Canada’s new playball

Hi again! Canada spends long hours inside his stall and turning in circles has become a well-established habit. On the other hand, for a long time now, stable toys have been on my equestrian shopping list. So, I asked Yannis to order for Canada a play ball from his supplier.

A play ball is hard to find in Greece, as I concluded; it took the supplier two months to receive it from the manufacturer. One evening last December, Yannis told me that the toy was waiting for me at the yard.  It’s a red, rubber ball and with a big handle. It’s part of Tattini’s budget line, Daslo, and it would cost me 25 euros. Or, at least, this is the information that the package provided me with. After a search on the web, I found that this same ball is sold under a number of brands. This one on Amazon, for example.

Anyway, before we set off to this year’s first lesson, Yannis and Ali took a rope and hanged the ball at the front of the stall. Once the toy was in its place, Canada got scared and hid in a corner. He looked at it with fear and wouldn’t dare to come out. It’s a result that I didn’t want, so I began to play with the ball, using my head and saying comforting words. Canada came out and used his head to pry the ball, keeping his ears stretched forward. I kept glancing at Canada while I was preparing for the lesson with Bebis. Gradually, my horse seemed to get used to his new toy.

One month after this add, the spinning has decreased dramatically; Canada would do only one or two circles and then stop when he notices the ball. For Yannis, this is the anticipated final result. Personally, I look forward to the day when Canada will actually play with the ball!