10th December, 2015 Hurculean Efforts

Major flooding in Ireland and Cumbria has highlighted the risks that people will take in order to save an animal's life. Far be it for me to criticise anyone who is moved to try and rescue an animal (and I would be taking my life in my own hands if I said so) since reactions to heroic efforts by members of the general public on Facebook pages, show that people will always applaud others who are prepared to have a go. However, it is so easy for someone to lose their life in order to save that of an animal. 

This donkey was saved by Animal Heaven Animal Rescue with the assistance of two members of a rowing club. Everyone wore life jackets, and the donkey had a life buoy placed around his neck but that was about it.

The Fire and Rescue Service and the RSPCA are heavily criticised if they don't make an all out effort to rescue animals even when they are busy rescuing people in an all out disaster. 

Very sadly this horse drowned after the emergency services were forced to abandon attempts to rescue it. Later reports suggested that he was caught in fencing. A crew using an rigid inflatable boat managed successfully to rescue a man who had gone into the water in an attempt to save the horse but who himself became stuck. He was forced to cling to a tree for safety as fast flowing water surrounded him in the field, and the fire service had to pull him to safety. “One chap tried to go in himself and rescue the horse but he ended up climbing up a tree until the fire brigade got him.” Police divers, the RSPCA and fire service were at the scene but said it is too dangerous to try and rescue the horse. For horse owners this is really hard news to take but how would we feel if it was a fire officer who lost their life to save that of a horse? 

The Fire Service certainly don't give up easily and will take risks to save a human life. They may take a risk to save animals depending on the circumstances. In a different story, fire officers rescued 120 sheep which had been marooned. 

In other Hercules news, my landlord almost became military collateral damage when he was thrown by his horse on the Forest thanks to a very low flying Hercules transport aircraft. This took place close to an area called Norris's Grave and it almost became his! A formal complaint has been sent to the M.O.D. so we will see if they listen this time. 

9th December, 2015 Tangerine Dreams

Henrietta's first encounter with the headcollar. No need to rush anything as she makes a little progress every time I work with her and I want to keep it that way. Not only does she accept the scarf really easily, she takes her treats very gently, and I think that is an indication of how safe she feels.

I finished this little push forwards just rubbing her with the headcollar...

...before going back to something she finds pretty easy...

and then something she finds really fun. She can't wait to get on the bridge...

Outside Orange Girl was hoping that I might conjure up some food for her...

...whereas Anthony's cow was content with a lovely rub all along her back.

The wild ponies are looking really well at the moment, with grass still coming through, and less of them in foal. This mare is a particularly shiny example...

8th December, 2015 Too Much Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing?

These days I know too much about horseboxes and trailers. I've seen and read about the accidents and incidents that can occur in them. I've learned the hard way about some of the problems with the fixtures and fittings, and the general lay out of boxes and the way that some horses can protest about being loaded and travelled in them. I've also done a review of the historical research, analysed a recent survey, and talked to experts in the emergency services, vehicle design and driver training. When I impart that knowledge to people with horses you can see them singing la-la-la-la-la with their hands clamped to their ears, as if even talking about it will tempt fate or give their horse ideas. I'm all for positive thinking and for not transmitting fear to the horse, but turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the potential risks when loading and travelling a horse is not a method of preventing things happening. "If only I'd known," is a familiar refrain after the event but too late to save a horse or it's handler from injury.

On a small scale it's about knowing how your transport vehicle works, how all the fastenings fasten and how they can be made to come apart in an emergency. It's also about regular maintenance - have you checked your tyres, your brakes, had the vehicle serviced regularly, and do you do a walkaround check before you load your horse. Have you trained your horse properly and had regular practice sessions with him?

On a wider scale it's about knowing the pitfalls of various vehicles. Are you aware that there have been a number of very serious incidents where horses have gone over the breast partition in rear facing 3.5 tonne trucks, ending up trapped and having to be rescued by the Fire and Rescue Service? Did you know that horses are just as likely to jump over the breast bar in a front facing trailer or clamber onto the tack lockers in a herringbone truck and injure themselves that way instead?

In time consumers must vote with their hooves and stop buying vehicle that look really pretty, but are unsafe and uncomfortable for their horses. Fortunately there are manufacturers and designers already making significant changes to the configuration, fixtures and fittings of the boxes that they supply.

