I was recently contacted by a lady called Michele about her new Shetland pony, Gael. Gael was bought as a companion pony for her last remaining pony, Sammy, whose little herd had diminished until there was no-one else left. Although Michele had befriended wild ponies before, she had never worked with one like Gael whose wariness of humans came not just from living independently but also from being man-handled. She had bought a copy of No Fear, No Force and just wanted to know where, and indeed where, would be the place to start since Gael was 9 years old and living in a vast expanse of field. Fortunately Gael enjoys hard feed so there is a way into her soul.
By complete coincidence, Julie and I are heading up to Scotland for a celebratory holiday in September, so having given Michele some advice, it seemed like the Black Isle where she lives would be a great place to centre our stay so that we can visit her and the ponies and also enjoy a tour of places such as Inverness and Plockton. This is the view that Michele's ponies have enjoyed over the years.
When they're not above the clouds.
