I can do it too !!

...headcollar Mousey, that is! I have done it three mornings running, in the stable and in the pen. I am dead chuffed to have achieved this. First time was under instruction from Paul, and you have to 'go for it' a bit, and if Mousey goes away a little , you just stay with her, and believe you are going to do it, and she accepts it going over her nose. I am flipping the head strap over, rather than going over her head with my hand. Don't think she will cope with that from me yet though Paul can do it, even outside in the open.

We will have to video this amazing progress.

The picture is from Open Day at the beginning of May; I'm interacting with Mousey and she has moved her nose very close to me to allow me to touch the side of her face rather than her muzzle. She does the 'magnet' thing which we've experienced before; you get quite close, and she suddenly sticks her face onto your arm, as if to get the moment of contact over with quickly. She is such a sweet pony and so pretty now in her summer coat.



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Mousey's ear tag

As you might already know, Mousey has a plastic tag in her left ear. (Her right ear has had the top cut off it). It has been an ambition to get the tag out, if possible. It's so ugly and is a horrible reminder of her previous abuse.

Paul can now headcollar Mousey 'out in the open', and has spent many hours helping her become used to hands touching her head; so much so that he said he was going to try to remove the ear tag.

She was very good about him fiddling with her ear. We have found that the site of pain is not necessarily the same site as a 'trauma trigger' associated with it. For instance Mousey is less frightened of her cut ear being touched than of her muzzle being touched. Her muzzle may well have been held whilst her ear was cut, and it is fear of a touch on the muzzle that makes her panic.

Anyway, Paul was able to cut through the plastic tag at the top thinking it might then come out, because he could see that the button fastening was all on one side of her ear. He then managed to cut the piece off, with the button. Still it wouldn't come, and he realised that the button stalk at the bottom of the other piece of plastic has become embedded in her ear. So she now has half an ear tag, and it looks like it will have to stay like that.

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Walkies!

Yesterday we went out for a walk - here we all are, just setting off. We took Muddy, Rocky, Bobby and Frodo and they carried our bring-and-share picnic lunch for us!

The lanes are absolutely beautiful at the moment with all the cow parsley out, red campion, bluebells, buttercup and stitchwort, and with the young beech leaves dripping out of the hedgerows. All the ponies LOVE cow parsley, and we did stop several times to let them take advantage of it.

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Troy

Ahhh! He's lovely isn't he? Troy is here for 2 nights on a stopover from Cornwall. He and his owner/rider David are making their way up country and we are so pleased they chose us as their next stop after Chulmleigh.

Troy is enjoying a nice rest and some turnout, and has caused much excitement among all the ponies here; Jeremy was the bravest (right hand picture) and was the first up to say hello.

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Open Day 2010

We held our annual Open Day yesterday and I think it was very much enjoyed by all who attended - not as many visitors as on some May bank holidays maybe because the weather was rather cool. However lots of people stayed long enough to buy more tea and cake between the pony demos and we also sold plants, books and bric-a-brac and ran a tombola.

The picture shows Paul holding Mousey - I am explaining on the microphone just how fearful she was back in October and how well she has progressed. She coped with all the visitors very well and I think the day was good for her. Bobby, Frodo, Ginger and Rocky also took turns in the demo pen and since they are all moulting heavily I ended up with almost as much hair on me as one of the ponies (....why did we choose to wear navy fleeces I wonder?)

Many thanks to all our gallant volunteers who work so hard preparing for events like this.

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