A headcollar change for Mousey

Mousey's rehabilitation is progressing fast now. Two days ago Paul managed to change her headcollar for a lighter weight yellow one by putting it on over the top (in the stable) and then fiddling the red one out from underneath it. Mousey still objects and evades but not in the same panicky manner. I think she realises now that whatever Paul is trying to accomplish is inevitable, that it won't hurt, and that she will get a piece of carrot.

The headcollar change was another major step forward and now Paul uses the red one on and off over the top, sometimes having her clipped by the yellow one so she can't whisk away as the red one comes off.

Yesterday I got this lovely picture of Mousey calmly accepting Paul's hand on her forehead - a blind spot for a horse, and surely worse for Mousey, being so close to her damaged ears.

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Celeste visits Frodo

Another picture from a week or so ago - when Celeste first came here she was so little that she struggled to reach Frodo's stirrup, but now she can jump onto the bareback pad and ride without any stirrups at all!
Celeste now lives right up country in Northumberland so her visits to Frodo are a bit limited.

You can see an animated film that Celeste and her brother made a couple of years ago if you click on the link below -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4e48JnAw_M


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OPEN DAY 2010

The people4ponies Open Day will be held on Bank Holiday Monday, May 3rd.
11am - 4pm.
Come and meet the ponies! Demonstrations throughout the day.
Delicious Refreshments, Cakes and Cream Teas on sale all day.
Lots of lovely things to buy - Plants, Books, Bric-a-Brac and of course a wonderful Tombola!
and best of all... it's FREE to get in!

Please telephone 01884 860252 for more information.

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A routine check up

Sorry folks! This picture is two weeks old (and it hasn't rained since then...amazing). We were at Black Dog to catch up Ebony, Apache and Gus for a routine health check. All three ponies have varying degrees of previous trauma and are doing a good conservation- grazing job. We carefully drift them into a corner of the field, closing them down by a rope held as a fence by our volunteers. When we have it as small as we dare, before it is small enough to spook them, one or other of us goes in and, being very quiet and careful, we can headcollar them all and lead them up to the barn.

The picture shows Apache, held by Margaret, watching Thomas and Isabel making buttercup chains. Apache is waiting his turn for a foot trim.



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Mousey's head

I took these pictures today - they show Paul working with Mousey to help her to overcome her fear of hands around her head. In the first two pictures her fear of the hand contact is obvious although she was only being evasive rather than making the very violent movements that she used to do. In the third picture, about 5 minutes later, she is coping a bit better and has taken the tension off the rope. In the fourth picture (another 5 minutes) she has relaxed, with lowered head and softer eye.

Mousey is turned out each day with another mare but she comes to be caught (clipped on to a lead rope) with no trouble at all. She leads nicely, grazes on the lead and Paul has groomed most of her. We just have to overcome the head touching so that she can accept headcollaring - something that is still a little way off.

Oh I nearly forgot!! She all but came in the kitchen yesterday - Paul saw her coming and I, as quickly as I dared so as not to alarm her, walked through the kitchen to block her, hands up - (Pip was already standing guard on the rug with his best intimidating posture and lowered head!) - Mousey turned, without panicking, in the tiny space between door, flowerpots and gate.

I think she is really intelligent and had come to ask about going to the back lawn, because when I went out that is what she was indicating.

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Buffy's new home

Today Buffy has travelled over to Holsworthy to be a companion to Bugsy, a 9 year old gelding. We are so pleased to have re-homed a pony as the recession seemed to affect us quite badly with no homes offered for many months. It is especially good for Buffy to have been homed as she has been lame since last summer and we are not sure that she will recover completely. (see last posting)

Buffy is a sweet little mare, quite laid back - she whinnied when she spotted Bugsy though, and I think they will be great friends. He was certainly very pleased to see her, and celebrated with some high jinks around his paddock even though they have only met over the fence as yet.



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