My Christmas pressie to me...photo overload

[kafee]

Last Wednesday I went to Vale Farm in Sutton Waldron in Dorset, to meet Sarah Weston, and take part in the 'Equine Awareness Course' that's she's running this winter.

So, what's so special about this course, apart from meeting Sarah for the first time, that made me want to do it, when I should be spending my money on hay for my own poor, half starved ponies (!?)

In a word: Dot.

Ok, I hear you asking, who or what is Dot?

This is Dot:-



Yes, he's a zebra, a real live zebra, (clearly the person who named him has a sense of humour)! He's 18 months old. I've always wanted to meet and get to know a real live zebra, strange ambition, but true.

Sarah has been called upon to help with handling him, and some of their other unusual equines in preparation for when the farm opens to the public in the summer.





He loves a good scratch



There were 3 of us on the course, and we all handled him in turn. Firstly, just approaching him and introducing ourselves, and then slipping one of Sarah's fluffy scarves through his headcollar, and asking him to move his hindquarters away.



We then progressed to leading him. To start with he was following his delightful companion donkey, and then being lead on his own, with some one walking behind to quietly pat their coat if he got stuck.



Sarah told us that zebras are more instinctive than ponies, and will automatically do a sweeping cow kick if slightly offended by the handler, that will catch you even if you are standing by the front legs. However, he was a perfect gent for the whole of the 40 minutes or so that we were handling him, which is no doubt due to Sarah's careful handling, and knowledge of his boundaries.

Everywhere we went around the farm yard there were different kinds of equines: donkeys, mammoth donkeys, mini ponies, curly horses, zeedonks, a zonkey and a zorse! The mammoths really are enormous, and very gentle and socialible. I couldn't take my eyes off the zeedonks and the zonkey. They look like donkeys, but have strips on their legs:-



Zeedonks have a zebra dam, and a donkey sire, a zonkey is the other way round.



Then we went to feed the Freddie, who turned out to be:-



a Roe buck fawn. Also very cute and very friendly (Whoops, he's actually a fallow deer, very spotty). .

The afternoons activity was headcollaring 3 rescued quarter horse foals. They'd all had headcollars on 4 or 5 times before, but were still a bit wary. I was working with Scarlett. I found that she was happy with me on her off side, but didn't want to let me in on her near side, so doing the headcollar up was going to be a problem. Having scratched her all over her back and up her neck on her off side, I got on to her near side by going in front of her head, and gently but firmly pushing her head over at the top of her neck. Once on the near side she was OK, but given half a chance manoueved so I was back on her off side.

Having introduced myself to both sides of her, I laid the headcollar across her back, and gradually moved it up her neck. Someone else came in and stood on her off side to discourage her from moving away from me while I did the headcollar up. Phew! Did it! Then we took the headcollar off and gave her a rest.

After 20 minutes or so, it was back in to put the headcollar back on, slip a scarf through it, and move/lead her round the stable. Then I lead her out of the stable and around the area in front of the stables.



She was very good, and only got stuck once or twice.





No apologises for the photo over load.

Many thanks to Sarah, and John, the farmer, for giving me the unique opportunity to meet these exotic noble beasts. It was a very special day for me. I'll be back in the summer when they open to the public.

[izzy]

What a fantastic experience something you will never forget x

[Mellymoo]

Wow what a fantastic day! I love all those different equines, they are cool!!

[BJMM]

That is fascinating! Thank you for posting this. xx

[chloe]

Wow that looks like great fun!

[specialsparkle3]

What a lovely day out to have --------------I just love Dot and the fawn. I want a baby zebra lol

[mandal]

Now that's what I call a best pressie EVER! ;D Fantastic pics of all the stripys and Dot of course.
I especially love the second pic! I've seeen that expression somewhere before but not as clear! ;D

[steve]

Awww how cute is that Zebra!! Lovely pics, thanks for sharing!!

[jinglejoys]

I'm hoping to go next year if I can juggle the day off as I'd like to ride the Mammoth Donks,you never know by then they may have got a horse mule ;D

[SarahW]

Hoping to announce the dates for next year very soon. It is such a privilege to be able to work with all of these animals, of which there are about 60, and to play an important role in training them. Vale Farm is not open to the general public yet and we are very lucky to have private clinics like this.

[wabuska]

Really enjoyed those and the whole story.

[jen1]

very very cute how you didnt stuff him in your pocket and bring him home i dont know,

[nich]

I want a Dot!!

[kafee]

I was in Debenhams today looking for that last minute pressie for OH and found the 'adrenalin adventure packages' or whatever they're called. You know, hot air balloon rides, driving around Brands Hatch, that sort of thing. There's one for about £100 for an animal safari that sounds similar to my day at Vale Farm. I think my day would be far superior to anything they can provide, as I doubt those packages will allow for much knowledge or skill on the part of the customer. Whereas I was allowed to use my equine communication skills, under the Sarah's watchful eye.

When I was working with him I treated him the same as my NF foals, and he reacted in the same way as they did, even when he leapt away from me when I was leading him. I instinctively turned away from him, and he decided not to leave me after all, and was rewarded with a scratch. I was the second person to lead him, and decided to lead him from the near side, as we'd only been on his offside up until then.

It was a very special day, one I will always remember as you say izzy, I keep looking at the photos to remind myself that I really did work with a zebra! I would happily have smuggled him home in the back of the car, but I think it wouldn't just have been my husband objecting if I had!

Freddie is a fallow deer by the way, I got it wrong! He's all spotty, but I think all fawns are, aren't they?

[SarahW]

According to one website, being a horse trainer is no guarantee that you will be able to train a zebra. Even being a mule trainer is no guarantee that you will be able to train a zebra. I think it's wonderful that, so far, so good, gentle IH techniques have ensured that Dot has continued to make progress in his training and certainly not undermined it. Working with him and the zedonks, has certainly made me think very carefully about what I am doing and what students are doing. Every encounter with a student is bound to help - next year he has to face tourists and visitors but not at such close quarters!