Two days off

We spent a rare weekend away and left all the animals in the care of our very capable volunteers. Everything went well, even the most testing operation which was to catch up Mousie each day from the little paddock. There are 3 of us now who can do this, and Mousie even approached Paul out there today whilst he was picking up manure. She still has the headcollar on though.


Buffy, an 9 year old mare from the original group of ponies, is about to be rehomed. She has been offered a very good home as companion to a gelding. We asked our vet. to have another look at her because she is still lame from her unknown injury last year. He could find no evidence to suggest that she might be in pain so she will be travelling over to her new home near Holsworthy shortly. It's most likely that Buffy has some nerve damage which prevents her using her leg normally; this may still improve over time.


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A lesson for Basil

Having a lightweight adult volunteer is a real asset with these little ponies needing to be educated. Yesterday Faye and Catherine had a session with Basil, an 11.2hh. 7 year old Exmoor cross gelding. He's a nice little chap but hasn't done much yet. However he coped with much adjusting of tack, Faye getting on and off several times, going past some rubbish up the road, stepping over and around poles and completing various other maneouvres, all on the lead but headcollar only.

Basil is one of our ponies who is on the 'available for rehoming' list but he needs a confident and knowledgeable handler who will continue his education.



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Mousey goes out with the others!

Mousey has been turned out each day in our round pen during this fine weather which gives her more interaction with other ponies all round. She allows Paul to clip on in there when we go to fetch her in again.

Yesterday, for the first time, we turned her out in our half acre paddock with two other ponies. With plenty of room to evade us we planned to drift her into the round pen to catch her again but when we went to catch them up she stood with the other two to be caught!! We are thrilled with this. But she still has the headcollar on and is still too headshy to even change it yet, though it can be straightened etc.

Her fear of hands near her head is quite understandable when you see what has been done to her poor ears. Paul is continuing the desensitisation work and I think us other volunteers will now interact more; she will accept carrot from others now. Mousey enjoys her walks out with Paul up the lane and with it being dry he was able to sit down; she grazed very close to him when he appeared to be so much smaller.

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