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| Charlie, the Collie coloured pony, lives with four sheep |
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| Available on www.logicalhorsemanship.co.uk, NFED or Amazon |
It's getting to the time of year when people are thinking about halter training their foals and making sure they are ready to be microchipped. The requirement to microchip ponies could cause another welfare issue for ponies if it means that headcollars are forced on and foals forcibly restrained. Much better to get the halter work done quietly and nicely and to teach a foal how to stand, or to gently hold them with a figure of eight arrangement. I'll let you know how I get on with Peechay when his turn comes.
Charlie is a two year old Shetland colt that has lived out with his mother until very recently. His headcollar was put on in the trailer as he arrived and at some stage he has had his feet trimmed. He also managed to get out of the field and was manhandled back in again. My friends Katie and Andy called me in having done some initial work with a hand on a stick and I carried on with this today. By the end of the session he was accepting touch from the back to the front, under his neck and chin. He had also accepted the scarf around his neck and was starting to come towards a very gentle pressure. Back again on Thursday for another session.
