26th November, 2011 Good news day

Not only did Monty the Appaloosa have his headcollar on yesterday (see update on post 19th November) but Melanie put a headcollar on her Exmoor foal too. She looks very pretty in pink and all done with the NFNF technique that Melanie practised on my course this time last year. Over in Ireland Catherine is giving it a go with a sturdy but shy foal that she has got:

" Yay book came today!! SO excited! and I only got time at lunch to read the first few pages but the predator/prey explanation hit home. Obviously I knew about it all before but never had it explained in that way. Any time I have been around Willow the wild foal I have been careful about my body language, where I look etc, and I had him coming right up to me and sniffing me etc, but it was the hand.  Today I kept my hand in a fist inside my sleeve and he did his usual sniffing my outstretched arm etc, and I built up from that by retreating when he did as I had been and eventually keeping my hand in a fist but outside my sleeve i was able to rub his chin and underneath his jaw......!!!!!!! Just a knuckle first, then I stopped and just left my arm there and he LEANED INTO IT!! and I scratched him for a second more and he liked it! So then I noticed he raised his head a millimeter and I felt his heart quicken so I slowly took my arm away and went about my business before he moved or pulled back, and he followed me!!!  I was so thrilled, I had the eyes, I had the breathing the body language etc, but I hadn't thought about my claw!! 3 pages in and we have progress ha! So delighted!!!! I am going to keep a Willow diary!" CR

and the next day, on Facebook:  "RESULT!! willow has decided I can touch him! Got to scratch all the sides and underneath his head and from ears to withers all along the top half of his neck. I knew once he let me once he'd like a good scratch!! Yay!! Wild foal is a bit less wild this evening!!"