1st August 2010

"There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good

She was very, very good

But when she was bad

She was horrid!"

Ok, so he is a boy but this rhyme could really be written about Charlot.

So, off we go again.

I have a broken ankle. I know, I know, stupid, but I do. When the witches stop stirring their cauldrons widdershins, maybe we will have a chance at this training lark!

Charlot did not want to be caught. "No thank you" he said as I hobbled after him. So, I gave everyone a piece of carrot except him. Well, that caught his attention and he decided that having a head-collar put on was fair exchange for a piece of carrot.

I led him to the school - he seemed calm. Jo went to get some petrol for her car so I tied Charlot up to a haynet and he tucked into it enthusiastically. While we were waiting for Jo's return, I gave him a brush, concentrating on his mane and tail and getting the last of his winter fur out. He stopped eating to watch me brush him. His new winter coat is beginning to grow in now and we haven't even had summer. I even plaited his mane as an experiment. It looked smart if a bit odd!

So, Charlot was harnessed up and long-reined for a few circuits. As he remained calm and happy, Daisy took up her usual rickshaw business and followed him with the little red cart, banging about so he was used to the noise behind him. No reaction, so they attached the cart to the tugs, with Jo ready to pull it quickly away if required while Daisy led Charlot.

He pottered about the school, reacting to nothing, and happily walked a few circuits with the cart following him, being given constant reassurance from Jo and Daisy.

Mission accomplished, Charlot was unharnessed and tied up with his haynet at the door while we drove Floyd, his Shetland friend. Charlot watched with interest. He is a funny lad. He managed to get the rope around his head, chickens around his feet and he did nothing.

So Jo led him back to his field, picked up all four feet while he stood quietly and we seem to be back to normal.

I think this was a good day!

10th July 2010

Well, Charlot finally got Jo! He nailed her with a good whack on her shin when she tried to pick up his back hoof to trim. Little bugger!

The session started off well. I caught Charlot no problems and he led nicely and calmly away from his friends and into the shed with me. I tied him up on the big door along with a Shetland friend for moral support and they played "bite yer rope", even remaining calm when disaster appeared in the shape of an out-of-control long-reined Shetland pony who crashed into them all.

The next game involved dismantling the coiled yellow water hosepipe, standing on it and picking it up to throw at each other. Nothing phased Charlot!

So, when it was finally his turn, we decided to trim his feet which seemed to have grown alot in the last few months. The fronts were fine. A spot of dancing about but nothing too difficult. So Jo, feeling quietly confidant, picked up his back leg and Charlot instantly lamped out, thwack. We didn't rant and rave at him, we just instantly twitched him and continued without any more fuss. I think he realised that we don't back down. Feet have to be done and that is the end of it - nicely or less nicely, but they are done. End of.

So then, I chatted for a while with him, leaning on his back and stroking him. He tried to bite some harness so I backed him up for that until he apologised. He doesn't bite people, just attention seeking really.

Anyway I will put up the photos tomorrow of today's exploits including a pathetic one of Charlot's nose in a twitch. His own silly fault.

30th June 2010

Ok, where to start.

We put them all in the small field. I sat down on a rock and Charlot came up for a chat. He was nervous but steadier. I let him come to me rather than the other way around. The nosier Shetlands came up for a scratch so Charlot felt he could manage it a little too.

I got up and he rushed off and I thought "here we go again". I shouted to Jo and Daisy that we had to catch him today as he was not going to get away with this behaviour and we were not going to let it escalate either. I caught Spring, his Shetland friend, and tried circling Charlot to get him to follow but he would have none of it and cantered off to the other side of the paddock.

We decided to herd him behind Spring who was being led out of the field and Charlot turned around to face me. I lowered my gaze and shoulders and went up to him talking softly. He let me touch his face but walked backwards. So I stopped, and again put my hand out to touch his nose and cheeks. I moved closer and caught him by his chin hairs where he stood like old times perfectly happily. Daisy gave me her headcollar and I put it on him with no problems and led him out, with Spring following this time.

