21st June, 2010 Writer's block

I have found it hard to write anything for the past few days because I have felt quite down. I am haunted by the story of a pony that I heard at the weekend and yet I can't give you any details. I can only only reiterate that Join-Up is not appropriate for semi-feral ponies (and would not be what Monty Roberts would do with them either) and that if you act like a predator the pony will act like prey. It is vital to establish touch before asking the pony to accept a headcollar, particularly if one has been forced on it before. It is the violation of the head that messes up the minds of these ponies - sometimes permanently. In this particular case it is all too late, the pony has been destroyed because he wouldn't Join-Up, could only be handled in a cattle race and his feet had grown too long.