melissa
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Post by melissa on Aug 27, 2007 12:28:01 GMT 1
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Post by sarahfox on Aug 27, 2007 12:48:29 GMT 1
brill,thanks for putting these up melissa! Elly was totally wild and petrified of people when she came over 4 weeks ago,I have been working quietly with her for about 20 minutes a day for 3 of the last 4 weeks.She has really come round now,still a bit jumpy,but what a change!This is her having a headcollar on for the first time and also learning to pick her feet up,both very scarey things for her.She has had to be stabled as although she is thin she had a bout of lami when she came,probably due to the stress of the journey,she is much better now and will soon start going out in a bare paddock for a few hours a day.I did open her gate into the field yesterday but she was too scared to go through,presumably because the farmers use a race and corral system to move them about.Next task is to start work on leading her and continue working with her feet so that she is ready to be trimmed.One thing that made life so much easier with her was when she relaxed enough to enjoy a nice scratch,she loves it now!! This was great as it is the first form of reward( as a pose for taking something nasty,ie;me! away!)She is still not comfortable with taking treats from your hand but will eat them from her bowl.i am so pleased with all the 3 girls as I have had to use hardly any pressure,just quietness and persistence.
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Post by Lorraine L on Aug 27, 2007 13:11:28 GMT 1
Oh bless her. She looks a lot like a mare that we had. Well done Sarah for getting her relaxed with you. I look forward to hearing her progress report. ( Btw, I just looked at your website - what fabulous facilities. I shall know where to send mine in their retirement years if ever i could not look after them any more )
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debutante
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Post by debutante on Aug 27, 2007 13:45:07 GMT 1
wow yes ive just looked at the site to wish i lived nearer what a great yard, im sure the french rescues and others will love it there!
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dizzy
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Post by dizzy on Aug 27, 2007 15:13:25 GMT 1
well done, she is lovely and you can see how she wants to trust you! x x
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2007 15:27:37 GMT 1
Wow, fantastic. I recognise that smile on your face too, it's been seen around here recently!
4 weeks is amazingly quick progress. It just goes to show what can be achieved with patience and kindness. Do you know what makes me so sad, though? If only the farmers could see this, could understand that these "only good for meat" animals could be much more valuable if only someone spent the time. Sigh.
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Post by sarahfox on Aug 27, 2007 17:17:58 GMT 1
Thanks everybody for your kind comments! Yes,Liz,its so rewarding isnt it? the stupid thing about the farmers is that even if they were sending them for meat their own lives would be made so much easier with just a tiny bit of gentleness,none of these horses are aggresive ( although elly did threaten to bite me when i first went towards her face and legs,but that was very easily dealt with,again without pressure or punishment,and it was defensive rather than aggresive)and none of them are even nervous by nature.I dread to think how they would handle a horse that was.
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tia
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Post by tia on Aug 27, 2007 18:55:23 GMT 1
Sarah that is amazing to hear, it must be so rewarding for you, they have all come so far in just a short time, no force and in their own time!! love it..
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suzieq
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The mind is like a parachute, only really useful when open
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Post by suzieq on Aug 27, 2007 22:13:43 GMT 1
Ahhh bless her, she looks brilliant, love that wobbley lip scratch. Bless her so nice that she has turned the corner.
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Post by poppyandbea on Aug 28, 2007 10:13:24 GMT 1
shes lovely
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Post by sara on Aug 28, 2007 10:53:04 GMT 1
bless her she is absolutly lovely
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wappywoman
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Post by wappywoman on Aug 29, 2007 8:10:38 GMT 1
aww shes lovely! well done and good luck
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morse98
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'Lancia' saved from the butcher!
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Post by morse98 on Aug 29, 2007 10:54:20 GMT 1
Well done Sarah!
LizP, I'm with you! if only the farmers would listen and understand there is a different way to treat these horses and that it would ulitmately make their lives easier and the horses lives more bearable.
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Post by sarahfox on Sept 1, 2007 23:11:45 GMT 1
Elly made me cry today.I am now able to walk straight up to her,give her a hug,brush her,spray and brush her mane,pick her front feet up,run my hands all the way down her back legs,put a headcollar on and lead her round the stable,all without upsetting or frightening her atall,in fact I can even make her 'smile' with a nice wither scratch. So I thought I would let her out of the stable into the paddock for a while,the stable is a bit makeshift as we needed somewhere that opened straight onto a paddock as we could only herd them when they came,they were too wild to catch,hence it has a 12' gate that is lined in ply,so I opened the gate and tried to lead her through,she was too scared to come!I have tried leaving it open and standing away and I have tried leading her quietly through,she just follows me to the edge and stops,terrified to cross through.I was just so sad that she could be so scared of going outside,the idea of a horse being afraid to leave a stable that it has spent 3 weeks in is just awful,what on earth can she be thinking? The only thing that I can think of to do is spend more time gaining her trust and leading her in the stable until she is brave enough to take those first steps...I really dont want to use any form of pressure with her as I feel that she has had enough of that,Any other ideas???
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gillmcg
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Post by gillmcg on Sept 2, 2007 8:19:51 GMT 1
Brilliant progress - maybe the stable is now her comfort zone with you too and she's expecting nasty things outside?? How about leaving a feed bowl a couple of feet from the door, then a bit further etc. Or maybe, another horse in sight the other side of the little paddock fence? Might encourage her.....
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