Now that Jester has gone home with his new treeless saddle (he really seems to like it) I've only got Piper and Petra in and the New Forest girls, Kanuthi and Pie out on the Forest. I'm just about to head off for Dartmoor, followed by Exmoor, to work with the untouched foals so no point in taking in any more horses for training at the moment. In the meantime I have been working with a variety of horses at their owner's yards. Last week I went out to a five month old riding pony foal and a yearling both of which were determined not to have a headcollar on. As both were unweaned, they had become adept at using their mothers as a barricade and blocking all attempts to get close to their heads. It really does show the importance of quietly getting a headcollar on in the early days as any attempt to get it on by chasing them or grabbing them convinces them that their survival is at stake and makes them even more determined to avoid it happening again. Hopefully, we can erase these early pictures by showing them having a headcollar on is really very ordinary and boring and no threat at all. Apart from the goat (which incidentally behaved very well) I have been to see a pony that has gone on strike about loading despite having a very posh horsebox to go in and a posh pony that is frightened of the sound of leaves! This week I have a wobbly warmblood, a nappy New Forest and a confident Kathy to go and see. Kathy is an amazing woman - she has children, goats, horses, chickens and life to cope with and does it all in PINK and with decent nails!! On Friday I'm running a clinic for two regular IHDG'ers - we're covering groundwork, long-reining, loading, bits and habituation. I shall be half dead on Friday night. At long last we have moved back into our own house - although we have no cooker, no kitchen and no carpets. I am woken up at 7.30 every morning by radio 1 and the builders and have to make important decisions about door furniture and reveals. I never knew what a reveal was until now. We are living on microwave meals and fish and chips and haven't seen a telly for weeks. Julie is off working in a commode shop until we start business together in the New Year. Luckily I have pinched her for the Exmoor fortnight and we shall live on fish and chips (oh, that will be novel) and watch horsey DVD's in the evening with a bottle of wine (each!).Johannes the goat turned out to be a lamb (sorry) to have his feet done.
