3rd July, 2015 Catherine, The Great

Up at 5 this morning to go and check on Henrietta who was just fine. Having finished tidying the fields I thought I would just lie on the horse seesaw for a minute or two and fell asleep for an hour and half! Was woken by one of the builders turning up.

So what is she meant to be exactly?

Pilates Henrietta style

Off to work and it's been a while since we saw Catherine. Her training programme was interrupted when Ruby succumbed to a virus and a mouth infection caused by sharp teeth (her previous trainer assured her that Ruby had been seen by a dentist whilst at their training yard). Since then Catherine has resolved to do as much as she can herself and that resolve has paid real dividends in terms of clarity and consistency. The relationship between her and Ruby is much stronger than it was before. I am so impressed with what she has achieved.

Having had her saddle re-fitted last week it was time for her to get on board and to work on some relaxation and calming techniques from the saddle.

"Many thanks for all your help and wise support today I really enjoyed my time with you." CG

Next stop was to see Sarah who has been working with her friend's pony Dylan. Dylan is a Welsh Section A. Now six, Dylan has been through a few homes, and now needs some consistency in his life. Sarah and I worked on asking him not only to stand still but to give his attention when doing it.

We also went through the desensitisation exercises which he accepted pretty easily.

It was another hot day so Grace and I sat in the shade waiting for her parents to pick her up on this last day of her work experience. She's been good company and enjoyed being around the horses.

"Thank you for a great week of work expereince. I've loved watching you work with horses and I've had a really great time." G

And, at the end of the day, the concreting was all done - glad that wasn't my job!