Snake Pass

What I like about clicker training, is that it is possible to take a circuitous route which avoids the horse's original reaction to the stimulus. Nevertheless, it's a fine line to tread, knowing which direction to take next - introduce a longer piece of hosepipe, lay it on the floor, touch the horse with it or wiggle it on the ground, let the horse touch it on her own, change the colour, introduce water, and so on. All the time, we are trying to build up so slowly that we don't trigger a strong reaction.

Yesterday, we made four changes - Claire took over from me, we rewarded Kalina with cleavers rather than grass, we slightly increased the length of the hose pipe, went back to a shorter length and repeated all of the work on Kalina's left hand side. There was the occasional slight snort but nothing more and at times she came forward to touch and mouth the hose. All a far cry from her extreme reaction to a moving hose pipe, when she crouched and shook, and tried to breast the bars of the pen in the yard, and her subsequent reactions to anyone trying to bath her. Claire, who spends most of the summer showing her heavy horses has had to take Kalina out of the team.

Asked whether Kalina is generally nervous, Claire explained that at the Yorkshire Show the heavy horses were stabled in the Heavy Horse Village which was reached through a passageway between massive farm machinery and fluttering banners and flags; Kalina didn't turn a hair. 

The whole session was uneventful and afterwards Claire's daughter wanted to practise too. Ordinarily these horses NEVER receive hand treats because they are petted by all kinds of people, young and old, at the shows that they go to. 

I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes

Just like her owner, Kalina has an innate fear of snakes: any sensible horse would have. Unfortunately, a little while ago she was badly shaken up by the hosepipe moving about under the pressure of water and now needs some reassurance that it will not bite her. 

I have worked with Claire a number of times and she is always prepared to take things slowly, so today we introduced Kalina to clicker training and a very small 'snake'; only one problem, she doesn't really like or understand about food from the hand. We packed away all the herbal treats, carrots, and cubes of bread as they were not to her taste and instead presented her with tiny bouquets of clover and grass. Soon she was moving about, backwards and forwards for treats, politely listening for the clicks and waiting until the treat was offered.

 To make them last longer I held the grass tightly so that she had to break it off. 

Next, I introduced a short length of hosepipe that was a mere 12" long to which she had no reaction at all. She was prepared to touch it and happy to let me touch her with it. She reacted to the longer section, about a yard long, by snorting at it and taking a couple of steps back, but in time she was prepared to stand and look at it more closely, even when Rowena, Claire's Mum, was making it wiggle on the ground. As you can see in the picture, she still has a 'running foot', left hind, but she has her head lowered and she is looking at it with both eyes. After this we were happy - okay, I was extremely happy - to lead her out to the fields with her companion Karioka. Tomorrow, I shall not be so selfish and I will let Claire carry on the good work. 

Camel Craziness

With a sense of adventure, David and I went up to Birmingham at the beginning of the week, to attend a talk by Christina Adams, author of Camel Crazy. She is a hero of mine in the camel world and I couldn't wait to get there to hear her talking about camel milk and camels in general. 

The talk itself was in the Muslim Student and Community Centre, right next door to the flat we stayed in overnight. We were made very welcome by everyone there and it was great to meet so many people from diverse cultures. Christina herself is an American lady who was on a quest to find something, anything, that would help her son's severe autism. She is absolutely convinced that camel milk made an enormous difference to his life. 

I eventually got to talk to her directly, and she had that sparkle in her eye that comes when two camel people meet each other and know just how it feels to get into the soul of a camel. I told her about Tulip and Shilingi, and the Loisaba Conservancy. Of course I asked her to sign my book too. 

She told me I wasn't weird, just early, with my view about the value of camels, but the fact is we are all too late since these animals have sustained nomadic pastoralists for years and in times of climate change and drought they will become more and more essential. 

Anyone wanting to source camel milk, can contact The Hump Group who have a Facebook page.

Making Strides

 

Last Sunday, my young Kenyan friend, G, had his first formal (and surprise) riding lesson at Arniss on the New Forest. So many forms to fill in these days and it wasn't easy for his Mum to explain to him why he suddenly needed to be measured and weighed on a Friday night. Fifty years ago I was chucked out of the car door at Sylvia's riding school, made to brush and muck out all day before being treated to a ride on a pony on its way back out to the fields. Still, much better to have a proper record of clients, how heavy they are, and what progress they have made. 

G worked up to his first trot and Harry, the pony, was very benevolent towards him. G had great posture and didn't hang on to the pony's mouth. 

Lessons, sadly but understandably, are very expensive these days and this was more of a taster session than the promise of further lessons. My horses are all adamant that they have retired and I respect that.

Driving Rain

Photograph with the permission of: Graham Wiffen Photography

Last weekend was fun in the rain. On Saturday my friend Wendy and I went to watch the first day of the New Forest Concours International d'Attelage at the New Forest show ground. I have known for a long time that driving people are the nicest horse people around and we were made very welcome at this event, people telling us about their horses and ponies, and the history of their vehicles. Everyone was beautifully turned out - sadly underneath their long Mackintoshes. 

Photo permission granted by Graham Wiffen Photography

Our particular favourites were the two Highland Friesian crosses who were bred,it turns out, by Ruaridh Ormiston (see earlier holiday in Scotland). They were a beautiful match and had great temperaments although it was noticeable that all the horses, including the lofty KPWN gelderlanders who were happily snoozing in their stables before dancing their away across the show ring lawns.

Photograph by permission: Graham Wiffen Photography

According to AIAT-GB, the Concours International d'Attelage de Tradition competition format was developed around 30 years ago in order to regenerate interest in traditional driving. 

Two Welsh Section C's and the eventual winners.
Photography by permission: Graham Wiffen Photography

On course, the horses - at a time when they were raring to go - had to stand still long enough for the driver to pick up and then deliver safely a glass of champagne, and soon to go past someone noisily banging on a drum. After other obstacles, they set out - in the by now pouring rain - to drive around a circuit on the Forest (at least there would be no crab flies!). 

Love the One You're With

One amazing survival instinct of horses is their ability to love the one they're with - after all, your life may depend on them.

Fleur, who lost he soul mate last year and was pretty poorly herself took a little while to accept her new companion, Pickle, considering her to be a poor replica of her erstwhile friend. Not only was she a silly roan colour, she was young and frivolous too. However, Pickle knew how to be tactful and persistent and now look...

Even though they have two stables available, they have moved in together.

Meanwhile, Prince has a new best friend too. The two of them practically fell into each other's arms although Prince has to stand on his tiptoes to reach.

What makes you smile like you are trying to swallow a coathanger?

 

At least one third of my heart is always in Kenya and I miss seeing my lovely camels and the kind team that looks after the milking herd. Today I needed a camel fix, and they kindly obliged with this gorgeous picture. Tulip in the middle, Kukuman behind the camera, and from the left Ekomwa, Dayow, Mohammed and Nurr.