Once in the school, I brushed and combed Charlot's mane and tail while Jo drove Spring. He was a bit jumpy but remained cooperative and fairly calm. I stood by his back and brushed that. Jo finished with Spring and we let him go out. We then all looked at Charlot to decide what to do next with him.

So, Daisy and Jo stood on buckets and I asked Charlot to walk in between the wall and them. He was nervous, surprised and alarmed but based on trust and constant reassurance, he did it over and over again every which way. Jo and Daisy would touch his back stroking him and he would jump out of his skin at times. Silly boy!

Then Daisy lay on his back!

She stood on her bucket and laid over his back. She even managed to let go with her feet and he supported her weight looking a bit surprised but not reacting badly. So then Jo supported Daisy's leg and she laid over his back without the bucket and we walked a step forward. Although not totally happily, Charlot did it, looking to me for reassurance that this was normal behaviour!

Then back onto the buckets. I asked Charlot to walk through them each way without flinching or reacting. He had to do it because I would not let him go backwards or do anything else. His leadrope was loose and I would ask him to walk on and stand between Jo and Daisy while they patted him or stroked his back. He did look to both Daisy and Jo independently for reassurance. Eventually after a few attempts, Charlot could walk through, stand on request and not react. His reward was to walk through without stopping and he didn't rush and remained calm.

I took him back to his field and we will put yesterday down to a huge aberration and hope that tomorrow is another day!

29th June 2010

Charlot, Charlot, Charlot.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

The worst day ever.

"Day 1 in the Big Brother Diary Room" all over again.

I sent Daisy, my eldest, to catch him. She came back 10 minutes later empty handed so I dismissed her trivial efforts and went out to do the job myself muttering "if you want a job done properly". 10 minutes later I had lost a carrot and got no pony on a lead rope.

Charlot wouldn't let me near him. He was bonkers mad and gibbering all over the place. It was odd because 2 days before a friend had come to meet him and he let her pick his feet up in the field without any fuss. Today he was a wreck, running around us, nodding his head, avoiding any contact.

We tried for a while and we decided he could not win this game so we opened up the gate into the small paddock and he ran in. When he realised he was on his own he tried to kill the dogs, chasing them and stamping if he could. We quickly removed the dogs so he chased them up and down the fence, charging it and stopping just in time. Daisy quickly caught a Shetland pony and walked him through the small field and Charlot followed, galloping after him. We took both into the shed.

Charlot was a nervous wreck. He would not look at us, he would not be caught and he was so tense, to the point of hysterical. Jo and I got him in a corner and Jo eventually put a headcollar on him. His body was taut, ready for battle, pain, anything. He would not listen at all. So she walked him around, picked up his feet (he was compliant) and generally talked to him. With the help of the Shetland pony, Spring, who managed to get in everyone's way all the time, Charlot calmed down and realised it was the same old routine, nothing had changed and maybe we weren't going to kill him today.

We let him go again in the school and asked Daisy to catch him. He has taken to walking backwards rather than let you stand beside his head. Again, with some help, Daisy put his headcollar on. With Jo at his head, talking to him, Daisy stood on a bucket. Charlot was terrified. Spring helped and calmed Charlot down by generally taking his mind off things, trying to get any reward first. Charlot was boggly-eyed with fear. With repetition of getting off and on the bucket, Charlot soon got bored of being terrified of Daisy. She is smaller than Jo and so we decided she might be a better candidate for the bucket thing. She could lie on his back but he still was not happy. He accepted the situation but was not happy.

Again, we let him go and I tried to catch him with no food. This time, he walked backwards for a while with me in front of him. I walked around his side and stroked the side of his face talking all the time in a calm voice. He was so wary of me flinching at any touch. I put his headcollar on and off, on and off a few times, stroking his back, his chest, his neck and just keeping on talking. He eventually calmed down and was back to his usual self.

What is going on? We put his old mad friend back in the herd today - is it that? We are having the house picked and pointed so there is noisy drilling going on during the day - is it that? Is there a full moon? We have no idea and are none the wiser.

