12th April, 2011 Mussell Power

Tomorrow Mussells was due to be turned back out on to the Forest however, at the 11th hour, Linda and Robert (who bought Wellow Leaf a couple of years ago) have offered to buy him. It's such a relief to know that he has a secure future and will be very well loved. Lucky Mussells especially as he has narrowly avoided being branded.

12th April, 2011 No flies on me

Herbie had made up his mind that he didn't like being sprayed with fly repellant - it's too smelly and its too wet as far as he is concerned. Time for some incremental training. First of all we used an empty container and just desensitised him to the noise, then he was sprayed with plain water - just once each time and then it was 'rubbed away' with a firm flat hand. Once he accepted this we could use the normal fly spray in the same way. All of this was achieved with hardly a murmur because we broke the training down in to tiny steps -a contrast to the last time he was sprayed when he apparently ran around in circles. After that he had some further incremental training in leaving the other horses to go for a walk down the lane and back and out and back and out and back again.

10th April, 2011 The black boys

Things are going well with the two starters that we are working with at their own homes. Teddy was introduced to short reining so that his owner can spend time gentle desensitising him to something along his sides and establish the aids for steering. Beau is starting to be ridden off the lead rein. The weather has been glorious but this caused Beau to have a really good look at his shadow which seemed to be a curious shape!

10th April, 2011 Gentlemen's Grooming

As well as giving one of my clients a lesson in sheath cleaning, I was asked this week to help with a pony that hates having his legs brushed and a horse who objects to having his legs clipped. With Fudge (top picture) it was a case of analysing what he could cope with and then taking the brush away to say thank you for standing still. In that way we taught him that he could trust us to take away the thing he finds irritating if he puts up with it for a little while. At the end of the sessions we had got up to five In various languages) brush strokes before taking the brush away. He had started to take his attention away from the brush and to relax. In time it should be possible to build up to more brush strokes at a time especially if the children who brush him pay close attention to the way in which they brush him.

The clipping horse has suffered from mites (and now has regular injections along with pig oil and sulpher coated on his legs) and has been sedated to have his legs clipped out. Today we made a good start with clicker enhanced training and progressed from touching with an electric toothbrush to clipping his legs in very short strokes. Amazing moustache don't you agree?

8th April, 2011 Andulusian stud

Before we set off for home, we were treated to a tour of an Andulusian stud where the horses were extremely beautiful and all friendly. The stallions here get regular turnout.

8th April 2011 Around and about

From top to bottom we have an un-named Arabian x filly, Dolores the mule, a Menorquin gelding and then some horses we spotted on our travels.

8th April 2011 Xanthe's Collection

The only work I did all holiday was with Xanthe's enormous mule, Xato (pronounced Chatto). He's a sensitive soul and responded well to clicker with bread or at grass treats. By the end of our first session he would put both front legs on the ramp quite near the top and put his head inside the trailer. The following day he placed his first back leg on the trailer for Xanthe. Like all hybrids, he seems to wag his tail when he is thinking. His Mum is the silver dilute Hispano Bretonne mare.