29th August, 2007 Parellified

I think it's probably time I stated how I feel about Parelli. I have just finished watching their new DVD on Horse Behaviour and whilst there is a great deal of sense in what they say (very little of which is new to me after my IH courses) I still don't like the way that the system is used on horses; for many horses the seven games do indeed become the seven tortures that Pat Parelli warns against. I've met horses that are switched off, turned off and angry following the Parelli treatment.On the theoretical side, I agree that there are confident and unconfident (sic) horses but worry about right brain/ left brain labels when there is no scientific certainty that horses, or even people, do operate in this way. It's a useful vehicle to explain that switch from relaxed to flight and for horses having a tendency to be one way or the other. I believe that all the techniques under the natural horsemanship banner or "church" will benefit horses if they persuade owners to see things from the horse's perspective and I think it's important that the practitioners don't fall out with one another, however, I cannot countenance a system that uses violence even to reinforce a command. In the first DVD a horse called George is clearly hit with the carrot stick when he doesn't walk forward the instant that Pat Parelli walks forward - are horses to be allowed no reaction time? I still can't forget a very early video showing Pat Parelli loading a horse into a broken trailer - the horse is stressed and sweating and has no idea what he is being asked to do. I also have strong reservations about the process of imprinting where the normal bonding process between a foal and it's mother is interrupted by human intervention within the first two hours following birth and involves pretty intense touching and probing of the foal's body. The reason I love Intelligent Horsemanship is because it does what is says on the label, it encourages people to use the most intelligent way of working with their horse based on the horse's psychology. There is no set system so that it is tailor made to the needs of the horse.

25th August, 2007 Fencing and foiled

I can't help but be very excited about my new post and rail fencing which now divides up my fields. Piper just walked through the electric fencing and was getting fatter by the day and it was always a worry that the others might decide to migrate too. This week the old red van is off to Heaven too - every time she turns round she seems to cost me £50 and she's quite thirsty. Before anyone claims I am making too much (any) profit, I would point out that my new car is an X reg white van but I shall have pictures of Piper put on the sides to make it look stunning.

23rd August, 2007 Good farriers, bad farriers

I have been working with another horse with a farrier-phobia. Unlike the earlier horse, this one was happy to let me hold it's feet, tap them with a metal tool and move them about but the instant the farrier arrived she reacted violently by rearing, trying to run through me and then trying to bite the farrier. The stupid thing is that this farrier is the nice farrier but she still hasn't forgiven the last one. Working with the touch and move away technique, whereby Alex stayed with her when she was reacting and walked away when she committed herself to standing still (reverse psychology), we were able to get her really calm and she stood sweetly to have three of her feet done. However, when we got to the right hind she went on strike again, clearly indicating in my view that she has some genuine reason for not wanting to hold this leg up. I suspect that she has pain in her pelvis or hock and the owner will get this checked out very soon. By putting her leg back down at frequent intervals and letting her rest, Alex was able to shoe this last foot whereas this is the point at which the last farrier used to get very cross and hit her. Can it be a coincidence that this is the same farrier that upset the other horse? He is really predatorial in his general attitude too. When a genuine horse starts to be awkward about being shod then we should also suspect that there may be a physical reason and by listening to the horse instead of telling it to shut up the problem won't escalate so that the horse feels the need to run away or defend itself the moment anyone smelling of a forge appears.

There's no problem getting Julie to hold her leg up and Jester is now much more relaxed about being mounted.

17th August, 2007 Pique-d early?

I've got this one to go and see next week!

My little tantrum over late cancellations and free advice is over. I have had a brilliant week and all my customers have done their homework. It takes some commitment to make your mind up to change the way you are with your horse, especially if you have had years of letting it come up and push you around and maybe don't even notice it's doing it. Asking the horse not to invade your space and generally moving it around are the two most significant factors in establishing leadership (not domination). This week I have seen three horses that have gone flump, relax, as soon as they have a leader and walked beside their owners like their best friend. A horse I went to see just three weeks ago, where the owner had been told in no uncertain terms by someone else that it should be sold because it had separation anxiety and was dangerous, was happily standing in the yard with her and no other horses this afternoon and we took him out for a walk on his own without any problem whatsoever. Horses don't always need the company of other horses if you are there for them both mentally and physically. I spent Thursday in the Portsmouth area with three different horses: a 2 year old Welsh cob colt with an exceptional temperament (groundwork and leading); a rather regal Irish Sports horse (loading) and then went to see a Connemara that had been badly mauled by a Great Dane whilst being ridden. We have to devise a plan to get the pony to accept being near safe dogs again but the owner of the dog has no intention of changing her route.

