Still smiling

So I am still smiling as BG has again been a dream to catch. She seems very placid at the moment. I am sure it won’t last and I will be tearing my hair out again struggling to get her head collar on even in her shelter, or even getting her to come near me. I need to keep a level head and not become complacent whilst she is being such a perfect little pony.

Last night I went up to her in the field with her bowl of food and head collar. She didn’t really start to approach me so it was more on my terms than hers compared to some times. When I got close unfortunately P1 decided to join in. He has been herding BG round the field by head butting her side, poor girl isn’t getting any peace at the moment. So to get away from P1 I picked up the bowl and moved forward, poor BG gave me such a confused look as if to say ‘I thought you wanted to catch me, I am stood here so perfectly and then you moved away from me’. Luckily she did then follow me and P1 kept his distance long enough for me to head collar BG (nose in first time) and lead her in for food.

She then had a lunge and a bit of leading in-hand going over the poles laid out in the field.

This morning BG was standing guard whilst P1 and P2 had a sleep, which is quite unusual as BG normally seems to make one of them take the look out post. She saw us but made no move to come in until I had sorted myself out (hung up lead ropes, got her breakfast and watered it down), and then she begun to amble down. Some days you just get a feeling about the sort of mood BG will be in, this morning that feeling told me she would be okay to approach with the head collar and no food. So I did. She looked at me at first as if to say what are you doing, then let me put the head collar over her nose. First time she pulled back, second time it went on with no hesitation, then I had to quickly do it up as she was getting irritated by a fly on her side.

I don’t need the head collar on to lead her in at the moment, once it is on I let go and she walks down beside me. It is just to get her used to being caught in different areas as one day I will need to catch her to lead her. I just can’t believe how well she has taken it recently. It is as if she is telling me it has never been an issue; but I know it has, hours of struggling to teach her it won’t hurt to have it on and months (even years) of her not letting you even approach her in the field, head collar or not, tell me that.

Oh, and another good note – it has rained! Still need some more rain though.