I got to spend unlimited time with BG this morning which is lovely, and the best advantage of using up holiday from work. She was waiting by the shelter for her breakfast and, having eaten, nodded peacefully over the shelter door whilst I gave her a thorough groom. She had a couple of times recently when she has retreated to the back of her stall to avoid having the lunge rein clipped on, but she has been better about this the last few weeks; I am insisting she has it on to be led out into the field whether she is being worked or not, just so she learns it doesn't always mean work.
Today I did lunge her though, well, in a sense. She is back to only lunging on the one rein, so I have set up some tyres and poles in a diamond shape in the hope that I can encourage her to lunge on her 'bad' rein again. The idea is I stand within the diamond and she learns to walk outside the obstacles. I then retreat to the centre of the diamond so she becomes independent and learns to lunge again. She got more independent, walking a couple of metres away from me a couple of times, but it is still a work in progress. On the other rein she was as good as gold.
The strangest thing was, when I went to take off her head collar afterwards, she gave a little whicker with her nostrils flaring slightly. She is not a very vocal horse. Occasionally in winter she will call out when we go up to feed her; she has a very deep voice. I have never known her whicker to us at any other time though. She stood for a while once I let her off too, letting me rub her all up around her ears, it was lovely.
On another note last night I stayed out of the way and sent my husband to put down her tea and put her headcollar on. He has done it a few times but always with me stood there too. I must admit, I felt very left out not being with her to see how she responded. Apparently she pulled back the first time he put it on her nose, but he did get it on her, which is great as neither is 100% confident about it.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Far too long
It's been far too long since I have put an entry on here, but then when I look at my last entry not a lot has changed. The ground is still bone dry and BG is still moulting. Her coat now has dry skin in it so I am wondering whether to bathe her, especially with the hot weather we have been having, but don't know if I am best off leaving it until all her winter coat is out.
I have continued to lunge her a couple of times a week. She was going very nicely, but the last couple of times she is totally refusing to lunge on her 'bad' rein, so it'll be back to bascis, but her stubborn streak is kicking in at times so we might have a battle on our hands. The hot weather probably hasn't helped, no one wants to do too much in this heat. Plus, the flies are out now and annoying her, so we are back to applying fly spray too. It seems rather early to have the fly spray out.
BG has continued to be good about being caught, but not in the field, only in her shelter.
On the first of April we moved BG into the far section of field again, and have added a walk way from that to her shelter so she can get out the sun and flies if she wants too. She is obviously feeling the heat as her water bucket needs constant topping up, it means it's easier to keep cleaning it to, which it needs as the birds seem to be using it too so it is getting messy. End of this week we will probably be moving her to the mid-section again, a month on each bit seems to be working.
We are having to keep an eye out for ragwort now and remove it as the rosettes pop up in the field.
BG now has a friend in the field next door, although they aren't grazing near each other yet. I led her over to say hello over the fence to him the day he turned up, they gave each other a brief sniff but both were more interested in the new grass either side of the fence.
So, that's a quick recap on the last month. Lets hope I can keep this a bit more up to date in the coming months, but BG will have a new challenge to overcome. How will she take to a tiny baby up the field with her when I am around? I am expecting and due in three weeks, hence why I have only been lunging her (I have been banned from doing much in-hand with her since I fell trying to take her over the jumps). BG is still going to be as important a member in our family as ever, there will just be another person to love her too.
I have continued to lunge her a couple of times a week. She was going very nicely, but the last couple of times she is totally refusing to lunge on her 'bad' rein, so it'll be back to bascis, but her stubborn streak is kicking in at times so we might have a battle on our hands. The hot weather probably hasn't helped, no one wants to do too much in this heat. Plus, the flies are out now and annoying her, so we are back to applying fly spray too. It seems rather early to have the fly spray out.
BG has continued to be good about being caught, but not in the field, only in her shelter.
On the first of April we moved BG into the far section of field again, and have added a walk way from that to her shelter so she can get out the sun and flies if she wants too. She is obviously feeling the heat as her water bucket needs constant topping up, it means it's easier to keep cleaning it to, which it needs as the birds seem to be using it too so it is getting messy. End of this week we will probably be moving her to the mid-section again, a month on each bit seems to be working.
We are having to keep an eye out for ragwort now and remove it as the rosettes pop up in the field.
BG now has a friend in the field next door, although they aren't grazing near each other yet. I led her over to say hello over the fence to him the day he turned up, they gave each other a brief sniff but both were more interested in the new grass either side of the fence.
So, that's a quick recap on the last month. Lets hope I can keep this a bit more up to date in the coming months, but BG will have a new challenge to overcome. How will she take to a tiny baby up the field with her when I am around? I am expecting and due in three weeks, hence why I have only been lunging her (I have been banned from doing much in-hand with her since I fell trying to take her over the jumps). BG is still going to be as important a member in our family as ever, there will just be another person to love her too.
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