4th June, 2008 Horseworld Training

I have just returned from two days training staff from the welfare, husbandry and training teams at Horseworld. It's brilliant working with people who really care about the horses they are employed to look after and are just so interested in the nuts and bolts of horsemanship; oblivious to thing like tea breaks, people even came on their days off. Of course there is a huge selection of horses to work with, each one with a story and something to teach us. Little Oddbod, a 16 month coloured colt with a deformed back, has started to love people. He has been checked out to make sure he isn't in any pain and over two sessions we taught him how to lead confidentally and began to pick up his feet. He must think he has landed in Heaven. We had three relatively untouched ponies to work with, Errol, Bella and Alice and then a pushy pony called Burdock who relented straight away and provided a useful backrest when I sat on the floor talking to the students. Butter wouldn't have melted and I know the staff were willing him to be awkward!