13th December, 2015 The Benefit of the Doubt

More work with Stewie on clipping today starting off with the massager.

Although he accepted the massager fairly readily, prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt, he was adamant that he wouldn't accept the clippers themselves. You can see why we stand to one side...

Actually attempting to clip the hair led to an even bigger reaction...

...and so we went back a stage to ask him to accept the clippers just buzzing against his neck (this photo was taken earlier in the session when we were using a smaller set of clippers). Today this seemed like the best note on which to end and will be just above our starting point if his owner and loaner decide it is worth carrying on. Neither are keen to have him sedated (and anyway he is likely to react to the jab) nor would they ever consider twitching him. 

The good news is that we made more progress on handling his feet where he can be inclined to snatch them away.

This normally good natured pony, who is a joy to ride and jump, has never had a bad incident with clippers. The only significant events in his life that may have led to this behaviour were being drifted and put through the sales (but he wasn't branded), and daily medical treatment following being caught in barbed wire. It was during this latter that he first attempted to put people off doing things by escalating his behaviour.

12th December, 2015 Taking The Mix

With no new home for Nettles and three weekends off in a row due to the weather and the hunt, it was wonderful to see how well he behaves after such a long break. Not a foot wrong this morning. We need Julie to win the lottery so that she can have him.

Irish Sports Horse Branna came in for a couple of hours to work with traffic down the wartime airport perimeter road. Meeting vehicles in narrow lanes she is inclined to back into whatever is behind her, including gates and ditches.

Same old, same old, technique, 'chasing the vehicle at the start and then dealing with 'fly pasts'. I like to add in clickered treats but Branna said that she would rather spit on my barley rings and carrots.

While Julie went off to get hold of some interesting coarse mix we continued to work and things were gradually improving...

...including being followed by a vehicle and 'fly-pasts' from behind.However the mix made such a difference that we were able to move on to ridden work...

...and setting up the clickered halt for the next time we work together.

Our second Irish horse of the day was Dizzy...in name at least.

Dizzy doesn't like being in the stable yard which is enclosed on all four sides, save for the gateway, and whirls around in circles.

Setting up a few boundaries and moving Dizzy forward, backwards and sideways, gave her something else to do...

When tied up she is even more active, and an unsafe tying up spot, complete with drain pipe. means that her owner is forced to go back to her the instant she starts to move.

A safer tying up spot with nothing that can be damaged, and a haynet to keep her occupied all helps. Here she is quietly waiting for her feed to be brought over and she has been divested of her rug just so that we can see how beautiful she is.

11th December, 2015 Meanwhile in Kent

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.