Some time ago I put up pictures of Gael and Sammy, two Shetland ponies that live on the Black Isle in the most amazing environment. There owner ordered a copy of my book, and following some email conversations, this prompted to stick my holiday pin in this part of the UK so that we could go to visit. Whilst progress had been made, and the farrier had been able to attend to her hooves twice, Gael was prone to going backwards in her training whenever there was intervention that she considered to be too much for her little soul.
Of course, Julie and I were tempted to play and used tiny rolled up bit of bread as clickered-rewards to ask her to accept being touched and to have a lead rein draped around her face as if it were a headcollar.
There are so many lessons that a Shetland Pony can teach you, such as the need to make yourself small - they must get so fed up of looking people in the knees! But all the usual ones for handling a semi-feral pony- small but tasty treats, look away as if you are not worthy when they make any progress, keep breathing and think about things like your shopping list instead of CATCHING the pony, do everything on both sides and accept that they will be better on one than the other, work quietly and gently.
