7th September, 2011 What time is it Mr Wolf?

What time is it Mr Wolf? Two o'clock

What time is it Mr Wolf? Dinner time!

After a lousy day at 'the office' I thought these pictures were much more fun. This filly obviously couldn't work out quite what was in front of her and the little hinny didn't care to explain.

Why lousy? First of all Chancer had to have the first injection into the sarcoid on his eyelid. He withstood it very well and fortunately there were none of the instant side effects that there can be with BCG such as anaphylactic shock. Amy, as usual did a great job, and we will be seeing her again next week. Just a worry that's all.

Then Brandy's owners came over to see her and decided that the best way keep weight on her for the winter was to take the foal away. I know that this is the way things are on the Forest but I couldn't help feeling very sorry for her and her foal to be parted so abruptly. It is happening all over the Forest at the moment with the drifts on; she's not the only one. Luckily Nelly, Blue and Peechay turned up and took her off with them but I could hear her neighing all the way across the green. Luckily too she gave me something to really cry about. Having avoided injury all year she managed to jam my thumb against the gate latch and now I have a black nail and a skinless bit. Sat with my finger in the water butt for a while and cried my eyes out.

Then, to cap it all, my neighbour came to have a go about me having a 'habit' of taking trailers through to the front gate. Since I haven't taken anything that way for months or on more than the very odd occasion for years this feels unbelievably unfair. Letting one Commoner (who has the right to go anywhere) collect a foal from another Commoner (who also has a right to go anywhere) on one occasion does not constitute a habit. I think I am now going to be blamed for every stock trailer that goes in that direction simply because I have a stock trailer too. Galling because I have gone out of my way not to create any tension here.

This, just two days after I helped a customer to deliver her horse to another trainer for breaking in. That trainer sternly told me that she would rather have a horse when it had done nothing - so where was she when the horse didn't know how to lead, load, have his feet picked up or tie up? The two big lunging whips outside the stable block didn't fill me with great hope either.

In the grand scheme of things it isn't so bad. The anniversary of 9/11 certainly puts things more in perspective. I just wish I was a little more robust.

5th September, 2011 Wild boys

Charlie, the Collie coloured pony, lives with four sheep

Available on www.logicalhorsemanship.co.uk,  NFED or Amazon

It's getting to the time of year when people are thinking about halter training their foals and making sure they are ready to be microchipped. The requirement to microchip ponies could cause another welfare issue for ponies if it means that headcollars are forced on and foals forcibly restrained. Much better to get the halter work done quietly and nicely and to teach a foal how to stand, or to gently hold them with a figure of eight arrangement. I'll let you know how I get on with Peechay when his turn comes.

Charlie is a two year old Shetland colt that has lived out with his mother until very recently. His headcollar was put on in the trailer as he arrived and at some stage he has had his feet trimmed. He also managed to get out of the field and was manhandled back in again. My friends Katie and Andy called me in having done some initial work with a hand on a stick and I carried on with this today. By the end of the session he was accepting touch from the back to the front, under his neck and chin. He had also accepted the scarf around his neck and was starting to come towards a very gentle pressure. Back again on Thursday for another session.

3rd September, 2011 Traffic Chaos

Guilda asks David whether he is The Stig

Me and my shadow

"...and what time did you say the MotoGP is on tomorrow?"

Not worried about the car sploshing through the puddle

"Do we need to thumb a lift?"

 More traffic training with Guilda today. She has been a bit worried about traffic approaching from behind so lots of practice required with Kym keeping her own adrenalin way down too.

3rd September, 2011 On our way...!

On the way home we met Jenny riding Splash out on the Forest. You will remember that this is 'Mystery Pony' who had the horse equivalent of a nervous breakdown following an incident just after Jenny bought her. It seemed at that time that her education was built on very wobbly foundations. A year on and Jenny has a stronger pony mentally and physically. She's done a great job with her. A shining example of IH enhanced with clicker training.

2nd September, 2011 Cow pony

Back home via the horses to see Peechay out on the green with a herd of cows. One of these days I am going to photograph a day in the life of the Fritham water trough.

2nd September, 2011 Olympic Venue

Off to Weymouth this morning to meet up with Sonny and Millie. Sonny, a pretty solid New Forest pony, is great under saddle but inclined to barge and to pull on the ground. We did some groundwork and worked on planning ahead so that his owner, G, chooses the route into the stable yard rather than him! G picked up the techniques from watching them just once and was soon looking a lot more confident. Millie a Welsh pony, came via the RSPCA and is another pony that has landed on her feet. Tracy, her owner, has only ever had two sessions with me and has got a firm grasp of the key concepts enabling her to befriend her pony changing her from a timid, wary pony into a confident and affectionate one.

" Thankyou once again for a very enjoyable and inspirational afternoon." TW

"Thank you for this (the notes) and for yesterday we have learnt so much.  It was also lovely to see G watching, listening and working with you (and taking it all in).  It was also the main topic of conversation last night!"KA

 

1st September, 2011 By George

It's always wonderful when a pony falls on its feet with kind owners. George is a forest-bred New Forest pony that had already had three different owners by the time he was a yearling and had had his headcollar forced on him. He is still finding it difficult to overcome that experience even though he is quite brave about all kinds of other things. I have introduced clicker in the hope that his least favourite thing will become his most favourite.

"I would just like to say thank you again, for taking your time to come out and see me and George. I really enjoyed the whole experience and felt like me and George were already making some progress."CG

E-mail received 3rd September: 
"Thought I'd keep you updated on George even though it's only been a few days! I did the touch and release technique with my partner Mike as George has always been very wary of him and after he had done this he was able to walk up to George and catch him in the paddock and lead him back in to his own field! We were both really chuffed as normally if George isn't on his lead rein Mike can't even go near him!" CG