Whatever it is, we could not let him win or end anything on a bad note. We will see what he is like tomorrow.

19th June 2010

We think Charlot has been ridden before.

He went mad when Jo stood on a bucket to lean over his back. It wasn't the leaning over Charlot minded, it wasn't the saddle, it was the fact that she stood on a bucket to be the right height to do this. He wouldn't let her near him despite happily letting her put a saddle on his back and lunge him.

Today started just the same as ever. I caught Charlot, did a spot of lungeing and then Jo put a small saddle and crupper on his back to see how he would react with the stirrups dangling. He didn't mind at all, walked and trotted around without a flicker.

Then Jo got a jump bucket to stand on and Charlot flew off in a blind panic. He wouldn't go near her because of her instant height. Eventually he let her lean over him but he was not relaxed at all. We tried this a few times, and he got worse and worse, winding himself up into a nervous wreck. We ended up against the wall so he couldn't evade the issue. I held Charlot's head, as usual, and Jo slowly stepped up onto the bucket, keeping her shoulders rounded and body bent. He let her lean across him and then two other Shetlands appeared for moral support. Charlot eventually tolerated Jo but he was not happy.

Perhaps he was ridden as a youngster, something happened and he remembers. This was not a happy reaction but one of panic. We will keep trying. Poor lad, we ended on a good, if nervous, note.

12th June 2010

Wow, what a good Charlot day!

He was easy to catch and we also caught a little Shetland too. Jo walked off with her Shetland while I turned around to shut the gate. I thought I would see what would happen if.....I looped Charlot's rope over his neck and turned my back to him. Now Jo was walking away with her pony and Charlot had two choices, to follow Jo and her pony or to stay with me. He just turned around to face me and waiteduntil I was ready to go.

We walked happily to the shed together and, as Charlot was obviously in a trusting mood, we decided to trim his back feet. With me on the front end chatting to him, Jo picked up a back and trimmed it and then the other one. He was a good boy and got small bits of carrot for his efforts.

Then, we showed him the foot stand. Charlot was not sure about this and danced about, so Jo put a front hoof on and rasped that before she tried again with a back. He succeeded very quickly and was calm and trusting. Jo said that she felt she could trust him and was happy to put herself in a more vulnerable place to do a better job. Before he has to be trimmed almost at arm's length with a twitch on. I hope that makes sense - badly put really!

As a reward, I took Charlot to the house to get some more carrots from the fridge. He happily stood by the front door waiting!

Anyway, well done Charlot! What a huge change. He still has a thing about waving arms so I fed him a carrot doing a wavy arm dance. If he wanted the carrot pieces, he had to allow me to behave very oddly.

A very calm day. A very good day and one we will remember!

30th May 2010

A busy day today.

Charlot is not lame. We left him alone for a few weeks to sort himself out and now he is fine and functioning well on all four legs.

He was easily caught and we did his feet (he minded a bit), harnessed him up and did some long-reining. We used the Shetland pony sized brollar for the first time and Charlot didn't mind in the slightest. It fitted fine! He was his usually bouncy self, if a little speedy and mad, having a fit at the slightest arm waving but putting up with things crashing around him.

We introduced Charlot to the cart too. Floss pulled it along behind him and he didn't care at all. So then we put it up to him, not attached, but so that he could feel the shafts along his sides. We walked about the indoor school like this with me leading and Jo holding the cart up so that it could be taken away quickly should Charlot react, which he didn't at all. He minds more about folk's body language. Such a sensitive soul.

We praised him for his good behaviour and told him to grow up or ignored the bad. When he reacted to someone moving their arm, we then flapped about like chickens so that he would stop bothering about it. To any onlooker, we would have looked completely mad!

Charlot was a good boy and tried his very best. We did not attach the cart as a) it is far too small for him and b) we have not reached that point yet.

As a reward and to try and calm him down abit, we did some free-schooling over a jump. Charlot loves to jump and had a great time trotting and cantering around the school, just jumping for fun.

So, we achieved alot today and he has gone out to join his friends!

Well done Charlot!