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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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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More Mousey

Here are the promised pictures - firstly, Paul just clipping the lead rope on to her headcollar. She has a piece of carrot to help, and takes it very gently. This is great progress! In the other picture Paul is asking her to lift her hind foot, which she does. The rope is loose; she could move away if she wanted to. Paul is now able to groom more of her and she is looking much tidier and cleaner. The next big milestone will be when the headcollar can be removed and replaced.

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