't, so instead we did the first quarter mile backwards, facing the the crowd. Literally. His rein back is AMAZING. !
We then reached the trot stretch, where we left the walkers and trotted on to dip the flag at the boundries before coming back to join them.
The fast trot (he's have given a Stardbred a run for their money!) helped calm him down and he did the rest like a super star, still obviously very stressed but slowly relaxing. By the end he had almost started to enjoy himself.
Such a shame Archie couldn't cope with it all. He is so so good normally. Unfortunaly his behaviour just totally freaked Toby out - if we'd gone just by ourselves I suspect Toby would have been calm from the beginning.
The 'proper ride' will be sometime in August so we've got plenty of other rides to go to get more pratise and by then he'll be a seasoned Common Riding Horse
Of course we got lots of pictures:
Getting ready:
Walking about waiting to go, since Archie was having difficulties keeping all 4 feet on the ground when standing still:
Having an itch
Last years ensign leading the 'ride' in (sans horse)
Us following
Getting back on after the speakes:
Getting sorted with knots in the reins - It's hard to steer with just one hand!
All ready to go
Setting off, just before Archie was sent home in disgrace:
Later in the ride, one very stressed horse all on his own, but calming down
'Don't want to talk to her'
Going to dip the flag and the boundry
Quick pose:
one the way home, much more relaxed
The very end, at the all important pub. Steering went to pot a little as home was just further along the road and Toby had definite ideas in that direction:
and my favorite photo - such a shape it's not sharp
My friend brought her proffesional camera so hopefully she'll have got some better ones - the girl taking those show that even a decent expensive camera (which mine is) is no guarentee against rubbish photo taking
Well, that's not entirely true - he hated the majority of it, but he was very well behaved and tried so hard.I'm this years Ensign for the Currie Common Ride, which went ahead on Saturday.
Sadly due to strangles in the area we decided it was safest to postpone the proper ride (100+ outside horses coming into the area isn't a good idea) so just my horse and my friends horse were going to do the much shortened ride and the local school kids were invited to walk along with us on foot.
Toby is a right Drama Queen and what I'd class a as a 'sensitive soul' but we'd spent weeks practising with the flag, and he did the full ride last year and was really good. My friends young TB has never done a Common ride before but is so laid back and sensible (he's Toby's security blanket when out hacking and scary things happen) we thought he's be fine.
Apparently not - silly TB was totally overexcitted and when the pipe band joined us he started to show off his rather impressive rearing and bunny hopping skills.
Poor Toby - he wasn't that bothered by the crowds, flags or even the pipeband - but his Bestest Friend Archie having a paddy fit stressed him out no end.We set off, in the hope that moving would calm Archie down (standing still is not a forte of his) but he just got progressively worse, bouncing down the road sideways and terrifiying poor Toby further.
So the naughty boy was sent home in disgrace and Toby carried on by himself.
What a superstar
. He was so so brave . His best friend had left him with a big scary crowd, a loud pipeband and lots of flapping flags and he soldiered on, depsite trembling so hard he could bearly walk but doing as he was asked.Our biggest problem initially was walking slowly enough for the kids to keep up - he wanted to powerwalk to walk the stress off but couldn't, so instead we did the first quarter mile backwards, facing the the crowd. Literally. His rein back is AMAZING.
!We then reached the trot stretch, where we left the walkers and trotted on to dip the flag at the boundries before coming back to join them.
The fast trot (he's have given a Stardbred a run for their money!) helped calm him down and he did the rest like a super star, still obviously very stressed but slowly relaxing. By the end he had almost started to enjoy himself.
Such a shame Archie couldn't cope with it all. He is so so good normally. Unfortunaly his behaviour just totally freaked Toby out - if we'd gone just by ourselves I suspect Toby would have been calm from the beginning.
The 'proper ride' will be sometime in August so we've got plenty of other rides to go to get more pratise and by then he'll be a seasoned Common Riding Horse
Of course we got lots of pictures:
Getting ready:
Walking about waiting to go, since Archie was having difficulties keeping all 4 feet on the ground when standing still:
Having an itch
Last years ensign leading the 'ride' in (sans horse)
Us following
Getting back on after the speakes:
Getting sorted with knots in the reins - It's hard to steer with just one hand!
All ready to go
Setting off, just before Archie was sent home in disgrace:
Later in the ride, one very stressed horse all on his own, but calming down
'Don't want to talk to her'
Going to dip the flag and the boundry
Quick pose:
one the way home, much more relaxed
The very end, at the all important pub. Steering went to pot a little as home was just further along the road and Toby had definite ideas in that direction:
and my favorite photo - such a shape it's not sharp
My friend brought her proffesional camera so hopefully she'll have got some better ones - the girl taking those show that even a decent expensive camera (which mine is) is no guarentee against rubbish photo taking
