15th January, 2007

I haven't really said a lot about the remedial horse, Orca. She looks a lot like Kelly's horse Pie - super build and very attractive markings. The trouble is that she turns I can't into I won't very quickly indeed. If she spent as much energy on doing things right as she does on making objections then she would be a super horse. The first job was to ask her to be quiet on the ground. She was inclined to walk through you, constantly move around and to suddenly have hysterics. Out riding she would tuck in behind another horse and plod along happily but she wouldn't go alongside the other horse or go in front under any circumstances. She hasn't been ridden out on her own for at least a couple of years. Slowly but surely things have improved. She was quite sore and she has had some physiotherapy followed by appropriate exercises (Kate Barnett has done a great job with her). She now stands like a rock, ground tied when I get her ready. I really did have to insist that she respect my space and resorted to shaking gravel in a box when she wouldn't respond to the use of the Dually or my body language. In order to build up her confidence I have been taking her out with another horse and instead of pushing her to go on and past the other side, I have got the other rider to describe a circle and come in beside her. Surreptiously we have got to the stage where she is "accidentally" in the lead and she is starting to accept this more and more. I get the sense that there would be no point in getting mad with this horse (and certainly not in hitting her) - even a whip wop rope has no effect. She would be quite happy to escalate things to far beyond anything I can cope with and the rest of the time she would be metaphorically looking out of the window and distancing herself from what was happening. I felt and still feel that it's about making everything black and white for her - hassling her when she says no without getting cross or violent and then making life absolutely calm and wonderful when she at least tries to get it right. I am starting to feel a better connection whenever I work with her now and today she excelled herself by going out long-reining on her own (with me of course!) without protest. I made a huge fuss of her and told her what a wonderful girl she was and I could almost see her swanking. Let's hope this is a breakthrough and that she is starting to enjoy herself. Tomorrow she's having a luxury sports massage.
This evening I was called out to an emergency. A show pony that wouldn't allow anyone to catch him in his stable. He was quite adamant about it and turned his bottom on anyone who went in the stable and threatened to kick them. I worked with him with the false hand on the stick to begin with and once he had settled I was able to put his headcollar on by taking it apart completely and doing it up around his neck first. Everyone was at a loss to understand what had suddenly triggered this behaviour. This pony is 10 years old, an experienced show pony and never been known to kick before; indeed, when he was caught he was incredibly sweet and affectionate. It made me think about how necessary it is to find out what has happened in order to find the solution - so often we just don't know and can only surmise (although healers would say that they can find out). In those circumstances all we can work with are the symptoms and to find out the best way of quietly getting over the problem and persuading the horse that all is now well with the world.

12th January, 2007

Monday was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and the sea even bluer. My Dad's best friends went into the sea and scattered his ashes so that he could come and go with the tide just as he has always done. Enricho played the guitar on the beach and over 100 friends said farewell. I think he would have enjoyed every moment of the last week.

6th January, 2007 Puerto de Mazarron, Spain

Considering the circumstances it hasn't been too grim. My father died in his sleep. He was very happy in Spain and surrounded by good friends. Apparently he was partying all over Christmas. Providing my Dad could dance, laugh, drink, smoke and stay brown, he was content. There was a Pythonesque moment at the funeral director's when they wanted to ask whether we would be burying his ashes or scattering them. As we don't speak a word of Spanish and they didn't speak a word of English, there was some rather fairly insensitive and unsubtle miming before we established what we would be doing. My Dad's ashes then held pride of place at Bongo's Bar on the sea front while his friends drank to his memory and danced to his favourite McGuiness Flint record - When I'm Dead and Gone (Don´t want nobody to mourn beside my grave). On Monday there will be a more solemn occasion when we scatter his ashes in the sea.

2nd January, 2007

Today I learned that my Dad has died in Spain on New Year's Eve. He won't want to come home so I'm going over there to make all the arrangements so that he can stay in the place he loved so much. We didn't have an easy relationship but I know he was always proud of me. He always loved horses although our last ride was four hours long, three of which were spent in the Nag´s Head!

1st January, 2007

New Year's Day and time to think of all those resolutions that you'd like to keep to for the coming year. Mine include spending more time working with Petra Perkins, being kinder to myself and being true to myself too. It's impossible to run my business on lines that don't coincide with my own moral code. In particular I don't want to charge the earth because I want to be able to work with horses and ponies that may have been cheap and cheerful in the first place and where the owners put very spare penny towards the horse rather than themselves. I like to be generous with my time and my advice too. I won't press someone to make a second appointment even if I really hope they will for the horse's sake and I won't go where I'm not wanted. I must be a bank manager's nightmare. So, if you think my van is tatty or my clothes look well worn it's because I'd rather be reassuringly affordable than reassuringly expensive. I hope I will be judged by the quality of my work rather than the quality of my labels.

