11th November, 2013 Roll Call

Here is the list of ponies, cows, pigs and sheep killed or injured by vehicles so far this year. These animals, all owned by Commoners who have the right to turn them out onto the Forest, are performing a national duty conserving the National Park. 

24/01/2013 ~ X Cow - Injured & Destroyed ~ Crows Nest - B3078
26/01/2013 ~ Angus Heifer - Injured ~ Norleywood Crossroads - B3054
03/02/2013 ~ White Jenny Donkey - Injured ~ Parc Pale - Pondhead B3056
03/02/2013 ~ Bay Filly – Killed ~ Stoney Cross
03/02/2013 ~ Grey Yearling Colt - Injured & Destroyed ~ Godshill - B3078
05/02/2013 ~ Black Shetland Mare - Killed ~ Crockford - B3054
19/02/2013 ~ Pony - Killed ~ Crow’s Nest - B3078
20/02/2013 ~ Grey Filly - Killed ~ Ashley Walk - B3078
24/02/2013 ~ Rose Grey Filly - Killed ~ Pipers Wait
27/02/2013 ~ Dark Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed - HIT & RUN ~ Black Gutter - B3078
27/02/2013 ~ Chestnut Shetland Mare ~ Injured & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Norleywood Crossroads - B3054
02/03/2013 ~ Chestnut Filly - Injured - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Burley Rd Hincheslea
04/03/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured ~ C10 Setley Pond
04/03/2013 ~ Bay Mare – Injured & Destroyed ~ Yew Tree - Wilverley
07/03/2013 ~ Sheep – Injured ~ Bramshaw - B3079
08/03/2013 ~ Angus X Heifer - Injured ~ Appleslade ~ Moyles Court to Linwood
14/03/2013 ~ Bay Mare – Killed WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Parc Pale - B3056
22/03/2013 ~ Bay Gelding – Injured HIT & RUN ~ North Lane, Beaulieu, Kings Hat
23/03/2013 ~ Charolais Cow - Killed ~ Crockford – Norley Wood Crossroads - B3054
31/03/2013 - Chestnut Shetland – Killed - Norleywood Crossroads - B3054
16/04/2013 ~ Chestnut Filly - Injured & Destroyed ~ B3055 Sway - Marlpit Oak - B3055 (E)
17/04/2013 ~ Dark Bay Filly - Injured & Destroyed – Driver ran off, later arrested ~ B3055 Sway - Marlpit Oak - B3055 (E)
05/05/2013 ~ Sheep - Injured & Destroyed HIT & RUN ~ Bramshaw - B3079
13/05/2013 - Red Hereford Heifer - Injured - HIT & RUN - Sowley Lane, East End
16/05/2013 - Bay Filly Foal - Injured - Godshill - B3078
17/05/2013 - Bay Mare - Killed - Matley Ridge - B3056
24/05/2013 - Grey Yearling Filly - Injured - HIT & RUN - Hilltop - B3054
27/05/2013 ~ Bay mare - Killed - HIT & RUN ~ Norleywood Crossroads - B3054
31/05/2013 ~ British White Cow - Injured & Destroyed ~ Burley Street, Burley - C10 (W)
06/06/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed Picket Post - Burley
08/06/2013 ~ Skewbald Mare - Killed ~ Black Gutter - B3078
14/06/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR Incident involved a motorbike. ~ Near Moonhills Lane, Beaulieu - B3054
09/07/2013 ~ Two Black Angus Cows – Injured ~ Little Wood - B3055 (E)
11/07/2013 ~ Cow - Killed ~ Longcross near Fritham - B3078
13/07/2013 ~ Cow - Injured & Destroyed ~ Dead Man Hill - B3078
13/07/2013 ~ Shetland Gelding - Injured & Destroyed ~ Roundhill Car Park - B3078
