So, who would ever have imagined that Jack would eventually be calm enough to have his teeth done? I am so so proud of him. Considering that he has never had them treated in 13 years, they weren't too bad but they are certainly all smooth and beautiful now.
Flicka and Oliver went out long reining on the Forest for the first time today. Inevitably there was the odd wiggle and question. There are three important things to think about here. Horses do not naturally go in straight lines – they meander so that they can check for predators and other dangers. For this reason they are always more cautious about thresholds – gateways and pinch points - and may lose confidence here. Also they have a keen sense of where home is and the most logical route to get there. Accordingly they may question whether they have to turn away from home, they may meander and they may pause at thresholds. How we answer those questions is really important- if we treat them as being naughty for such natural behaviour and punish them for it, we build up a fear of asking questions. It is better to answer them calmly and consistently and, if necessary, to “pick up the stitch” by sending another person forward to help them to go forward themselves.
Oliver also did a first class job of going through the L-shaped poles in preparation for loading training tomorrow. Unfortunately he then said an absolute no to having his teeth done so some more work there then.
