This morning Jenny, Nikki and I went to work with Beau to assess whether he is ready for starting. This four year old pony with a solid temperament is a New Forest cob cross bred by the Stride's at Minstead. His owners bought him at six months and he has been treated with nothing but kindness. As I anticipated, he required very little groundwork and he is fine with new and novel objects; indeed he is curious about everything and particularly liked following the umbrella. He was relaxed about the long reins and finally accepted Jenny leaning over his back with no problems whatsoever. We are looking forward to starting him either at his own home or at ours depending on what his owners decide to do.
