What a Nana!

I got myself very confused yesterday. I have been expecting the arrival of a dark bay colt, Mulibwanji, a pony who I took a headcollar off last year. He is due to be removed from the Forest because he is reaching the age of twenty-two months and is still entire. He is coming to me, possibly with his Mother, for a temporary stay before going off to his new home - all being well.

Arriving at the fields, I saw a young bay colt in my neighbour's field and thought "Oh heck, the pony - apparently without his mother - has been put in the wrong field." I made enquiries in every direction to try to find out what had happened, where his mother was, and considered how I would move him across through my fields without him encountering any of my horses, particularly my mares. Phoning the Verderers and then Mulibwanji's owner, it became apparent that it shouldn't be him. Was I going mad? 

The pony was quite anxious and clearly wild, should I let him out on the Forest? Eventually it became apparent that this doppelganger had in fact come though the electric fence from the far side, leaving behind his estwhile companions. 

I saw Mulibwanji by the roadside this morning. He has been missed on all of the Drifts. Hopefully his owner, with the help of Agisters, will be able to get him in very soon. 

Horse Groundhog Day

 

It was certainly more interesting when my Forest ponies were out on the Forest or up at the Reserve in Hook. Still, it is easier to be able to keep a daily check on them, assess their condition, and react when needed. Theoden is the only one that is showing a rib and so he has started on a winter feed with some supplements for his joints and his soles. Everyone else is eating grass and being passified with last year's hay until they too begin to drop some weight. I am particularly pleased with Jack whose body is reacting well to the Prascend. 

Meanwhile, our work continues with bonfires to clear the excess brambles before we can put up the new post and rail fence. 

We have a broken land drain, so the next bonfire site is sitting on a stream of water! 

Gold Medals

Prince has won two gold medals this week with his favourite person, Ruth. Not only is he allowing her to put his headcollar on in what I would consider to be a normal way, but last night he allowed a vet to inject him and take blood samples after what is hoped was only a mild bout of colic. Ruth admits that the clicker training descended into outright bribery but who cares in those circumstances. This is a pony that wouldn't let a stranger anywhere near him only a few months ago. Kudos to the vet too for understanding the meaning of the words semi-feral. 

Reassurance

 Every morning, my friend Nathalie checks that all of my horses are upright. It's so reassuring. 

The Pointy End of Climate Change

Jamie, the orphaned lesser kudu came to visit Frezy and Patrick at Cheli House today in order to mow the lawn. Following a four-year drought, the rainy season seems to have settled in and the grass and trees are turning green. However, some areas in the North, Isiola and Garissa for example, have flooded leaving thousands of families homeless. 

Being Prepared

Yesterday I was invited to give advice about the best set up for a young, recently weaned semi-feral foal that had been bought through the Beaulieu Road on-line sale. I always feel it is best to put young horses in a safe situation with a kind companion to begin with and then to establish some sort of connection with the before even beginning to think about a headcollar. Ideally this would include access to a field - certainly after a few days - the foal following in one or more horses for a feed. The rush to shove a headcollar on can be counter-productive but also, not working with the foal, especially if it already has a headcollar forced on it on, can lead to it's own problems. 

This foal, who will be called Dakota, has a lovely home to go to with very knowledgeable people. I'm pleased that they have got a copy of my book. 

Undoing The Laceys

Yesterday I went on a special visit to see a beautiful section B filly called Lacey. A well-bred, pretty girl with dark, dark eyes and the bottom of a sturdy milk maid, she was struggling to be handled. It is a pity that all the necessary but negative procedures that have to be done with young sensitive ponies serve to undermine the postive association they have with people - microchipping, worming, so-called halter training, vettings, worming and so forth. After her last worming by syringe, Lacey had decided that headcollars, which were already an issue, were now an absolute no.

Tempting as it was, to concentrate on the headcollar itself, I was keen to find out how deep Lacey's foundations went, and it turned out that although her new owner had been able to hold her head at one time, Lacey was not keen on being touched anywhere else and shielded her right hand side from any touch at all. I felt that it was necessary to go back right back to the beginning and to build and underpin those foundations. 

Seemingly boring, I went back to the very basics with the feather duster, moving from the end of her nose with which she like to control everything, to base camp one at her bottom and then base camp two at her withers. Them, for the first time, I started to rub, not scratch her bottom, with my hand and she started, tentatively, to enjoy it. The signs, albeit small, included relaxing her jaw, pushing into my hand, and looking for me whenever I walked away.

After a break, during which I was able to admire her owner's other beautiful horses, I set Jenny off repeating all of the same things and working with Lacey's opposite side whenever it was briefly offered.

I used the feather duster to get up behind Lacey's ears, and then began to rub Lacey's body with my soft scarf which I began to feed over her back so that she could get used to things happening on both sides at once. At the end of the session I could drape the soft scarf over her neck.

Three sessions in one day, split up by short and long breaks and I feel we have come a long way.

Key elements :

1. Bring energy right down and never try to be efficient around her

2. No riffling with noses - even William Fox-Pitt does this!!!

3. No exclaiming when something makes Lacey jump or move; it's nothing.

4. Understand everything from the pony's point of view. 

As we finished, the rain stopped and the horses were all able to go out to the field. Lacey, who was bought as a companion for Jen's home-bred foal, and will hopefully one day be a show pony, went out with the rest of her 'family' and was soon by her 'sister's side'.

All Good News

 

Just over one week after turning the horses into the winter field, all is well. The top of the grass has been eaten off, but there's still plenty to go. With hay arriving next week we feel set up for now. The rugs from Mole Valley are a great fit and have kept the horses entirely dry during the horrible rain.

Meanwhile, David and I are replacing some decrepit fencing in the other field, reclaiming a good four foot of grazing. 

Two Princes

 

This video may not look that exciting at first glance, but it represent another huge leap forward for Prince who can now be led by members of Ruth's family. Ruth herself was out of action because of her first horse related injury (will you tell her, or shall I) when her toe was broken by an errant hoof! Alex has such a calm demeanour with the pony, and Prince's reaction is to follow him so lightly. 

"Home"

 

Frezy and Patrick, such special friends of mine. I don't need to say any more. 

  

Hanimals

Kelvin leading out two of the home-bred ponies at Loisaba

Kelvin and Kennedy with the Iberian-cross stallion, Harvey

The security team with their bloodhounds

A donkey with her foal amongst the goats: she's employed to fetch water

Jo's dog in the stableyard

Dorse, the latest kudu orphan being raised by Tori the Livestock Manager

Bounty doing his Winston Churchill impression - he lives at the cattle boma now. 

 

Humps

As always, I spent a lot of time with the camels at Loisaba; I think I have seen them now from every angle!

And the guys who look after the camels are amongst my favourite people.

Kukuman, William, Me, Sharriff, Hassan and Ekomwa.