Legend in His Own Lifetime

Some ponies are legends in their own lifetime. Take Digger for example. He was bought from Beaulieu Road Sales Yard for £35 and is ridden, in the style of a Kirsty McColl, by a Girl Who Works Down the Feedshop Swears... (not as much as she used to!) called Georgina Hunt. On Boxing Day this year, after months of fittening herself and her pony, she won one of the races at The New Forest Point to Point - over what should have been a distance of 3 miles but is often more. Digger who is only 13.2 h.h. beat much taller ponies and other competitors who have been riding this race for many more years. Well done Georgina and Rushmoor Roly (Digger).

Happy Christmas

Eleven years ago, I loaned out our ex-racehorse, Chancer, to a lady called Nicky, complete with a loan agreement that had more dotted i's and crossed t's that you can imagine. From the outset she has treated him as her own, taking the best care of him and never leaving me in any doubt that we had made the right decision. From time to time, Julie who owned him before me, and myself have gone over to see him, kiss him on his nose, and give him a warm hug (and an illlicit packet of Polos). He has always looked well-cared for. Nicky is always happy for us to turn up when we like.

Chancer would have been very valuable if he had lived up to his sire's record of success. Horsechesnut is one of the most famous racehorses in the world for his wins in South Africa. 

Chancer was the more er, laid back type, and didn't really see the benefit of running fast, or at all. 

Nothing will change in reality, but we thought it was more than time for Chancer to be Nicky's and only Nicky's so we left her a card telling her the good news. Hopefully she will enjoy her Christmas present who is now 21. Update: actually she tells us she likes things exactly as they are and knowing that there is always a fall back position for Chancer. Has to be the happiest loan agreement ever known!

Even after 11 years he remembers how to do his 'carrot' stretches.

Prince of Pepperbox

 

Very sadly, Prince's field mate who stayed out at night with him when the big horses went in, died of colic. Luckily, the yard owners had another pony they could put in the field with Prince so that he wasn't alone. I think he likes him:

Night night, sweet repose

 

 

Several of my friends have lost their precious horses recently. I know that the pain is immense. We all wish that they could live forever, or at least that we could leave at the same time. This poignant photograph was taken by another friend of mine, she lost a soulmate of hers not very long ago; it makes you see the beauty in things. Poetry in a picture.

Two Stroke

I met a very special little horse today - one of those 17 hand horses in a 11.2 hh suit. Diesel is a four year old Shire horse who has lived an idyllic, almost semi-feral life, as a youngster. My friend Claire has recently been enlisted to begin training him for driving, the only issue being that he doesn't want (or know) how to be caught, and doesn't like anyone touching his face or the lower parts of his legs. Claire, who worked with Spotted Pony, Barney who appears on the front of one of my books, knew exactly where she wanted to start. Clicker training! Only problem, he wouldn't accept treats from her hand. I advised her to try different foodstuffs but couldn't resist the temptation to go and meet him myself.

Diesel arrived with a headcollar on but until he accepts having his face touched, it doesn't seem like a good idea to take it off. Claire's first concern is to 'seduce' his face and show him that it is pleasant to have it touched. With a soft scarf to hand, we began by offering him coarse mix as a clickered treat and for the first time he began to softly take food from the hand. 

Having found the key, Claire and I then took it it in turns to start touching his face and asking him to touch the scarf and our hands. All the time he was very focused and really thinking about what he was doing. 

Leaving Claire with the scarf, I was no longer needed, but I imagine I will find some excuse to go and see him.

p.s. David informs me that two stroke is made with petrol not diesel. Sort of spoils the pun.

And there it is! He is allowing himself to be caught. Always best to use one headcollar over another, if it is already on and not doing any harm, until you can almost guarantee that he will allow himself to be caught. For the Prince lovers, the horse behind Diesel is a Prince too. 

Christmas Present

This morning I received a mysterious parcel in the post which revealed a delightful book created by Hilary Charlsworth about her two ponies Mancha and Gato. These two had arrived direct from Bodmin Moor and the book traces their progress from being entirely wild to being ridden. David and I called in at her house on the way to our holiday in Kent in order to help and advise how to get a headcollar off Gato, before it became far too tight. Fortunately I was able to get it off towards the end of the session and he looked at me with disbelief when he felt the pressure released from his head. 

On Top of the World

A long while ago I promised Ruth that we would help to move Prince if she ever felt the need to. Today all of her work and skills bore fruit, and together with our safe method of moving semi-feral ponies, Ruth, Julie, David, Carrie, and I were able to move him from one yard to another without any drama.

Ruth took the opportunity to give him a little practice at at least looking at a trailer before we moved him.

Step one was to put him in a stable with a nice feed and the top door closed.

Then we quietly backed the trailer up towards the door and set up panels between the door and the open ramp. Ruth reassured him with clickered treats and we closed the panels down a little so that he was encouraged to take a good look at the ramp ..

He loaded himself and then David calmly closed the gates and put the safety gate across the top. Prince ate his second feed while David closed up the ramp.

