We had another ceremony early this morning and I decided to introduce Duke to Brown Parade Field. However, since I haven't been able to accomplish much with his gun training, I unloaded all the cartridges from my pistol so I wouldn't be tempted to fire during the charge. It is almost impossible to resist the impulse when galloping up the field.
Duke, although much more nervous than Apache, was able to stand in formation a little better. He still has trouble with the saber and the guidon and tries to back away from them whenever they appear next to him. After a while he got used to them but I spent a good deal of time getting a leg workout as I spurred him back into position.
We did a pass in review in front of the crowd which got a little interesting. The first problem we encountered was when the marching band approached us just as we started our column movement. The lead horse, Kidd jumped first and Duke soon followed but both managed to get back into formation. Everything went fine for Duke until we passed in front of the reviewing stand. The crowd began applauding, a noise that Duke has apparently never heard before. He simple disappeared from the column in the blink of an eye. I got him to go back in but it was kind of embarrassing.
The next ordeal was the charge. As we formed up into the skirmish line Duke became very nervous. As we began the charge he began to gallop at pretty good speed and was able to stay up with the other horses. However, he was so nervous that I could feel him shaking as he ran. Then the pistols and cannon went off. I was glad I unloaded my pistol as he was clearly not ready for the noise. I felt him shudder as the guy next to me fired his pistol. We finished the charge in fairly good order and Duke quickly recovered from his fright. I think I will do one more charge without firing and then use 1/3 loads for his first exposure to the pistol.
Duke did okay for his first event and was actually easier to handle than the Wonder Horse. It was the difference between riding a frightened horse versus riding an angry horse. Someday, though, I'd like to ride a normal horse but that's probably not in the cards.
Regarding the Guidon, have you tried hanging an old flag at his stable dooor? So it flaps about? I know you probably have, but it worked for me, when I was required to carry a large flag for long periods.
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