It had all been going so well with Donut who seemed to be enjoying all of his walks over the weeks and coping well with the traffic and animals that we meet. That is until one of the donkeys, that he has met on two occasions already, started to bray just as we went by. Donut was astonished and even though we spent time just standing close to them on their own drive, when we came to leave he was still full of energy and fear. He set his neck and pulled his owner over before pulling away from her. Poor Wendy, who has changed beyond recognition in her confidence and technique, has now broken her wrist, a set back she could have done without. In all of the years that I have been working with horses, this is the first serious injury that a client has sustained.
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| Waiting quietly in the yard |
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| Meeting the barky dogs |
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| Donkeys' field on the way up |
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| Big dogs on the way back |
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| What the hell was that noise? |
Meanwhile, Melissa has been working meticulously with Leo since I saw her at the end of last year. As a result her extremely nervous pony is much more confident than he was and is now able to be touched everywhere with a purple plastic bag. He can also be long-reined too, something which sent him into an absolute panic when it was tried before. She has been leaning over him in the hope that she will, eventually, be able to ride him. Only time (and technique and patience) will tell. Clicker training has made an incredible difference to this pony.
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| Leo was no fan of the Colour Purple. His alert expression is mainly caused by listening for his clicks... |
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| Bag thrown on the floor, click, click, click, treat. |
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| Long reining... |
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| ...through obstacles. |
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| Leaning over - from both sides. |