A sedate journey around Salisbury and towards Pepper Box Hill led to a farm right on the very very top.

Ruth led him up to the field where three horses were waiting to meet him. 

He soon looked completely at home and the other three treated him like the return of the prodigal son.

Jackpot!

We had a secret mission to perform today which meant going back to the yard where Prince and Jack are kept. Unfortunately Jack's owners weren't able to make our last appointment but it appears that it wasn't needed! While we were making arrangements for Prince I came across this little scene in the stable block - Jack having his legs washed with gentle shampoo and hardly a burr to be seen on him. Only a few weeks ago he would have been kicking away any attention to his legs. (Incidentally I would advise hats for this sort of activity.)

Burr!

A second visit to Jack and his owners today to see if we can make progress on Operation Burr Removal.  We began with the basics and then began to handle his legs with our hands. Once he realised we weren't going to haul the burrs off him, he settled down nicely and was much less defensive.

It was good to have Julie in tow, and having taught Jack not to tow, we were able to hold him while we worked. 

He was still paying great attention to what Julie did but not reacting to it in any way.

Now his young owner felt brave enough to touch his back legs herself while daddy, Billy, held him for her.

Before the break, I cheated a little by trimming his tail which removed some of the burrs.

And then I rubbed the entire contents of a bottle of baby lotion into his mane (not forelock), tail, and all down his legs. This meant that after the break we were able to remove some of the burrs and his owners will be able to continue - without pulling them too hard - over the next few days. 

Princi-pal-ity

I spent this warm afternoon with Ruth who treated me to lunch - well actually, afternoon tea by the time we had been to see Prince. He is looking really well this side of Christmas and is calmer than ever. The relationship between him and Ruth is so trusting. 

I loved this picture that I took of them together...

While I was there, one of the other liveries, brought in her pony Applejack, a small hairy cob. He was covered in burrs and she and her Mum were struggling to get them out of his mane. Morever, they told me it would be impossible to get them off his legs because he didn't like them being touched. Of course I was tempted to see if I could get anywhere with him and began to get him used to accepting touch using Ruth's feather duster and clicker training. Although his owner is very young, she was keen to give it a go herself and had the most fantastic timing. I think there is hope and of course, I will go out to help again in a week's time. Hopefully an application of baby oil on his lower regions and tail may reduce the number of burrs that he attracts in the first place. 

Normally I wouldn't recommend doing this type of work while he is tied up but he showed no inclination to swing his bottom round to me. 

I worked on the non-controversial areas first. He was quick to catch on to the pattern of rewards.

After I'd worked my way down each of his legs, his owner did the same with great success...

The advantage of the feather duster is that the burrs are almost magnetised to it. Still hundreds more to go though!

I finished with his tummy which he didn't mind provided I didn't go beyond the vertical brown line of his coat.

And lastly I began to rub his front leg with my hand and to GENTLY remove some of the burrs.

Habari

I know that there are a few people looking in for news of Blue. She has almost completed her course of steroids and her iron supplement. She looks slightly less tucked up but it is almost as hard to get weight on to a horse as it is to get it off. We're certainly not off the hook yet. She continues to have a fibre-based diet, a protein supplement,  ad-lib hay and access to long grass but she was delighted when I accidentally order seven kilograms of carrots instead of our household seven for the week. 

She loves her rug which I take off to check her measurements, and she is seemingly very happy and lively. 

Happy Go Lucky

It's not been easy to take the ponies out for a walk in the inclosure since Jack was 'given' his two girls, Blue and Nelly. He takes his herd duties very seriously and has become extremely attached to them, even when he is sharing a field with Theoden and Dave. At the same time the inclosure has become much busier with tourists and dog-walkers in contrast to the deserted place that it used to be. 

Since he has now been on his own with Blue for over a month, I thought I would see if they would like to go out for a walk and a munch on the special grasses that grow in the inclosure.

They seemed to be full of joy to be out on the Forest again...

But it wasn't long before they were heading back to the gate and the direction of the other horses across the track.

With just one backward glance...

... a steady gait...

and selective deafness. 

Dearly Departed

 

It was interesting to hear that vets classify horses as 'geriatric' from the age of 14 years, although some horses can begin to suffer with conditions such as arthritis at a much younger age. At the same time, horses and ponies are generally living longer and can live into their thirties. 

The topics covered in the talk last night really mirrored all of the tests and treatments that Blue has received so far. Tests for PPID (Cushing's Disease), liver or kidney disease, inflammatory markers, protein levels and more. Teeth check and balancing, and an appropriate wormer. Around 20% of older horses have PPID and are supported with drugs such as Prascend. The can put horses off their food but I have found that if I hide them inside a barley ring, both Theoden and Jack take them readily enough. The drug switches off excessive hormonal responses and thereby lowers the level of Cortisol in the body.

Amy, who is a horse dentistry geek, talked about the need for a really thorough examination of the horse's teeth and the problems that can be encountered. Horses' teeth continue to erupt throughout their lives and eventually they can be worn smooth, drift in their sockets, and develop diastema which can form pockets of infection. This canlead to decay through the whole tooth making them vulnerable to fractures especially as the horse grinds its food sideways with its molars. Meanwhile the incisors may develop gingivitis or Equine Orthodontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) which is very painful and usually requires the removal of all of the affected teeth.  

