20th July, 2015 Painting the Town

A visit today by Banksy who is having a couple of introductory sessions before he comes in for a couple of weeks in August. I've always had a soft spot for Banksy who was bred by Suzanne Kempe and is by the gentle stallion Pondhead Panshine. Coincidentally I halter trained him during a Wild Pony Training Course that I ran for Suzanne and he is also a half brother to Kanuthi that I bred a few years ago. Indeed Liz bought him as a tribute to Kanuthi who unfortunately had to be put to sleep a couple of years ago following a very bad injury.

He's a handsome lad with a wonderful temperament. He has a little problem with his ears which have aural plaques and make him very sensitive to touch. Gently rotating the ear as if undoing it and then screwing it on again can help.

And there is a useful Shiatsu technique which most horses find pleasant. This involves pinching very gently down the outside edge of the ear, as if crimping pastry.

I did some desensitisation work with the feather duster and the carrier bags which he accepted very easily.

He walked over the tarpaulin very quickly and was willing to stand on it...

...and he seemed to love the extra height that the bridge gave him.

Liz brought her yummy husband, Maurice, with her too. He's a great hugger!