Today we had a day trip to Larkin's Yard about 1 1/2 hours away from home to work with two Welsh Section D yearlings although both are actually still under a year old.
Welsh cob foal Aero was diverted from the meatman along with his friend Dylan. He had lived in a big barn with several other youngsters all of which were covered in their own faeces and urine. As a result he has several bald patches in his fur where the acid has burned into his skin. He was also terrified of people.
Although his owner managed to get a headcollar on to him while he was eating from the bucket he has been very reluctant to have his head touched ever since partly because there is a 'tag' attached to the headcollar which flaps around his face when he moves his head and also snatches at his head when he stands on the end of it. Fortunately he will touch and take treats from the hand.
Unfortunately he wouldn't let anyone touch him anywhere else either. Tempting as it might be to think that he would eventually come round on his own, I really don't think that would be the case - after all it is much easier to avoid people. More pressingly he needs his headcollar off again as his head is growing and he also needs to be microchipped. Eventually he will also need his feet trimmed and to be gelded.
It was too dangerous to get close to him as he has a mighty kick and a long reach. At first he wouldn't entertain the thought of the feather duster going anywhere near him at all (here I'm lifting it up out of his way as he turns).
Soon however he was tolerating it near him and then touching him and rubbing him. Once firm rythmical touch was established he was much more relaxed.
We were able to progress over time from base camp 1 at his hindquarters to base camp 2 at the withers...
...and during a later session all the way up to his ears. You can see the bald patch around his eye.
After this he became relaxed enough to combine touch with the feather dusters (scarf wrapped around) with clickered rewards.
You can see that up until now he has only been prepared to present his left hand side...
...but by the end he was ready to offer the right hand side too.
Between sessions with Aero and his owner, I worked with Dylan. Although his experience of life has been the same as Aero's his temperament and therefore his yeses and noes are different. In his case his owner admitted that she had to force a headcollar on to him so that he could be wormed. He wouldn't take hard feed so the wormer could not be hidden in his food. He too had a tag on his headcollar but it was stiffer and shorter so although he would tread on it as he moved forward, it wouldn't flap around his face in the same way.
Although he is still wary of having his face touched, he is happy to be touched, rubbed and scratched, elsewhere. He was soon offering his right hand side and I helped him to get rid of the rain scald infected scabs on his back (which were already very loose).
I began to put the scarf over him so that his owner can go over the work she could have done before the headcollar on and hopefully show him that it can actually be nice to have your face touched and enclosed.
It's all about seducing his head. Here I am massaging the root of his forelock which most horses seem to really like.
He learned to pick up his feet really easily.
Now that both owners have two angles from which to approach their ponies, I have every confidence that they will succeed in taming them. Both have just the right attitude to their ponies and great timing and body language.
"Fabulous day and thank you so much. When we let them out they didn't shoot off they walked about two metres Aero started grazing and Dylan went to Vicky for rubs! She did his neck back and bottom. Aero then came to me for treats. Later we fed them and aero was not doing his usual neck stretching to me he was right next to me eating from my hand. I was able to undo the clip using the click treat method so no more nasty rope. Also able to rub right side of his head and touch the buckle so will work on getting that undone once he is more chilled and perhaps with the help of a distracting scarf. Will be reading your book and buying a feather duster and scarf tomorrow. Can't tell you how pleased myself and Vicky are with how much you achieved today and with the tips you have given us! The difference in both of them not only during your session but after is amazing. Whilst they may have forgotten by tomorrow I hope we both now have a way to get back to what was achieved today and further as the days go by. Huge thank you from both of us" KF
The foals shortly after they arrived with Katy and Vicky.
