23rd August 2008

We haven't worked with Charlot in a while. Just let him enjoy the summer with his friends with little, if any, human pressure.

So, today I decided we would do a small something in the training department. I caught him with no bother (a piece of apple thrown did the trick) and led him into the indoor school. Whereupon Jo brushed his tail and plaited his mane, picked his feet out and that was it. Nothing too strenuous and he coped admirably. Everyone was calm.

We are busy with training other Shetland ponies who are already sold so there is much to do that doesn't involve Charlot. He is interested in our work and taking it all in, which is a good sign. We let him watch and I am sure that one day he knows it will be his turn!

30th July 2008

Well, not our best day at all today. In fact, a disaster on all fronts. Charlot can't be caught, is jumpy and nervous around folk. So after failing to catch him the day before, I made the decision to work with him.

I followed him around the outside of the school a couple of times trying to catch him with a carrot but he would have none of it. Pony friends consistently offered their services which did not help and gave Charlot time to move away. In the end he sought refuge from being followed by me and went into the indoor arena.

The door was shut and the bars went across and I decided that he was not scared of me, just didn't want to be part of the team. Join-up was initiated and it did not take long for him to lick and chew. Although, he would not follow me, he would let me walk up to him and replace the head-collar. We did this head-collar on and off a few times.

Then Jo brushed him. He jumped at her every touch, trying to evade the situation. When she picked up his back feet, Charlot tried to kick her and I feel we have gone back very quickly to the bottom of our snake or ladder. However, we ended on a good note and I slipped him back into the herd group.

After lunch, I went back with a head-collar and after the initial wander, I caught Charlot fairly quickly. He appeared much calmer so we did a small amount of quiet lungeing, just small amounts of walk and trot on both reins, nothing stressful. I just wanted him to listen to me in a calm fashion. After that, I put him out with the others.

He has been moved to live around the house. This is where the fatties are and I can see him all the time. I popped out every few hours with a biscuit, baby carrots or a treat so that he could see there was no pressure to be talked to. Let's hope he gets back into the idea of people because at the moment, Charlot is taking the piss big time.

19th July 2008

Well, an eventful day for Charlot. He has had a nice peaceful time in his field for the last month - we have been very busy planning our trip south for the Royal Highland Show and then recovering from the subsequent nightmare ferry journey back home.

So, today we decided to take-up where we left off. Charlot was happy to be harnessed up but this time the breeching was attached to the breast collar so he could actually feel the harness fitting around his body. He wasn't sure about this and after a circuit of broncing on the lunge, he soon settled down to work sense, although threatening to roll. This was discouraged and Jo decided to put on the blinkered bridle and attached the long-reins through the terrets onto his bit.


Charlot was definitely unsure about this too and panicked very quickly. So Hella and Jo walked either side of him constantly reassuring him that things were fine. Once Charlot believed them, he was long-reined successfully for a short time with just Hella walking by his head.



We finished on a good note with carrots and lots of praise. Charlot learns quickly once he trusts his handler. It all takes time and that is what we have lots of. There is no hurry.

June 7th 2008

I went to catch a pony for shoeing and, in my absence, Jo harnessed up Charlot using the large Shetland pony harness. She said he was no trouble and let her do up buckles around his tail and girth. It suited him and so she led him about for a bit and then lunged him.

Charlot was chilled about the whole process and was working on listening to Jo's commands for various transitions whilst following her body language. Clever boy!

Meanwhile Eggwub arrived to "help" and generally get in the way. He tipped up buckets, made a huge noise investigating everything, while Charlot went round in his lungeing circles ignoring the clatter. I am including a photo of the Wub so you can see what a dear boy he is! Kiss that nosey!

5th June 2008

Another training day.....

Jo was shoeing Charlie (Shetland pony going to Royal Highland Show this year) so I was at a loose end. Charlot is an escapee - he gets over fences and just potters around outside the house. Eggwub is usually in evidence too so I let them into the school, caught Eggwub and tied him up.

I decided that Mr Headcollar was the special skill to work on. I got a particularly "nice" purple one and a pocketful of carrot pieces. Charlot was in the school, wandering about but could not escape outside. With Eggwub already nodding off, standing quietly tied up, I approached Charlot, gave him a carrot and put on the headcollar. He stood there and let me do it with barely a flinch. So, I took off the headcollar and did it all over again.... and again..... and again until he stopped reacting. I had long since run out of carrots and the headcollar issue seemed solved.