12th August, 2007 In which Piper goes to a dog show!

Piper had his first outing today to give a demonstration at the Margaret Green Foundation Trust on their Dog Show Day. For a pony that has always thought that one person is a person and two is a round up I thought he coped fantastically well with forty pairs of eyes staring in at him at a time and he allowed me to put his headcollar on and do some de-sensitization work with him. By the end he was becoming rather blase and eating haylage whilst surrounded by crowds of interested people. A very special thank you to David, Julie and Tammy who gave up their Sunday to give me moral support. Julie also worked with Piper in front of the audience (no pressure then) and is only the second person to be able to get his headcollar on. I must not forget to mention Tara, who works for MGFT who put together a great visual display complete with Piper pictures.

10th August, 2007 Spitting Feathers

Sadly I am having to give careful consideration as to whether I should carry on being an RA. People seem to think nothing of cancelling me less than 24 hours before their appointment or asking me to phone them back on their mobiles for a 20 minute discussion about their horse and then not booking me. I also worked for a local charity for a day for nothing, not even expenses and they wouldn't even give me a free soft drink. Perhaps I have doormat written all over me. All the good reviews in the world cannot make up for this and they certainly don't pay my bills. I seem to be having a run of horses that have gone on strike about having their feet picked up. Let's get one thing straight shall we? The horse's feathers are not put there as a covenient handle for people or farriers to pull up and hold on to a horse's foot. No wonder these horses have decided that people have forfeited their right to handle their legs. The art is to ask the horse to pick it's foot up and maintain it's own balance. Yet another busy week and another one ahead. Solomon the Arab and his companion, Lennie, were long reined back across the Forest to their own home on Wednesday - seven miles. It was so tempting to back both of them there and then and not to have to walk! Then it was back to the farm to long rein Jester and later he was backed by Julie. I wish I had photos. Decorating and horse work mean that I haven't been able to get near to a shop to buy a new camera.

5th August, 2007 Long reins and long manes

A pretty exhausting week. I seem to be having a run of horses that are terrified of long reins - I wish someone would do some research on whether horses that have been kept with electric fencing or have gone through electric fencing are more likely to be frightened of ropes. With these three horses, one has been caught up in electric fencing, another has had pain in his pelvis and hindlegs and the other has been lunged with a dummy on his back at full speed until he was exhausted. I always go through a series of exercises to check out the horse's reaction / de-sensitize the horse to the lines before I begin. This includes turning the horse away from me with just one line around his hindquarters, walking round with the reins just dragging alongside and getting someone else to lead the horse while I just hold the long reins passively. All three horses are getting there but are a stark contrast to little Lennie where we could just pick up the reins and go. I am loathe to rule out long-reining with any horse because it gives a clear indication of how they may behave when they are ridden and what their default position is. If they are inclined to spin or bolt with long reins or they cannot cope with people being in their blind spot, then I wouldn't want to be sitting on them! In my opinion, long-reining is much better for a horse than lunging, especially when most lunging isn't done very well at all. Lunging encourages the horse to tilt his head outwards to counter-balance the weight of the line and cavesson where used. Long reining keeps the horse in alignment and puts no direct pressure on the horse's head. It is such a versatile technique too, allowing you to incorporate turns, circles, straight lines and rein back at the same time as teaching the horse about rein and lateral aids. I long rein horses over obstacles, out and about over the Forest and in the school and I consider it to be an essential part of a horse's education and fitness programme.Piper has had a couple of months with very little handling since he was turned out after being gelded. I shouldn't be surprised but he has regressed a long way and it is difficult to catch him even with clicker treats. Yet, once I have caught him, he let's me touch him all the way down to his hindquarters and today I washed him off with cold water and a sponge. I am going to start work with him in earnest again now that I have a little more time. I do wonder whether I will ever bring him round - he has had such bad experiences of people coupled with seven years of being totally wild. The Exmoor pony lives such an isolated life, unlike the New Forest pony, and I do wonder if they have evolved to the same extent. There are times when Piper goes onto automatic pilot and there is no communicating with him at all.