13th February, 2011 Whip use in racing

A recent study in Australia has shown that whipping horses in the final stages of the race "did not significantly affect velocity…enough to change the likelihood of being placed in the first three." In fact, the research showed that horses achieved the highest speeds when a whip wasn't used. Tired horses were found to be whipped the most. The report concluded that "under an ethical framework that considers costs paid by horses against benefits accrued by humans, these data make whipping tired horses very difficult to justify."

I read Polly Gundry's comments in the Horse and Hound of 3rd February where she says that amateur jockeys should not be allowed to hit horses, get this, because they "are very rarely anywhere near as proficient as a professional jockey in the practice of hitting a horse." What???

13th February, 2011 Grrrrrrrr.

This is Teddy but he hasn't been the cuddliest of bears. Instead he has been aggressive to his owners particularly around food. He is only 18 months old so I imagine that some ambivalence about people and an absolute certainty about food have led to him developing behaviour that keeps people away from him and away from his bucket. Like a lot of ponies he feels more vulnerable when he is tied up but then has at least 180 degrees of manouevrability with his back end to take a good aim if he needs to! Yesterday we worked on developing a few reasonable boundaries and how to answer the questions that he asks - is it okay to bite you; is it okay to move you around; is it okay to play colt games with you? - he became a much nicer pony very quickly and seemed happy to have something to do.

I have urged the owners to reconsider the Parelli halter and rope particularly on a pony this young and particularly for tying up. If a horse pulls back in a Parelli halter it can cause severe soreness in the poll and neck. Furthermore, the clips on Parelli halters and the positoning of them on a low hanging loop are deliberately designed for smacking the horse hard in the jaw bone if he won't do as is he is asked (even if he doesn't understand). Not only this but if you watch the clip in action, it keeps on swinging for a great many seconds the horse has been given a signal and must be very irritating/ confusing. In the end they desensitise horses to the smaller signals. You'll notice that I have moved the clip from the loop under his jaw to higher up under his chin where it won't swing so much. This was a temporary arrangement just for the session.

11th February, 2011 Unreal Rescues

More mud and water, helping out the Animal Rescue Team with their practical exercise today. Heather, Queen of the Screamers did a great job and Jenny was unconscious under the horse yet again - she'll do anything for sympathy or oxygen. Kate, Audrey and Celia interfered, hindered and generally got in the way. The horses might be plastic but the actresses help to keep it real!

10th February, 2011 I don't care what the weather man says

Despite the grotty weather, Kym still brought Guilda up today for her lesson and, true to form, Guilda was very well behaved. Following a long reining session around the inclosure, Jenny gently backed her for the first time just getting on and off three times before the end of the session.

"Thank you for today, it was wonderful to watch and Jenny was so gentle towards her." KG

10th February, 2010 Listening Post

I'm not sure the role of Editor of the Listening Post is a good for the potential compulsive obsessive but I am loving it. I race out of bed every morning full of ideas and energy and am usually still in my dressing gown at 9 o'clock tapping away at my computer. The turning point was an article called A Glance Into the Past which arrived fully formed but with no photographs. An appeal on the Intelligent Horsemanship Discussion Group and to my local friends brought in some of the most poignant pictures from a time when a horse was a necessity rather than a luxury. Each one arrived with it's only little story about Auntie This or Cousin That. The real pleasure is in seeing an ordinary word document transformed into a work of art by designer Simon Spencer. I send him a kiss with every e-mail but they have never been reciprocated! My Mum and a fellow RA, Liz Pitman have been fantastic proof readers and sub editors although they do sometimes give things a mauling. For me it's like combing out a horse's tail, bit by bit you remove all the knots, reveal the shine and shape and are hopefully left with a thing of beauty....we'll see. First edition is out 1st March.

8th February, 2011 A HUGE thank you

I need to say a huge thank you to everyone of my clients who allow me to put details of their horse on this blog site, with or without names and with or without photos. Often after I have described a quirky case or some interesting behaviour, I'll receive an email saying that it has provided a light bulb moment for someone else and their horse. It's not always easy asking for help and sometimes I am as flummoxed at the owner but bit by bit we usually find a way round things and achieve a satisfying result.

7th February, 2011 Horseworld

An eleven hour round trip today for the first of two training sessions at Horseworld. The staff there are unfailingly enthusiastic and there's always plenty to discuss. On the whole they employ IH methods to rehabilitate the horses that arrive on their doorstep - there are currently 145 in residence. Some of the stories are heartbreaking - one of the latest arrivals is too poor to photograph and covered in abscesses where his sticky out bones have been rubbing when he lies down. He was rescued from a 'rescuer'. Despite being very very thin, he now looks bright, cheerful and clean and acknowledges the arrival of his feed with a lovely nicker. Dreamer, the pony in the top picture, had lived in a stable with no turnout and was also in a poor state when she arrived. She is now three, loves people and ready to start her education. She took everything in her stride today. The horse at the bottom belonged to travellers and was in harness aged two. When I presented the surcingle he said he knew quite well what that was but when I introduced it gradually he let out a very long sigh and then accepted it quietly. We left it on that note today.