Back to Vale Farm yesterday for our third visit. The next time we go it will be for the first of our courses but with 45 equines about the place, a zorse and a zonkey all set to arrive in November, we are not going to run out of horses, ponies, donkeys and things beginning with Z to work with for some time. The zeedonks were already quieter yesterday and much more curious and confident than the week before. We also began work with a cob called Blue who is headshy and difficult to catch. She lives in a huge field as a brood mare before moving to the farm and probably didn't need humans all that much or like them particularly. I started clicker training her. We are very much at the beginning with many of the animals but progress is already significant with Dot accepting touch on his right legs and ready to be touched with a hand next time. Students will experience a whole range of work without the animals being compromised and the emphasis will be on working steadily, eithically and gently.
