A good old pony

Here's Ginger, who has been with us since last January. On board is Celeste, who spent a few days with us in October. She usually rides Frodo but this time she took Ginger out as well. It is the first time this old pony has been ridden here apart from a couple of trips down the drive with toddlers on her. Celeste didn't go far but was very pleased at how responsive Ginger still is - she must have been ridden by many children in the past. I think they both really enjoyed it!

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The Brooke Rescue Show (in August !)

(A very belated blog, which I actually wrote way back in August.)

Last Sunday we went to The Brooke Rescue Horse and Dog Show at Tiverton. This charity does such a lot to help equines in the poorest parts of the world, and the Show is a fund raiser for them and to highlight those issues, but also brings together many animal welfare charities like us. Have a look at their website -
http://www.thebrooke.org/

Young Millie took Frodo in some of the classes; they came third in the Turnout class and then did really well in the Child Handler class - they won it! Faye has been coaching Millie with her Frodo handling and she (Millie) was complemented by the judge on her comfortably loose leading and also for the fact that even though she was not riding she still wore her hat for safety.

We sold lots of horsy stuff that had been donated for this purpose and we were also selling the wonderful 'pony' marmalade and jams made by our Wednesday ladies. There was a steady stream of gamblers trying their luck on our Tombola and we also sold cards and T shirts.

In the afternoon we watched the Horse Agility Club's demonstration and then Millie took Frodo in the simplified competition version. Frodo was required to stand still with his front feet in a hoop laid on the ground (He's not good at standing still and wanted to play with the hoop), be led in and out of cones (OK with that), walk through a tunnel (good), go past Scary Corner, (good) jump through a blue tube hoop! (very good) and be led through a strip curtain (excellent) and they won!!

The top picture shows a very happy Millie with her handful of rosettes, and (bottom) walking a very calm Frodo through the strip curtain.

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Wilma

I wrote the first part of this blog weeks ago, and will now finish it off so that I can get on with some more blogging, which I am sadly behind with. This is the first part.

Wilma is an Exmoor mare from a semi-feral herd. She probably experienced traditional handling methods as a foal - indeed, she displayed great fear and suspicion when she arrived in July to be a course demo pony. She has lived all her life so far (don't know how old she is, 10 maybe) as a wild pony, and she has a fear of humans. Her previous handling may have caused some trauma. We suspect she may have high status within her herd. She is a big pony - a real walloper.

Paul started to interact with the long cane over the door - she would not look at it, but stood resolutely at the back of the stable waiting until it had gone again. So assuming that she knew very well that it was there Paul touched her with it and she was ok. He quickly progressed to the hand stick; also ok. He goes in to do 'stable servicing'; but is very careful; especially about bending to pick up manure.

(Wilma was judged too unpredictable to be able to progress over the two day course so Paul continued to work with her in the following days. I think it was Tuesday when he came in to tell me -)

'Touched her!' (I had left him 10 mins before giving her longish slivers of carrot wedged between his fingers, palm uppermost, and she was ok with brushing his hand as she took them. He had gone in again with the handstick and made an approach to her shoulder showing her what a stroke looks like as he got there (it's quite important to do air stroking as you approach and not to touch first and then change to a stroking movement)

'I've made a point of moving her around in the stable just to show that I'm the one who does the moving and not her; I just put my hand out towards a point just behind her, no noise, just the visual pressure, and she moves round.'

'Judging by the way she has become accustomed to my presence going in and out of the stable she is not as worried as some have been and may come round quite quickly.'

Famous last words.

This is the rest of the story -

It was the day after that, Wednesday. Our volunteer ladies were here having a coffee break from their mucking out. Paul was down at the stables working with Wilma. Suddenly
there was a tremendous bang which seemed to continue into a crashing noise of moving metal - we rushed out; Wilma was standing in the pen, which was detached from the stables and partially collapsed; Paul was just standing there to prevent her getting out. The stable was open. The stable door was in two halves.

We drifted Wilma back into the stable and Paul fastened the round pen gate as a door to secure her there.

He said he had been working quietly with her in the stable; Wilma facing the door, Paul alongside her neck, making hand contact. She had moved back a step (he wondered whether her rump touched the back wall and there was a combination of circumstances that produced a trigger) but then she exploded forwards, straight through the door and her momentum continuing into the pen and across and into the far side of it, when it came apart from the stables and partially collapsed.

We talked a lot about what had happened and the dangers associated with rehabilitating a big mature pony who has such fear of humans. If Wilma had been sympathetically handled as a youngster she would now be a 'wild but handleable' conservation pony. Although we are sure progress could be achieved we decided that our facilities are not good enough to cope with this sort of situation, and Wilma was returned to her herd. Of course she is happy there, living life as a wild pony. It has again highlighted the problem of welfare issues in unhandleable wild ponies.

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Connor

Connor has been here for two days for handling practice. His new owners brought him to the 'Handling the Wild, Untouched and Traumatised Pony' course which Vanessa Bee runs here.

Connor is a 2 year old Welsh gelding, very pretty, but with big 'people problems' - probably stemming from his experience of forced handling when first headcollared, and when gelded.

His new owner Clare had managed to change his headcollar, which was tight, for another one - across the back of a tame pony! But Connor needed to overcome his fear, and Paul began work with him on Saturday morning using familiarisation techniques and remote pressure. We all watched as the short sessions continued through the day, resuming on Sunday and culminating in Connor being led out for the first time and walking into his trailer for the homeward journey.

