15th May, 2012 Horsesterity measures

HorseWorld is full thanks to the over-breeding and neglect of so many horses. Many of them need medical care and rehabilitation when they arrive and this is followed up months of training. As the IH Charity of the Year we have been able to arrange for an IHRA to go down once a month to work with the horses and the staff. Today it was the turn of myself and fellow RA Sandra Williams.

Sandra worked with Cherie first of all. The really great news is that Cherie and another companion pony will be going to live with my friend Lindy who was one of the students on the first Hands on Horsemanship course.

In the meantime my students and I worked with a mare and foal. The mare is semi-feral and pretty worried about human company whereas her foal, having been handled from day one, is relaxed and curious around them. We were able to introduce her to pleasant touch and later began to use clicker training to start introducing the head-collar. We taught the foal to lead with a soft scarf.

Loaner Kate and member of staff Charlotte also worked with Indiana, another semi-feral pony. Indiana doesn't like the sound of the buckles on the head-collar and so they worked with a bell-on-a-furry stick to help him get over that.

My group finished with leg handling for Poppy, an ex-traveller mare who came in in very poor condition a few months ago. Her foal, born on 15th April, is looking very sturdy and he is a friendly chap too.