A thoroughly New Forest day today. Jasper and his current girlfriends were outside the field when we arrived. We loaded all of the round pen panels on to my trailer in order to go to our next appointment at Roundhills Camp Site. As we were early we stopped to admire this little filly. Hopefully she will spend her entire life out on the Forest.
At Caroline's we wondered if Zee and Tigerlily knew that something was afoot. Today was the big day when they were leaving their field of twelve years and moving closer to her house.
Tigerlily has only travelled once since she arrived at her current field and that was to the vets. Caroline is determined to do everything by consent with her horses but with no access to a vehicle in which to practise, it was just a step too far for Lily to allow herself to be closed into the horsebox using only clicker training today.
With the panels positioned around her, she went in after just a few minutes and we were able to close her in with the partition and the ramp. While Tigerlily was en route, Tracey and I carefully enclosed Zeebee just outside the field ready for the return of the box. Zeebee is just beyond semi-feral so although he will wear a headcollar, he doesn't respond well to being led.
Within the confines of the panels he could explore the horsebox at will and once he was relaxed I was able to gently close him in with the outer partition and close the ramp. Just because something isn't absolutely ideal doesn't mean it has to be an absolute ordeal.
Settling in at their new fields. Headcollars are now off...
"I feel like I have fallen into a different reality - one where TigerLily and Zeebee are miraculously present in the field next to my house. I haven't been able to stop looking out of the window for more than a minute so far. Sarah Weston did a fabulous job and both were loaded and travelled without any force, stress of arguments. Zeebee was the surprise star of the day." CW
A slightly windswept Blue on my way home.
And two girls we haven't seen for a little while. Tilly and Tasha enjoying a ride out on the Downs.
