Happy

I am very happy with BG at the moment. She has been allowing me to put her head collar on in the field again, and not just a few metres from the field shelter, but right up in the top section. This morning we woke the three ponies up as they lay along the top hedge. BG saw us and stood up but didn’t venture down towards us. I went up with her food bowl, a treat (Apple Crunchies – you can smell them a mile off) and her head collar.

I put the bowl down, she wasn’t interested, looked at it but started munching the grass. I moved closer and showed her the head collar, she started to edge away. Then she thought, hmmmm, it’s breakfast time, I better start heading down the field to my shelter. I cut her off part way down and again held the head collar out. She put her nose in and let me do it up with no fuss at all. Then I gave her the treat and led her down to eat in her shelter (so I could apply the fly spray etc.). By led her down I started to, then let go and just let her walk beside me.

Many people I am sure will tell me I did this all wrong. I should have forced her to have the head collar on at the first time of asking, so that I am the dominant one she will obey, and not her being in charge. My theory is I don’t want to force her to do anything and upset her (okay, I will make sure she has the head collar on, but it might be in her shelter where she is happier rather than me forcing it on in the field). I would rather she accepts it in her own time, thus learning it is nothing to be feared, and build up her confidence so in future she won’t try to evade it because she will know there is nothing to fear. I know I am not the dominant one, but I don’t feel she is either, I think it is more equal on both sides at the moment. Maybe that is wrong, but that is the way that is slowly working for us now, and I am not after a quick fix. I am aiming to make her happy and confident and trusting.

Last night the first three times she put her nose in the head collar she pulled back in shock. Then she seemed to say I have my tea in my field shelter and started to head down. I just moved a little way then stood again and made her come to me to have her head collar on, which she did that time perfectly.

She seems to have a very clear sense of what is ‘proper’ these last few days. That is, ‘I am always fed in my shelter, that is where I shall be fed this time too’. The other morning P1 was in the shade in the shelter (they use it in summer to shade, but never in winter to get out of the elements) and BG just stood there at the entrance, ignoring the bowl of food I put down, until I evicted P1 and took BG in to eat.

I lunged BG yesterday morning before it got too hot and she went really nicely. I put the saddle on her on Saturday night and she did her stubborn refusing to move. I had to get my long-suffering husband to lead her whilst I just held the lunge whip beside her to encourage her. I think it will take the two of us to get her past this hurdle, if I try on my own I think it could be a long, frustrating process that might almost do more harm than good. With the encouragement (me just holding it!) of the lunge whip she went straight out. Do that a few more times just to teach her it isn’t scary and hopefully we will be another step forward.