Disgusted of Fritham this morning to find all of this industrial cabling and other materials dumped on the open Forest. The Forestry Commission have been informed and will no doubt foot the bill for collecting it but it makes me livid.
Henry is very close to wearing her first proper headcollar. I have tacked some spare scarf onto the crown piece and am practising taking the headcollar up her face. She now gives to the slight resistance of the long grey scarf which is an enormous breakthrough.
Young gypsy cob, Chaplin, can certainly throw some comic moves and engage in nonsense when he is being led by his owner. His behaviour, challenging as it is, is perfectly understandable. He was weaned by his original breeders at just three months old and was then kept alone save for some sheep for over a year. He was half starved when he arrived with his current owner, Vicky, and full of worms and unbalanced enzymes. Although he now lives beside lots of other horses, he is in an individual paddock so that whilst he can touch them he cannot play, socialise, or synchronise with them. Accordingly he doesn't really know whether Vicky is friend or foe, girlfriend or mother, and his confusion and frustration is plain to see. This doesn't take away from the fact that Vicky has brought him back from the brink health-wise; he was so weak that he could hardly walk when she got him.
We worked on answering all of his questions in a fair way so that we were consistent and clear. In an ideal world I would want to see this pony in with other horses so that he can use up all of his energy and engage in natural behaviours. Then he wouldn't see his owner as the entertainment committee and there would be less risk of him being punished just for being fed up.
Back in the field he definitely had the last word!
"Thank you so much for this Sarah; I learnt so much today. It also clarified a lot on the thoughts I had about Chaplin." VEO