15/07/2013 ~ Black Angus Cow - Killed ~ Beaulieu Heath - B3054
15/07/2013 ~ Black Angus Cow - Injured & Destroyed on 16/7/13 ~ Beaulieu Heath - B3054
19/07/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed ~ Linwood to Moyles Court road
23/07/2013 ~ Brown Gelding - Injured - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Marlpit Oak B3055
27/07/2013 ~ Black Mare - Injured & Destroyed – possibly hit night before HIT & RUN WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Hilltop > Moonhills
30/07/2013 ~ Chestnut Colt Foal - Injured & Destroyed ~ Station Road, Goatspen
02/08/2013 ~ Grey Shetland 3-year Filly Killed - HIT & RUN ~ Crockford B3054
02/08/2013 ~ Black Cow - Injured & Destroyed ~ Judds Hill - B3079
08/08/2013 ~ Brown Filly - Injured ~ Brook - B3079
11/08/2013 ~ Brown Filly - Injured - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Beaulieu Heath - B3054 16/08/2013 ~ Belted Galloway Heifer - Injured & Destroyed ~ Appleslade near to Red Shoot
18/08/2013 ~ Grey Filly – Injured & Destroyed - HIT & RUN* ~ Mogshade
21/08/2013 ~ Grey Yearling - Killed ~ Burley Road and Wootton Junction C10 (E)
02/09/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Beaulieu - B3054
07/09/2013 ~ Grey Jack Donkey Foal - Injured - HIT & RUN ~ Lymington Road, Boldre
09/09/2013 ~ Red calf - Injured ~ Godshill – by the pottery - B3078
14/09/2013 ~ Bay Pony - Uninjured ~ Cadnam < > Brook - B3079
20/09/2013 ~ Roan Mare - Killed ~ Godshill Ridge - B3078
22/09/2013 ~ Chestnut Colt Foal - Injured & Destroyed ~ Lyndhurst Road, Vinney Ridge
22/09/2013 ~ Black Filly - Killed ~ Howen Bottom - B3078
01/10/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed ~ Hatchet Lane, Beaulieu ~ B3054
05/10/2013 ~ Angus Cow - Injured & Destroyed ~ Godshill Ridge ~ B3078
06/10/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured & Destroyed – WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Burley Street, Burley - C10 (W)
07/10/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Holmsley Road, Wootton 08/10/2013 ~ Blue Grey Steer – Broken Leg & Destroyed - HIT & RUN ~ Claypits - B3078
08/10/2013 ~ Chestnut Yearling Filly – Broken leg & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Burley Rd, Durhill
10/10/2013 ~ Grey Filly - Injured & Destroyed ~ Hawkhill Car Park - B3055 (E)
11/10/2013 ~ Blue Grey Steer - Injured ~ Godshill - B3078
16/10/2013 ~ Belted Galloway Cow- Injured & Destroyed - HIT & RUN ~ Ashley Walk Car Park - B3078
16/10/2013 ~ Bay Mare - Injured ~ High Corner, Linwood Road
19/10/2013 ~ Black Mare - Injured & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Parc Pale, Beaulieu Road - B3056
23/10/2013 ~ Pig - Injured ~ Brockishill Road, Bartley
24/10/2013 ~ Bay Gelding - Killed ~ Matley Car Park - B3056
25/10/2013 ~ Bay Roan Filly Foal - Injured ~ Portmore Cattle Grid - B3054
26/10/2013 ~ Grey Yearling Gelding - Injured & Destroyed ~ Hilltop to Ipers Bridge
29/10/2013 ~ Dark Dun Mare - Injured & Destroyed - WEARING REFLECTIVE COLLAR ~ Marlpit Oak – B3055 (W)