If you want to know more about horse transport then you can go to Dropbox for a copy of our report: BARTA and IH Interim Review of Horse Transport  Or you can email me at sarah@logicalhorsemanship.co.uk and I will send you a copy.

"What can I say except CHAMPION! A HUMUNGOUS amount of work went into this! You and Jim deserve medals and an honorary degree! I can't wait to soak, soak, soak in this. WONDERFUL!" Dr Sharon Cregier. "Comprehensive and comprehensible"

"Hey Sarah, fantastic early feedback from people, you should be really chuffed with what you have produced!! Again, feel very proud, good job!" Jim Green

"Brilliant - a lot of hard work from you and Jim!" Alison Schwabe

"I'm just reading through it, and it's fascinating so far." Jo Thomas

"Thanks so much for sending me this report, really interesting reading, and has made me more determined to have some adaptations made to my box (wither tie points and quick release on the breast bar).  Really interested in the points made about noise levels at which horse may be stressed. Good luck with informing and influencing change for the benefit of the horses>" Norma T

7th December, 2015 Elmo Saves Christmas

Or at least he starts the run up to it... Kym wanted me to teach him to short rein and that took all of two minutes. He was so calm going up the drive that we thought we might as well take him out for a walk along the lanes.

It was only when we were half way down the hill that Kym mentioned that he'd never been that way before. He was just so quietly interested that you would never have known. However, he did jump at a couple of donkeys so we took the opportunity to go down their drive a little way so that he could take a proper look.

Back towards home and Kym takes over from me. Two things to note - we had worked from both sides, and normally Kym wears hi-viz. She had Tracey and me both wearing hi-viz jackets in front and behind her so we were making sure that drivers could see us.

A short session with Henrietta before going out riding...

...at the end of which Theoden is pleased to be going back out again.

7th December, 2015 The BARTA Conference: A Bit of a Disaster?

The overwhelming message behind the BARTA conference this weekend was that we have got to start thinking of rescuing animals as part of the whole picture of disaster management rather than just in terms of individual, one-off, small events. Bush fires in Australia, flooding and drought in America and, right up to date, massive flooding in Cumbria, bring all sorts of challenges for the rescue services and the people involved on the ground. Dr. Kirrilly Thompson, the first speaker at the Conference, and an Anthropologist, is currently leading a project called "Should I stay or should I go?" aimed at turning human-animal attachment into a positive rather than a negative in natural disaster preparedness.

Experts in disaster management and animal rescue from all over the world were involved in the conference as speakers and delegates which subjects such as animal behaviour at incidents, casualty care,  chemical restraint and euthanasia,  the impact of stable (barn) fires, transporting injured horses, and the design of a 21st century horse ambulance.

Videos of every one of these talks will be available on YouTube fairly quickly since the event was filmed throughout.

With Sarah Houston (left), owner of Rural Safety Signs (website), Gemma Pearson, Senior Clinical Scholar in Equine Practice at the Royal Dick Veterinary School, and MaryAnne Leighton from Australia who is a rescue specialist and co-wrote Equine Emergency Rescue.

I was particularly heartened to hear Gemma's talk which focussed on positive and negative reinforcement techniques which can be used in a rescue scenario including the use of food, advance and retreat, and overshadowing. Overshadowing is simply the process of giving the horse something else to do, such as moving forward and backing up, in order to take it's mind off something that is worrying it.

2nd December, 2015 Czech In Later

Another test card for a few days. Off to Prague in the morning. I shall see what's new in the world of animal rescue and then on Monday, I hope to be able to release the results of our Transport Survey and our interim report.

1st December, 2015 Lead us Into Temptation

What's a girl to do when she has so many to choose from thanks to her Auntie Kathryn. She finally opted for the donkey grey because it was the right length and not too dangly. Perhaps we should rename her Goldilocks

Another quiet break through on anything other than a quiet day. With the wind rattling around the rafters it was hard to get everyone to settle but once we had I thought I would see if I could teach her to lead from the neck. This is quite a hard concept for her given that she is still nervous of people and has a very strong into-pressure response but a few ginger biscuits (thanks to her Auntie Sarah B) and an elastic ask and she started to understand what was needed.

I'm pleased to get them into the barn for a little while each day so that she can continue to abrade those feet.

Meanwhile Rachel tells me she has been making great strides with Bryn too...hopefully I will see them both again next year.