Always a pleasure to be asked to help someone get it right first time and Chantal called me within two days of getting her new foal, Nina. Nina is a British Riding Pony and will be like a petite Thoroughbred when she grows up. Chantal is a very petite adult so that will work out perfectly. She's also brilliant a copying technique and has great timing.
We worked on some simple and mild groundwork today and there were some key points for anyone with a foal like this:
1. Don't be tempted to play with a foal, they're a young horse and not a toy;
2. Don't teach anything, inadvertently or not, that you don't want the foal to do once they've grown up;
3. Keep things interesting by changing the subject fairly often during a session - everything is then a holiday from the holiday;
4. Allow your foal to be a horse by being out with others, preferably other youngsters;
5. Don't treat a British Riding Pony, or any breed of horse, as if they are meant to be flighty or are made of china.
American Miniature Horse, Pumba, had a snooze while this was all going on.Thankyou so much for your help. You have definately made me feel more confident in handling her the right way.I will keep practicing and look forward to seeing you again soon." CG
