After a frantic week working with three horses in parallel, it was great to get back to a couple of wild ponies once again. The first, an 11 month old filly bought from Beaulieu Road Sales has been eluding her owner for some time and has a mighty kick up her sleeve. The second, a six week old colt that lost his mother in a road accident last week, was already dictating who could and couldn't come into his stable. Both were actually very desperate for close contact and once they realised they weren't going to be eaten, they cuddled up for more. Both owners were able to get their headcollars on and off before I left and I am waiting to hear how they got on this afternoon. It just goes to show though that even New Forest ponies are not straightforward to handle and can soon become a problem if they are not handled quietly and regularly from the outset. If horse-loving equalled horse-whispering there would be no problem ponies at all. Unfortunately, love, sympathy and empathy are not sufficient on their own but they certainly help. Incidentally no one stopped to report that they had killed a New Forest pony outright and left her foal standing next to her trying to suckle. No-one knows how long he had been waiting for her to get up again.Freddie the orphan foal (sire: Portmore Pickle)(photo added 20.7.07)
