Captain Hook - that'll be Tom then

The wet weather allowed me to see the true shape of the ponies at Hook today and although Patsy and Jack are not as round as I would like, I am satisfied that they will be okay for the rest of the year now that the grass is coming through. I have to say that March feels as if it has been two months long!

Once again, it would seem to be the difference in age and wear and tear of teeth that makes the difference between the top two and the bottom two.

Happily I bumped in to Tom, the Reserves Manager in the afternoon and I was able to show him where some of the piled up litter - mainly bits of car coming back from the dead - were situated and we picked them up and put them in the Kubota. Lots of tyres too. We also cleared the recent fire/barbecue. Pictures with Tom's permission. 

During the week, Sean has mended three dicky gates:

One of the reasons why we are all doing this: wood anemone. 

Princely Sums

Picture created by Ruth's son, Alex

After a few months it was good to see Prince again and to be amazed at what progress Ruth has made. Not only can she touch him all over now, but he has his headcollar on every day and has been brushed from head to toe. I also got a strong sense that Ruth, who has never been horsey or all that confident around them, is now 'one of us' and recently she has been catching errant ponies for other people. 

Her method is slighly unorthodox but it works. One of three sections of homework I have given her is to shore up the foundations by spending more time 'working' on his head, perhaps using the scarf.

We also spent time - using a clipless rope in case he did think about disappearing - leading him here and there within the yard, just a few paces in one direction with a stop for a reward, and then a few steps in another direction and so on. This got him used to the feel of a little tension in the line and how to release it for himself. Ruth became a fan of the 'motorbike hand', counted stops, and moving him to one side or the other if he got a little bit stuck. We also worked on walking him through the threshold of the gate into the school and back out again. 

A lot of this came very naturally to both of them since they have spent a lot of time just walking along together with no line at all. 

With apologies to Ruth for the positioning, we then worked on teaching him to pick his feet up - by teaching him to keep them down first. It's important that a pony doesn't automatically pick his hooves up when you touch his leg as it would be a nuisance for treating a wound or bandaging the leg. Only then did we start to use a set signal - no pulling on the feathers! - to ask him to lift the leg up. The next stage will be to gently hold his toe for a second and then more.

I found it interesting that no-one else in the yard was remotely interested in what we were doing, except for the cat. Unfortunately we take the domestication of our horses for granted and Prince is viewed as pointless because he cannot be ridden when in fact he can teach people so much. 

Ruth has found Prince's sweet spot so that treats, disciplined as they are, are not the only reward in his life. 

He is such an open and honest pony with behaviour that may be inconvenient but is not 'naughty'. He just is what he is. 

He's happy to follow Ruth loose back down to the field, through the muddiest threshold, and without nagging at her for the food in the bucket that she carries. 

I am so proud of these two I could burst.

I spy Pie with my little eye....

People have been asking me how Pie is getting on since he got home. Thanks to my neighbour's loving care, he has perked up no end. This is the way it will be for the rest of his life now. No more struggles to get through the winter: two square meals and two round ones every day. I think he will also be her official lawn mower when she wants the grass cut back for her own two mares - nice work if you can get it. 

Playing Hooky

This week we have been staying at a cottage in North Warnborough, close to the site where the ponies live. As well as walking a total of twenty-five miles, we saw the ponies at least once a day. They are all fine with two on the slim-side but the grass will catch up with and overtake them soon I hope.

It's Jack's first year 'in the wild' since he was a foal, and as he is now 26 it will probably be his last, but what a wonderful experience for him with his own herd of girls, and he has adapted to the wide space and lumpy ground very well.

We bumped into a few other HIWWT friends including Tom, the Reserves Manager. This is the Highland Bull at North Warnborough.

Three cows Flower, Fagan, and Flora (not photographed) and two ponies at Bartley Heath

Hook may not be the obvious choice for a holiday - there seems to be no big push as a tourist destination - but walking through all of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight reserves in the area, and the RSPB heathland at Hazeley is a real treat, and a reminder that between these busy roads and all around the outside there is some beautiful countryside.

Beyond the spires

Luna looking through Temujin's humps.

One of those truly special days when I am allowed to kiss a few camels! A haircut on the other side of Salisbury is often a good excuse to go visiting. Temujin and Luna have now been joined by German camel - Zeus who is four years old - and a camel from Cornwall called William who arrived semi-feral. 

Zeus

William

When I arrived the camels had not yet been brushed and so I set to and was soon joined by Kayleigh. A night on the straw can cause chaos when you have a woolly perm. 

William's humps have fallen over because he was fed the wrong food in his previous home. 

Luna rolled in leaves shortly after she was groomed...

She smelled of loam and looked like a compost heap. 

Temujin sat and looked admirable while Luna and Zeus were ridden in the school.

Zeus is taking his first strides off the lead rein, and Luna is beginning to trot with a rider on board. 

They were both happy to walk over raised poles...

William proved that he can trot too and he went for a walk on the lead rein in another field for the first time. 

So positive progress all round.

Across the Water

 

I was reminded of why I love the reserve so much today. As well as the wildlife, there is a little flush of green grass coming through and the ponies are starting to look as if they know Spring is coming. 

They decided to follow me, even if I was going in the wrong direction, and came to a halt just before the woods where there was a lot of flooding. Once they'd crossed over the water they were very pleased to find the new grass. 

Jack was very adventurous, scrambling over banks and fallen trees.