He now lives with understanding and caring people who will not hurt him. Now that we've been able to show them some of our techniques we're sure that they will be able to continue to work with him in a positive way.

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Mousey loading! (and unloading)

Paul tried loading Mousey on the lead the other day. Because of her fear of humans she has only ever been loose-loaded before. This time, she walked up the ramp so smoothly that I nearly missed it with my camera. She was perfectly fine about going in, turning round and coming out again. Of course this is all with Paul, in whom she has such trust.

Mousey will soon be returning to the pony welfare organisation that she belongs to, and things will be very different for her. Because of her handling issues she may never be able to be rehomed, but will still be cared for by the charity.



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Dressing up!

As promised, a picture of us in costume at St. John's Fayre in Witheridge last Saturday. There was also a lovely but lively Fell pony stallion in the procession whose rider opted to stick close behind Frodo 'because he's so well behaved!' and he was, as always when we do this! The noise, colour and diversity of participants is amazing but he copes really well, also with everyone wanting to pat and stroke him.

On the left is Noah, as Sir Thomas, in a magnificent yellow cloak and tunic that she had made herself (and thanks Paul for a very late night making her sword and shield after getting the hay in), then there's me - I am a Peasant, and looked the part even if I say so myself. I'm leading Frodo who wore a green and red strappy get-up that I'd made for him. In front are Emily who was a Jester, very colouful and tinkly with her red tights, tunic and jester's stick and hat and next to her is Lauren, a medieval lady in a white dress with red velvet sash and a headband to suit the period, carrying Sir Thomas's flag.

There were about 20 people to be judged and we didn't win one of the two £25 prizes, much to our dismay, but the Mayor gave us each £1 for an ice cream as a consolation.
Paul said 'we wuz robbed' ! Never mind, it was fun.



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St. John's Fayre

Last Saturday we attended the Fayre, all feeling a bit weary from the haymaking the day before.

Another swelteringly hot day, and as well as our fund-raising stall we took part in the procession. This year there was a medieval theme so we decided to dress Frodo up as well as ourselves. I made him a red and green costume; sorry we haven't any pictures yet because I didn't take any! Others have though, so I will post them on the Blog when I get them.

The picture shows the now-empty street at the end of the day just prior to us packing up. Our stall is in the foreground; we had Margaret's gazebo and umbrella for shade. The old traction engine steams quietly outside The Angel and that's Philip and Kip (who raised money with her Penny a Pat dog tabard) just crossing the road.

Earlier in the day the street and square were heaving with people out enjoying all the fun of the fair. Frodo was so good with all the musicians, dancers, noise, strange costumes and especially with the crowds of people, many of whom wanted to stroke him.

We did well with book and marmalade sales and the Tombola; thanks to our gallant ladies who manned the stall all day.



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Haymaking !

Along with thousands of other folk all over the country we were helping with the haymaking last week, in perfect June weather. With the lack of rain this year it was not expected to be a big crop, but the quality is superb - it's so green and sweet. Ted had been out turning it twice a day and it dried very quickly.


In the picture Stella is guiding Pete back into the big barn at Jenny's prior to us unloading on to the stack. It's such hot work but we had plenty of help, what with 5 of Jenny and Ted's good neighbours and 8 of us p4p lot, and with lots of cold drinks.

The total was over 600 bales, but they are each lifted several times so it's no wonder we were all a bit tired after that lot. Ted and Jenny work so hard to help us and the p4p ponies not only with all this hay (which they donate) but also by fostering for us. Currently they have Silver and Jaffa Cake over there, and both ponies watched all the hay goings-on with keen interest, hoping a little would blow in their direction!

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Little Ginger

Here's Ginger, having her feet trimmed. This old pony certainly doesn't act her age; she's quite feisty with the other ponies and is the most vocal pony we've ever met. She positively roars at the boys over the fence if she is in the field next to them, squeaks at Mousey to move her out of the way and all rolling and bodily functions are accompanied by much grunting.

As you can see she is a bit ribby, but because we are very wary of laminitis she has a high-fibre, low sugar, low calorie diet with lots of short chop chaff that she manages to eat quite well now after 2 visits from our brilliant equine dentist Bill Lomas.

Ginger needs a home where her management is clearly understood. She still has much to offer, being safe on the roads, and it would be lovely to find her a good home not too far away, with a little jockey to ride her out on the lead.

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Mousey's triumph

This morning I took this lovely series of pictures. I feel quite emotional to see Mousey so accepting of this attention after being such a terrified pony last October. She is ready to go home, but will probably stay until July. She is very lucky to be owned by, and will return to, SWEP (South West Equine Protection) and they will continue to work with her and provide her with a safe home for life.

In the pictures she is HEADCOLLARED ! ... and TIED !... safely, because she understands how to yield to pressure. As you can see in the first picture, she stands relaxed, with loose rope and calm eye, whilst Paul brushes a foreleg.

In the second picture Mousey shifts her weight to allow Paul to pick out a hoof.

The third picture shows how Mousey enjoys having her tail brushed! She looks really good now.

Fourth picture - Mousey is fine with back feet too!

The final picture shows Mousey so relaxed while Paul brushes out her mane, just by her damaged ears.

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