Then, we worked on leading again. Charlot would like to walk behind you and bunt you if you halt. With my body language, I said that bunting was not the best thing and asked him to walk beside me. He was reluctant to do this, but eventually was walking calmly. We did try a trot, but he didn't understand what I wanted and ended up behind me again. I won't push him on this yet. More work is required obviously.

Feeling that this was a good time, I attached a lunge line to Charlot's headcollar and took him into the middle of the school to teach him to lunge.

He tried to evade the issue, standing still, changing direction or walking backwards. He wanted to be with Eggwub (now snoring!) and I wouldn't let him. Eventually I got him walking calmly in small circles preventing him from stopping. He worked better in one direction than the other but he learned quickly and clearly enjoyed it.

Jo took over so I could take photos and was much more successful. She is better at lungeing than me! Charlot worked very well and was listening and learning. She kept him in walk and taught him to stop and walk on. She then did a quick Mr Headcollar lesson and could see that he was now fine.

We gave him an apple, woke up Eggwub and put them back in their field! Jo took the headcollar on and off in the field just to see if Charlot would co-operate. He was 100%!

Good lad!

1st June 2008

Today, we start work!

Charlot has been with us 2 months. He has settled in and has a place in the herd.

So, we bit the bullet. Everyone was herded into the indoor school, caught and tied up around the edge.

Charlot was the last to be caught (Ljosfaxi's influence) and was not easy about having a headcollar put on. We ignored this small hissy fit and he was tied up while we did a few chores around the place first.

I did some leading work with him and he appeared calm and attentive. He could see his friends and was happy to work with me at the other end of the school. Leading is getting better. He follows my body language, stopping immediately when I stop and walking at my pace.

Jo decided to have a better go at Charlot's back feet. He was stood in the middle of the school with one person holding him (and talking to him) while Jo picked up his back foot to trim. An initial kick-out, Charlot immediately got the message and co-operated. This is a huge improvement and his feet are now much nicer and he is putting up far less of a fight each time we suggest a trim. He was not bothered by his general surroundings as everyone else was calmly standing still while the dogs and hens milled about.

Floss, my daughter, had a conversation with Charlot and he stood quietly enjoying the attention. Pink does not suit him as a colour - they clashed horribly!

Then Jo brushed him. Charlot was not thrilled with this idea but tolerated it, even relaxing by the end. It is all new and he is realising that we treat him like everyone else and he is still alive!

30th May 2008

Sorry, no photos of this event! No time to grab the camera.

Anyway, never ever trust your pony. It is not a good thing.

We decided, in our naive stupidity, to move the herd up to the fields surrounding my house. On paper, it is an easy enough task (about 1/2 mile away) and one that we have done many times. My house is next to open hill which is basically a 25 mile square field.

So, we positioned my neighbour by her garden with a pitchfork (78 years old and not afraid to use it!) and Robert (Jo's lad) on the cattle grid. My Landrover across the road to block it and Jo opened the gates and pushed the ponies up the road with her van.

They went at a steady speed and trotted happily up, ignoring my neighbour brandishing pitchfork, the cattlegrid and turned right down my track, breaking into a canter. I jumped into my Landrover and followed keeping the pressure up for them to go forwards and go home. The gate was open, two Shetlands in the home field calling them, and to a man, they all swerved right into the hill giggling, bucking and farting, leaving their two Shetland friends irate in their field.

We ran after them for miles while they ignored us and kept going, onwards and upwards. Eventually, about 30 minutes later, they saw their "friends" and headed for the field. So, we opened the gate and everyone piled into the field except FOR TWO PONIES (Ljosfaxi and Charlot) who thought it would be more fun to play together and keep going.

Try as we might, we could not get them into the field. They were wild, uncatchable and stupid, egging each other on. Deciding that they could never go through the gate, while we meanwhile tried to herd them through and stop the others coming out again, we let them canter back to the original gate (the one they had swerved past), whereupon they turned in and someone let them into the field.

Bloody, bloody ponies!!!! This whole debacle took 1 hour of running and swearing.

So, we are splitting up Ljosfaxi and Charlot (the two wanderers) as they are very bad for each other. Ljosfaxi is a known mad horse and he is difficult to catch and handle with many issues. His ideas are rubbing off on Charlot and doing him no favours. The decision has been made!