Aspects of nutrition were considered by Rachel - both for horses that are too fat, and those that are too thin in their old age. We are fortunate to have such a choice of appetising hard feeds and supplements for horses that need it, and a free sample of Simple Systems grass replacer will no doubt go down well in Blue and Jack's feeds today. 

Matt covered osteoarthritis and joint degeneration and all of the treatments that can be used to reduce pain and extend the (working) life of the horse. With three legs with three different degenerative diseases, Theoden has benefited from several of these. It was interesting to learn about advances in stem-cell treatment, if only to wonder if it could be used on my shoulders and David's knee!The final session was about euthanasia and the need to plan ahead with decisions about what should happen to the horse's body, allowing his companions to come to terms with the loss, and whether you would like him cremated on his own or with others, buried - permissions need to be sought - or taken by the hunt (no drugs allowed). Even if there is a sudden emergency, it helps to know what you'd like to happen and also to make sure that anyone looking after your horse has written consent to make big decisions if needed. 

All very morbid, but as a person who has DNR tattoed on my left bosom and a purple form in a jar in my fridge, is a member of Dignitas and has completed powers of attorney covering every sort of situation, this is just my cup of tea (I don't actually like tea). I've also written a will and left money to the person I would like to take care of my horses - and most particularly the mule who is definitely on the liability side of the accounts!

Geriatric ponies

I have been summoned to attend a talk at The Barn Equine Surgery tonight in respect of Geriatric Ponies. The residents of my retirement home insisted that I go. I shall report back soon. 

As the winter draws near, all of my horses and ponies are nice and round and coping well with the weather. I have a nice winter field lined up for them in the next week or so and the barn is already stacked with some lovely hay. There is however one worrying exception. I noticed that Blue, who is coming up to 25 years of age was starting to lose weight and condition. A vet visit confirmed that she does not have PPID and further blood tests were all normal save for evidence of anaemia. She was wormed early and started on a tonic which contains some iron, and I increased her feed. Her teeth were carefully checked and treated by Dr. Amy Reynolds, RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Equine Dentistry, who found no problems whatsoever.  

For about two months she and Jack have been given access to more grazing, on their own, and several sections of hay a day. Unfortunately, nothing has changed and the latest tests showed a slight downward trend in her protein levels and her weight. 

The current situation is that she is being fed, supplemented with protein and a tonic, given plenty of  fibre and being allowed access to the open side of the barn which is bedded down. Yesterday she wore a rug for the very first time in her life and accepted it with good grace. 

She is such a beautiful pony. She gallops up the field with excitement, twisting her neck and head like an Arab (thank you Queen Victoria) and looks as perky as her registered name (Marchwood Perky). While she seems happy and not in pain, I shall endeavour to get her right again, but if she continues to deteriorate then I shall have to make that awful decision which will kill me itself. I love this pony, I love all of my ponies, and it will hurt like hell. 

Please pray to the Horse God and for the hands and brains of the Veterinarians who are taking as much care of her as they possible can. 

Snippet and Mulibwangi are Ready for Winter

Snippet, the mare that had lived out on the Forest for twenty-two years and has now become utterly domesticated, had her teeth done for the very first time in her life today. Considering that, the dentist said that her teeth were not bad at all. 

Meanwhile Mulibwangi has at least been castrated which will set him up for a good life in the future. Here the vet is performing a standing operation under high sedation which is always best if it can be achieved. 

I feel very good about putting these ponies into a secure situation with their new owner Melanie. Read back if you want to see their history.

This brings to a close my involvement with other people's ponies, especially in a hands on way.  

POstscript: Xmas 2024  I am very sorry to report that Snippet has recently succumbed to colic. She had such a wonderful last few months which no doubt extended her life after years of idyllic freedom. RIP forest girl.

Shetland Ponies

Some time ago I put up pictures of Gael and Sammy, two Shetland ponies that live on the Black Isle in the most amazing environment.  There owner ordered a copy of my book, and following some email conversations, this prompted to stick my holiday pin in this part of the UK so that we could go to visit. Whilst progress had been made, and the farrier had been able to attend to her hooves twice, Gael was prone to going backwards in her training whenever there was intervention that she considered to be too much for her little soul. 

Of course, Julie and I were tempted to play and used tiny rolled up bit of bread as clickered-rewards to ask her to accept being touched and to have a lead rein draped around her face as if it were a headcollar. 

Not bad from a pony who is extremely wary of strangers. 

There are so many lessons that a Shetland Pony can teach you, such as the need to make yourself small - they must get so fed up of looking people in the knees! But all the usual ones for handling a semi-feral pony- small but tasty treats, look away as if you are not worthy when they make any progress, keep breathing and think about things like your shopping list instead of CATCHING the pony, do everything on both sides and accept that they will be better on one than the other, work quietly and gently.