December 2006 (2)

After one week, the two newcomers are progressing well. Both have seen the physiotherapist and are due to have their teeth done on Tuesday. The starter had his first long-reining session today having been introduced to rugs, pigs and dogs last week. He is really enjoying his walks out on the Forest - as a stud bred pony he hasn't really had the chance to explore before. The coloured remedial horse is enjoying her walks too and loves jumping over the streams and logs that we meet. Today I rode her for the first time and she was fine. On the way out of the fields tonight I thought I would just back Nell. I put a headcollar and lead rein on her and leant over her a couple of times and then got on. She stood there as if nothing had happened before turning and chewing my shoe lace. We then pottered off for a few strides before I got off and gave her a big kiss. Not bad for a "wild" pony.

Approaching Christmas we have had a lot of visitors - mainly to see Piper it has to be said. Our daily session are now observed by two or three people at a time and he is becoming oblivious to their presence. These get togethers are an excellent excuse for lunch at the Royal Oak.
At long last I have got round to having Petra microchipped. I can't imagine the anguish of your horse going missing or the police finding it but not being able to prove that it's yours. She was very suspicious of the microchip reader and not impressed with being bar coded! She has never met a brush that goes bib-ip before.

Just before Christmas I received notification that my offer of free assistance to the New Forest Pony Publicity group has been rejected. They didn't give any reasons.

Horses may be unpredictable but life isn't, every high I have is usually followed by an equal and opposite low. Having put Piper's headcollar on for the first time on Saturday, I managed to get myself kicked the following Monday when I made a small mistake with him. He turned away from me and when he felt me against his leg he kicked out. Not his fault but ow, it hurts (a lot). My long-reining sessions with the other two horses were a bit limpy.

Neal from the IHDG has been staying and helping me with the horses this week. It's great to have some company and to be able to long-rein in tandem through the inclosure. He's also good at laying the fire and making supper when my poor injured leg forces me to rest. I love having people up at the yard helping with the horses and hopefully picking up some of the techniques on the way. I work on the basis that I don't pay and I don't charge! Over the Christmas holidays Sophie and Stephanie both came up to lend a hand and David went out riding on Petra.
On the Thursday after Christmas we had a long dog walk with dogs Fudge, Connie, Hannah, Lucy, Molly, Buster, Echo and Sasha.

December 2006 (1)

Two lovely horses have come in at the start of the month. A bay New Forest pony for starting and a big coloured mare for some general remedial work. It looks as if I will be kept busy all over Christmas. Little Pie decided to come home yesterday so he is topping up his calories and having a wormer before he goes out again. Petra, with her go-faster stripe clip is enjoying having her own herd home again.

The New Forest pony was stud bred and hasn't encountered pigs before. On day two I couldn't get a second of his attention because there were three pigs outside the field. I took him over to look at them and after trying to dive away, he settled down to just staring at them. After a while he became fascinated and we followed them up and down the fenceline to watch them snuffling away in the leaves. Good timing I think because when I left the field at night, three pigs had moved in and were gaily going over my trotting poles. D-pony just carried on grazing.
I have to confess to being an addict of programmes such as House of Tiny Tearaways, Supernanny and Dog Borstal.Although they can be formulaic they all show how being consistent and persistent definitely works along with being logical, using positive and negative reinforcement and some definite leadership. Last night Tanya was explaining how a three year old child could not fill an emotional hole in his mother's life and that the child just could not cope with those expectations or the disappointment she felt when he couldn't do it. Developmentally he could only be what he was - a child of three. I wonder how many of us get frustrated when a horse cannot be what we want it to be; they can only be what they are - a horse. Many of us seek solace in our horses when life isn't going right ........

I was delighted to receive a box of chocolates today as a thank-you from a client who's just been awarded her 50 hours rosette for hacking out. She is really enjoying her riding now and the pony has a lovely new saddle made by Clare Barnett. These rosettes which are presented by the Wessex Classical Riding group are a great incentive for people to get on and get out with their horses.

On my way to a client at Blissford, I spotted the hinny that normally lives at the Fighting Cocks in Godshill. She really is the most beautiful mule I have ever seen.