7th November, 2013 Larking About

Mouse and Lark have settled well. Mouse came up to be caught and I should be able to relieve her of head-collar just as we start work on putting one on Lark. They're enjoying some good grass and that will help to support Mouse as there are no plans to wean Lark straight away.

5th November, 2013 I Saw A Mouse!

Where?!! Shhh, not under the chair but in my field. Plans for next week's filming with Horse and Country TV are coming along. Today, after days of searching, Tamsin managed to locate Mouse, her New Forest mare and her foal, Lark. Whilst Mouse is friendly, Lark is really wild and her only contact with humans was at the drift where she had her hi-viz collar fitted, was branded, and then released again. For the next few days they will just eat their heads off in my field before Kelly and I work with Lark next Tuesday. I just have to hope that it doesn't rain or the whole thing may well be postponed. 

In the drift pen with Lark hidden behind.

The pigs are dutifully turning up every evening to sleep like sausages in the barn. I have no control over whether they turn up on the day when we are also hoping to pig-proof a pony. 

Pigcam catches a little restlessness at 1 in the morning

4th November, 2013 Ivan The Terrible

Out riding with Jane this afternoon Theoden bravely went past a big fire and a huge digger but was almost undone by the sight of his mini-me! I had no camera with me but fortunately the Shetland's owner not only had hers but was taking photographs for her college course. So here is where BIG Theoden meets LITTLE Ivan The Terrible and is totally beguiled.

Quivering.....

Oh, I want one!

Bewitched and beguiled!

Photos credit: Sarah Bakewell

4th November, 2013 Beachcombing

Photo courtesy Bridget Hughes IHRA

I was amused recently to hear a list of holiday complaints which included the classic line that "The beach was too sandy". It reminded me, as if I needed it, that our biggest complaint about our horses is that they act like a horse...

There's lots of reading to be done about horses both in books and on Google but beware of any book that attempts to intellectualise the behaviour of horses or the way to 'fix' them. The risk of fitting horses into categories and solutions into levels is that it becomes a straitjacket and have you ever tried riding a horse or working him on the ground in one of those? Whether it is physical or mental, it makes your work clunky and unnatural. At the other extreme beware of anyone who tells you it is a gift; you've either got it or your haven't. Both extremes are an attempt to make you feel inadequate by over-complicating things or making something unreachable.

2nd November, 2013 Now You See Me

This afternoon Tracey and I went off to meet L and her pony, Jaine, that she took in early in the New Year. Jaine's story is a pitiful one in that she had to be rescued from a 'rescue centre' where the owner frequently advertised for free horses for her therapy centre in Wales. The next catastrophe struck when the owner of the sanctuary that took her in died whilst attending to her when she gave birth to a foal on Christmas Day. She, along with several other horses, then needed to find yet another home. At some unknown time this mare also suffered an eye injury which led to the loss of her sight on the left. At long last she has fallen on her feet and she, and her foal, now have a permanent home with L.

Spirit, a No fear, No Force foal helps out with the session. 

I should imagine that Jaine has always had to rely on her own resources and tenacity to look after herself and the foals that she has had. Accordingly she is quite adept at pushing people to get what she wants or pulling them to where she wants. Estimated to be around sixteen years old it is amazing then that in under sixteen minutes this little mare learned to just stand still and relax rather than fidgeting about and to earn her lovely rubs by simply looking charming rather than pushing in to people. Unlike Linda Parelli I didn't feel the need to swing ropes around her head or hit her with the clip as is shown in one of her DVDs. I did however switch to leading her on her offside so that she could actually see my body language and have some sort of clue as to when I was moving away or stopping. By the end of the session she was busy matching her owner's body language and standing still to accept a lovely rub.

"Jaine has got it!! Today we did more practice leading, Jaine was so attentive to my body language & mirrored every gear change from me; slow walk to fast walk to jogging back to very slow walk, it has brought a bit of a lump to my throat to be honest as this is huge progress for her, she has come a long way from the old Jaine she once was & I cant wait to open up her world even more....." LE on Facebook

1st November, 2013 Hooves under the Table

Interesting the turns of phrase that we use around horses. Today I went to see a Highland Pony that was described as taking advantage now that 'the honeymoon period' was over and he 'had his feet under the table'. From being a very polite pony he has started to pull and push his owner around a bit but I wondered just how much of this is actually about him simply checking to see whether anyone was in charge and then, rather obligingly filling the vacancy. Two sides of the same coin and the owner certainly wasn't cross with him. Some straightforward clear and consistent groundwork should resolve the problem fairly easily and just reset the balance of their relationship.

"Thanks for the notes. And many thanks very much for coming out to help Angus and I. I have been doing the groundwork exercises each day, and over the three days there is already a very positive difference in both my attitude and in Angus's response. I shall persevere! On Saturday, when I was working up and down the track with Angus, a horse broke free from his person at the yard end and came galloping straight towards us at full speed. I kept Angus's attention and pretended I was not scared, and he stood next to me very alert and neck tense, but did not move one hoof as the horse galloped straight past us. I was so proud of Angus, but think that would have been a very different outcome had the incident happened before my lesson with you." SH

Hilary and I did have a little excursion on the way home  you could say that we did some ferreting about....

One tail and one nose!

Two very important lessons today. I am not responsible for the weather nor am I responsible for the fact that all the nocturnal creatures were tucked up in bed in the daytime. Luckily the Asian Short Clawed Otters had not reset their clocks from the weekend and were noisily awaiting their food an hour early!