16th August, 2011 No badgering required...

Yesterday Lindy and I went over to Wareham Forest to collect panels that I had left with Badger's owner. Not only has she not had to use them since Badger has loaded each and every time he has been asked but he now stands tied up to have his legs clipped in exchange for clickered treats. It's so nice to see him saying, "hey, where are you going with those clippers" instead of "oi! what do you think you are doing with those clippers?!".

15th August, 2011 Reasoning

Earned my lunch yesterday by helping a friend with her pony who has suddenly gone on strike about having his head collar on. This is a pony that so far has taken everything in his stride from picking up his feet to long reining. He's happy to have people around him even when he is lying down in the field. So the issue could be teeth or early sunburn (he wears a fly mask and nose net in the field) or he could have got caught up; an outsider might have had a go at him. In the end, the reason doesn't help with the solution in this case other than preventing the sunburn and having his teeth checked. The human emotions connected with this apparent 'failure' and 'rejection' don't help at all and need to be left at the gate along with any sense of cross-ness or frustration or indeed entitlement. You have just got what you have got and need to work on that little thing. It was clear that it was the right side of his head that was bothering him the most so I set about seducing that with the fluffy scarf and then started to work with the head collar itself. By undoing the nose-band for now and using a lace to just draw it over his face, I was able to work without crowding him or presenting him with extra things like hands so that it took less than 4 minutes to put the headcollar on rather than the 40 that it had taken the day before. Repetition, repetition and repetition will now be the answer.

13th August, 2011 Ellingham Show

Had a lovely day at the Ellingham Show today courtesy of the Animal Rescue Team. The stand was right opposite the Heavy Horse ring and next door to the all day farriery demonstration (Robert Sansom). Jenny was very happy as Poppy came second in her class.

13th August, 2011 The Godshill Hinny

I've been promising Lindy that we will see the Godshill hinny while she is here. Here she was, standing by the bus-stop yesterday. Like a lot of bus-stops on the New Forest, it has to have a door on it to stop the animals taking it over as accomodation!

13th August, 2011 No foot, no horse

I met a horse yesterday that because he is in pain is being difficult about lifting his feet up for the farrier. Whilst the owner is busy seeking medical advice from the vet and the farrier amongst others, we have to find a way to reach a compromise with the horse so that he can have his feet cared for. We worked on timed lifts so that he is given a break after every minute of holding his foot up - hopefully the farrier will agree to go with the same format and, providing it is a safe moment to do so, put his foot down after say two minutes each time. In that way I am hoping that the horse will realise that the discomfort is finite and work with us. At the moment there is no way that he can lift up his feet up to put them on a tripod so I aslo started to clicker train him to place his foot on top of a log (which will now be covered in rubber matting to make it non-slip). Instead of politely but persistently moving his feet away, he began to approach the log in the hope that I would be picking them up again.

11th August, 2011 Beaulieu Road Sales Part II

Further scenes from Beaulieu Road. I fear the outcome for the mare in the first picture. I do think that is your mare has produced foal after foal for you, the least you can do is give her a tidy and quiet ending on the Forest itself. The second pony is from "the other side of the tracks", the unofficial sale that goes on in the car park.

The last pony was in fact led into the sales ring and is well handled. Bewildering for her then to be turned loose, hit and chased about with a flag. Hitting seems to be down to a minimum although there was a chap wandering about with the ubiquitous bit of blue pipe favoured by some as a stick.

11th August, 2011 Beaulieu Road Sales Part I

The first of the autumn sales. The work of the New Forest Pony Publicity Group in promoting the New Forest pony seems to be paying off with lots of owners polishing and training their ponies before they go to the sales. Prices for older well handled and shown ponies was pretty high - the filly at the bottom, for example, fetched £680. A three year old gelding topped £1,200. The policy of severely limiting the number of stallions turned out and the time for which they are turned out shows that the Commoners are prepared to take a very responsible attitude to breeding and this should be reflected in the demand for this year's foals.

It worries me that the drifts are not very far off. If I allowed Peechay to be weaned at the drift he would only be three and half months old - too early. I shall do my best to get him, Nelly and Blue in before the two drifts in our area and of course he won't be weaned for a good few months yet.

I hope the two donkeys found a home together - they were absolutely inseparable in the pens. Donkeys form an incredibly strong bond.