Bonjour's Blog

Sounds like you're going to have to keep up the work with roo or she's going to be getting herself into all sorts of bother some "ponies" are just like that
It will be lovely when joey comes back for you to be able to show him and the rest of the family, how much she has hopefully grown up and what you have acheived.
pen

Not having anyone to hack out with today, I couldn't do any ridden work with Roo, so I got the long-reins on her and after a bit of a warm-up in the fiel, we set off for a little walk out in the big wide world.



Roo and buster are curently in a friend's field, not our's, so she was straight out into unfamiliar surroundings on farm tracks, not road. In her enthusiasm to get going, she was fine for the first 50 metres or so. Then it suddenly dawned on her and she stopped dead and id a little shy sideways .



I kept her from tuning for home and gave her a moment to take in he surrounding then told her firmly to "walk on", which, a little to my surprise she did . We went about another 300 metres down the track and rond some corners and she was fine apart from calling back to Buster, who was being a sissy abot being left behind.



We approached (very nervously) a pallet with a deadly blue tarpaulin over it and even walked past it a little way [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]



Then we got to a point where the track narrowed and she spotted a little way ahead a haystack with an even bigger DEADLY BLUE TARPAULIN! This was too much for poor Roo and she was NOT going to go into the narrow bit of the lane, so we did a bit of standing still practice and after that a neat half-turn and went back the way we came for fifty yards, past the, now, VERY SCARY pallet and back to a wide bit where I could turn her again for another try. Roo was none too keen to go back towards the haystack and we did a bit of weaving and wobbling to keep her going the right way. By now I'd decided not to risk pushing her into the narrow section leading up to the haystack, but to make her have a good look at the pallet instead, as that was on a wide bit where it was safe to turn. She was a bit nervous of the pallet but was much more worried about the distant haystack and kept trying to look that way.



We then headed, rather too enthusiastically, for home and I had to stop and circle her several times to get her attention. A couple of slightly fraught moments when she wanted to rush through gates and gaps between bramble bushes but otherwise not too bad for first time long-reining in unfamiliar surroundings.



It was obviously quite a stressful lesson for roo as she was quite sweated up but not from exertion. However, it ended well, with lots of fuss and praise and a good roll once the tack was off, so I don't think she'll be mentally scarred for life.



I now need to get a big blue tarp and do some more desensitisation with her before tackling the haystack track again.





Bill.

Phew!!! What a brave 'pony' roo was going passed those nasty bue tarps
seriously though, it is amazing how horses reactions can be different when they are seeing things in a different place all good stuff
Will you be able to ride out from there bill?
pen

The girl did good, loads of new things there.

yep get a nice big blue tarp and put that down for her to walk on then later just drap /hang it around so it flaps around, if she's really worried put her feed bucket by it

Well done you guys

Hoping to get chance to ride out from there sometime this week, depending on work and availability of someone to ride Bluey. If I do get her out we'll try the same route ad see if she'll be more confident in company. that's assuming that the tarp on the haystack doesn't freak Bluey out too .



Food looms large in Roo's priorities, so I'll try putting her bucket near, or even.......... (how cruel ).......ON the tarp.





Bill.

How's it going Bill?? did the "ponies" miss you?
pen

I don't think they missed me much. Mel kept them fed while I was away. Trouble with that is that Roo thinks she's moved up the pecking order while I'm away and the cheeky madam tried to take a little nip at me while I was moving her fence.



I stamped my foot and yelled "No!", which shocked her a bit, then I chased her away and kept chasing her until I got her looking a bit submissive, licking, chewing, etc. Then i tried for "join-up" by stopping and standing at an angle to her. It worked! she came over, quiet and cautiously and followed me respectfully around the paddock.



That was two days ago. She's been ever so good since then.



We haven't done much this week, apart from some nice grooming sessions and a little bit of "Try it on-Take it off-Try it on again" with the breast collar of her harness. It's too small for her but by putting it on, upside down, over her head and turning it round her neck, it's good practice for when she gets to try on her full working collar, which arrived yesterday It's second hand but has only been on a Shire youngster a handful of times before he outgrew it. It's adjustable from 27-30 inches and it should fit nicely as I've measured her (as best I can) at 29 inches. I'll post some pics when we are ready to try it on her.



My son, an apprentice mechanic, has also got me a JCB tyre for when we are ready to start her driven work. It might be a bit on the big side to start with, so I'll ask him to get me a lorry tyre too.



Maybe by next spring we''l get her doing some of this.



[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]



This is Tina, the Breton mare belonging to my friends' neighbour at Jobourg, north Manche. while I was there last week Andre, her owner, gave me some tips on breaking and working draught horses and he let me have a go at harrowing the poos with an old iron cart tyre. How kind of him, I hear you say .



we also took her out in the cart for several hours on the Thursday and Saturday, most of which with me driving, which was good practice for me.



[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]



In case you're wondering why she's so sweaty going OUT the gate, this one was posed after we'd got back from a morning drive.





Bill.





Edits: typos

Cheeky Girlie!! I think that's a "mare" thing personally. What do you think? Geldings don't try to muscle in, as quickly perhaps, mares, I think try it on within a couple of days.... maybe it's something to do with mares "needing" a hierarchy.???? Anyone??

Love tina, it's great to be able to get your hands on a "driving" horse, that knows the job!
Look forward to having progress reports.
to mel for taking care of everything while you were off on your jolly.
pen

Lovely pics and lovely Breton

My boys have peacking order and do have to be reminded at times and like Bill said when you have been away for a bit, needless to say Brett is the boss

I have been a bit pushed for time lately but I managed to knock off early yesterday and we went up to do a bit of sacking out and trying on of harness parts with Roo.



i don't think she's seen an umbrella before and at first she found it a SCARY THING. However, curiosity (which she has in big heaps!) evenually got the better of her.



The big surprise was Buster, in the next paddock, who was very upset by the brolly and wouldn't come near me while I had it, even folded up.



Mel took her new video camera with her and put together this little film. Unfortunately it's no in HD because her editing software doesn't do HD, though the camera does. also there's an annoying glitch at the end, courtesy of Youtube because it's not on the original.



[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]





Bill

Looks like time put to very good use. Did you enjoy it? Roo did! Could almost hear her saying 'up a bit', 'down a bit', 'stop' 'lovely' when you were rubbing her chest!

Great vid of Roo, as you say she has loads of curiosity

Buster sounds like Teepy who at 30 you would think would have done all that and be bomb proof

Well Done team "Bonjour"
pen

Great! She's a lovely big 'bouncy' girl!

How's it going bonjour? what progress on the brolly front . have you managed to ride much
pen

Think of you often bonjour and wonder how you're all doing   miss you loads.
pen

Me too , hopefully no news is good news , he is probably busy busy