Weekend update

BG has started to enjoy her lick a little too much. I have been taking it off her but put it out last night and she’s now about half way through it, and it’s supposed to last a pony 30 days. So I think I will be keeping it hidden for a little while. Problem is she acts as though she is so hungry at the moment, but she’s not dropping weight at all and is still plenty active. Yesterday as I was mucking out I saw her trying to learn over the fence at one end of the field to eat the grass on the other side, really pushing against it and scrapping at the fence with her foot. I dug out some old electric posts and have put fencing up half a metre inside the field fence now. I can’t have her pushing the fence, especially as it is quite old and wobbly anyway. There is a hedge the other side to stop her going anywhere but I don’t want to risk it. Strange how should would touch the main fence though but won’t go near electric tape, I guess it’s because it flutters in the wind. It does mean she can’t get as close to the hedge for shelter now though.

It’s been a quiet week, it’s still too dark after work to do anything with BG, but I made sure on Sunday morning I spent plenty of time up there. I gave her a thorough groom; there is just the beginnings of her coat starting to come loose on her neck (the odd hair) so spring must be on it’s way and I can expect her to start moulting all her winter coat off soon. Then I lunged her, only quarter of an hour but she was very good. She was a bit keen on looking at other things (people walking past the field etc.) to begin with, but she then calmed down and listened. As she was doing so well at the end and it was a calm, quiet day I decided to take her out of the field for a little walk.

This is only the second time I have done this on my own. Walking along the road she was very alert peering in the bushes. Then we turned up the track that runs alongside her field. She was still very alert and trying all the time to eat grass. I didn’t take her very far. I was quite glad as walking her back she got very excited by the sight of some walkers on the other side of the hedge and then walking along the road she was looking at things and taking a bit of persuading to keep going.

I checked she hadn’t picked up any stones in her hooves, popped her over the tiny jump I’d set up in the field (I’m not convinced she’s a fan of jumping) and then turned her back out. Whilst I mucked out she followed me round the field, approaching me when I stopped. It was quite sweet, could it count as early join up because she trusted me when out on the walk? Probably not I guess. I need to dig out my two books I’ve got on working with horses and start reading them in earnest so I have lots of different things to do with her this summer to keep her interested and build trust.