He wasn't so happy about being mounted though and we now have that old conundrum of past pain, present pain, past fear, present fear? So often with horses their physical and mental responses get intertwined so that they can feel a whole bunch of emotions and sensations at the same time and learn to associate them with each other. The good news is that he held it together and each time he was sat on he calmed right down and didn't leave. We're going to need to read him so carefully over the next few sessions and assess what he's trying to tell us - providing we are listening I think he will try to work with us as he has done every step of the way so far.
Meanwhile we are introducing him to the concept of a 'stop box', a place to stop, think and be calm. No fourth side to this one as we didn't want him to have to step over anything in order to go into the box just yet.
I inadvertently turned my New Forest mares out without their reflective collars after the Horse's Ear course on Tuesday. I have been looking for them ever since. Today was the first opportunity I've had to go further afield, or should that be aforest, on the horses to track them down.
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| Naked wild ponies |
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| New collars on |
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| Watching the ducks getting fed on the way home |
You'll recall that I worked with a pony called Evita on Tuesday. Her owner has sent me the sales catalogue details from when this pony was first sold as a three year old in Holland. She fetched a sum in five figures.
