7th October, 2014 Bay Watch

Torrential rain has forced a few postponements over the weekend but I managed to get out to two horses today without getting wet. There is absolutely no point working with horses in the pouring rain as it just makes them much more inclined to say 'no'. Once they are working well in calm weather they can be asked to endure a little more.

We started some loading training with Dove who  hasn't been loaded since she arrived with her new owner a couple of months ago. She's very mobile at the front but inclined to plant her back feet. This is a common scenario and one I get asked to work with quite a lot.

Next it was off to Caroline's to work with her and Tigerlily. Caroline has been working on patience and peacefulness since I last saw her just a few days ago.

Once in the saddle she is working on sitting up more so that her seat is more secure. The hope is that we can then transfer responsibility for the clickered treats to her as the rider.

The Forest is now wearing its Autumn colours.

4th October, 2014 No Fear No Force

At this time of year there are semi-feral foals being drifted and gathered across all of the wildest parts of the United Kingdom. Many will be finding their way to new homes through organisations such as the Dartmoor Pony Training Centre and H.O.P.E. All of the charities concerned with diverting these ponies from slaughter recommend my book for wild foals. Copies are available through my website at: Order my copy of No Fear No Force

"Fab book, always recommend it even for those with less wild ponies." Alison Greenwood

"For my horsey friends: highly recommended gentling method for wild or ungentled and/or traumatised horses and ponies." Gerda Versloot

"To all those Quantock foals about to go the sale, I hope your humans purchase and read this book and that you therefore never experience violence or are ever misunderstood. X" Bronwen Packham, IHRA

"Wouldn't have been without this book x" Gill Dixon

"Cant recommend this enough to new dhp mums + dads." Mary Houghton

"It's our bible at HOPE." Jane Bearder

3rd October, 2014 Work to Rules

A greater degree of clarity and not succumbing to attempts to mug for food are certainly paying off with Tigerlily. Rather than a 'no', Caroline is concentrating on providing neutrality when Tigerlily offers unwanted or undesireable behaviour. As a result we are getting a lot less of this:

and a lot more of this...

Which means we can do some more of this...with stirrups for the first time.

Normally Tracey and I take Kestrel out on our own but a later start meant that Yvonne could join us today. As usual Kestrel was beautifully behaved save for one little capriole as we turned for home!

3rd October, 2014 Last Word

I'll admit that it seemed an odd thing to do to hold a 'party' for a horse that was due to be put to sleep in the afternoon but actually it felt absolutely right. Dear Hobbit, one of Theoden's friends, was 22 and had been with his owner for 15 years. He's had a fabulous life in very safe hands but recently his old body and some significant pain has caught up with him and another winter would have been really tough. Instead he had his last day out in the bright sunshine, being fed as many carrots, apples and Polos as he could bear to eat. Losing a horse and making that decision is horrendously difficult and these old horses take a stack of your archives with them when they go.

I am still in mourning too for Mary, an old girl off the Forest that friends of mine took to their hearts a good few years ago and brought her into their fields to live out her days. Still very wild she enjoyed human company and tolerated touch when it was needed for the essentials.

It is equally difficult and very sad when young horses die. Lark, who featured with me in the Horse and Country footage at Christmas last year, succumbed to the strangles that has been going about in the South for the Forest having been turned out by her new owners. Mary's daughter, Lily, that I also halter trained a few years ago was the victim of a hit and run accident on the Forest during this last week.

2nd October, 2014 Clipped Tones

Long term readers may remember Dexey, the teenage horse that had a problem being clipped and always required sedation. We had one session last year following which she was clipped over a few sessions and was fine. I received this from her owner today:

"Just thought I would let you know that a few days ago I decided to clip Dexey for the first time since our previous efforts. Normally, I wouldn’t be clipping so early, but she was getting sweaty during work and perhaps just as important for mum, I hate white hairs everywhere – one of life’s mysteries why white ones are so much worse than other colours. I hadn’t even given a thought as to how she would react, although announcing my intention to a friend the night before, she said she had noticed people at her yard starting to clip and wondered if Dexey would remember her experience. As the power point is there, I set everything up in the yard around the back and although she decided it was all too much to eat her hay, she remained totally calm even in the different surroundings. I did her body one day including, her head, with the ‘big’ clippers and then left the legs until yesterday, simply because I take so long being out of practice and I could tell she wanted a loo break. Both days she proved to be an absolute star...We received more than one comment from other liveries about how good she is to clip – what a turnaround, if only they could have seen her doing the Riverdance at the mere sight of the clipper box.

So, she looks very smart after her makeover, I am very proud of her ( and a little bit pleased with myself too, as although not having clipped for 18 years, I have to say that it looks a pretty good clip!!!) Thank you once again Sarah, for making all this possible." TW

2nd October, 2014 I said No! No! No!

Bella continued with her education today and came out on a hack with Theoden and Petra. She led so well and was no trouble at all - we even managed to turn right! With both horses inclined to kick each other when they first met in the field it was important to keep both of them under reasonable control so that neither would set the other off in such close quarters. They were fine.

In the inclosure the track can get a bit narrow but out on the open forest we've got plenty of space.

Control can be a loaded word in horsemanship terms but I think it is important to have just a few rules or 'musts'. A few weeks ago Spirit was somewhat upset by a farrier and since then she has been on strike about having her feet picked up. Her instinctive (automatic and non-thinking) reaction is to go 'into-pressure' with her shoulder and to bite her handler This was proving to be effective postponing behaviour. I needed to make it clear that that behaviour wasn't acceptable without turning it into a real confrontation. Accordingly I used body language to say 'don't bite me' and to discourage her from leaning on me. The results were pretty immediate.

That enabled me to make it very clear when she has got it right too.

2nd October, 2014 Dedicated Followers

Yesterday we had a day that was totally dedicated to our own horses and took a few extra steps in Bella's education. Theoden helped.

I think he had a flea in his ear

This is looking good: hopefully go out next time.

Accepting a Western saddle - Bella has such a long back it seems a shame not to make the most of it. 

Ollie the dog wants to be his Dad's apprentice

Theoden and I comparing wrinkles. I win!