Whoopsy!

It’s been pretty very rainy and windy this week, and last week too really. It’s times like these that test a horse lover! There are some mornings where I confess I don’t jump out to feed her with a smile on my face – more of a grimace against the wind and lashing rain. I don’t think she cares much though – as long as breakfast and dinner turn up.

Keeping her hay in one place is a bit of a challenge in these high winds. As soon as I put it down, it starts getting blown all over the field. I have taken to ramming it into the roots of one of the big trees in her field, but it can only protect so much of it. I suspect I am effectively flinging half her hay to the winds at the moment.

Changing rugs is a bit of a game too when it’s really windy. She is very good really, but inevitably she gets a little alarmed at times when the rug flies up in the wind whilst I am trying to do up the buckles and catches. I wouldn’t say she gets spooky – I think “whoopsy” is more the word…lol!

I was dead chuffed this morning. For the first time, she let me stroke her face from the front without flinching or moving her head away. I am so used to running my hand up and stroking the forehead of my other two, I just did the same as I was leaving Beauty this morning and she was happy with it. It wasn’t until I had done it that I realised it was a first.

I have some photos taken a couple of weeks ago of her with a lovely lady from IHDG who came to meet her and give her a new rug. I need to resize the pics before I upload them, but I will try and get that done.

Beauty’s first visitor tomorrow!

Beauty has a visitor coming to see her tomorrow – a lady called Clare that has followed the story of her rescue and has very kindly offered to bring her a spare rug she has. I am delighted. We only have two working rugs (there is a third but it needs a buckle fixed and I have some doubts about it’s rainproofing) – one is on at night and the other during the day. It all gets a bit of a challenge to dry the rugs off in between soakings.

There must be an art to this. Lisa at the stables, a very experienced horse keeper, says the secret is to have massive numbers of rugs in all weights. So that’s the cuurent plan – with a long term agenda to have one of those carpet display thingies they have in shops which hold up great big sections of carpet.

Also, Gill of Westgate Labs has sent through a complimentary worm count sample-gathering kit. I forsee much fun and games trying to catch and choose exactly the right poo. I might add, I haven’t read the instructions yet. Last time I had a worm count done, I took a massive bin bag full of poo into the vets. I naievely imagined they needed the entire offering! That was a few years ago mind – I am slightly less clueless now. I just think poo sampling has tremendous comic potential!

Quite seriously though, I am really touched at the support I have received wth Beauty and it will be really useful to have a proper assessment of where her worm status is.

Lakota

Can’t write too much about it here, but I have been doing a couple of other missions last week and this week. Sorry to be cryptic, but I wanted to let people-who-must-be-wondering-and-might-come-here-looking-for-news know that all went perfectly and His Loveliness is safe and well!

It’s a shame I can’t blog these two stories too, because they are just as remarkable in their own way. Maybe one day

Language

Had a gorgeous cuddle with Beauty after breakfast today. Sometimes she is up for a cuddle, sometimes she isn’t. I really needed one today and it was just absolutely lovely.

Yesterday, my boyfriend Rod came with me to give her her feed. She whinnied and whickered as I was climbing over the gate. Rod doesn’t know horses really and so asked what she meant when she made that noise. I explained that it was a bit like a dog wagging it’s tail (he’s a dog man!) and that it means she is happy and excited about her breakfast. Rod said that he could tell it meant she was happy.

I got to thinking about that. Isn’t it interesting that someone who doesn’t know horses and hasn’t made a point of learning their language, behaviour and psychology can nevertheless tell when a horse is really happy? Does that demonstrate that there is a natural language that crosses species boundaries and is hard wired into our brains? I wonder.

Conversely, man can sometimes get it seriously wrong and misinterpret the language of another species. I heard recently about a man who has a remarkably close relationship with wild bears. He speaks of the way that a bears ground smacking is often interpreted by humans as aggression – but it is really their way of expressing fear. Here’s a short extract:

And you can watch the full hour long documentary here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00np2gk

Riding and horse whispering

I think it is so important to give a horse a chance to settle in to a new place. Too often I hear of people who are trying to ride their new horse within a matter of days of it’s arrival, sometimes the same day. Then we hear that the horse bucked them off and is getting sold on or returned to seller. That is soooo obviously stupid! Yet it happens, even amongst supposedly enlightened modern horse people.

Horses are not bicycles! Some people really need to get a bicycle instead I feel.

Can you imagine if I had tried to ride Beauty that first week? First month? Even now? Even if she had been in good health, it would have been so unfair. As it is, I may not ever ride her. I probably won’t in fact. I have a great big warmblood cross new forest called TigerLily who has been preparing for the job of my riding horse for the last 6 years. To be fair, she was up for it years ago, but I decided to let her grow up and settle down a bit first. She is a very strong and unbroken spirit. She will be both magnificent and terrifying to ride I think!

Having said all that, I am half joking. I don’t really care about riding. You see, riding is one of the most trivial things a person can do with a horse. I get a lot more out of a cuddle, a massage, feeling her energy, smoothing my hands through her aura, interacting with her energy, feeling her thoughts and feelings and blending some part of my own spirit and consciousness with hers. That’s what is truly possible. People tend to think I am crazy or pretentious when I talk about these things – which is a shame because it means they discount them and discount the possibility that we can all have that. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone could have that harmony and connection with animals? How much better would it be for the animals and the humans? Afterall, it is hard to be cruel and unkind to a creature you are that closely connected with. It could stop animal cruelty overnight!

I’ve been studying horse whispering for many years now. I have found that many effective and experienced horse trainers get called “horse whisperers” when what they are doing has nothing to do with psychic, energetic or spiritual communication. It’s often just used as a term of respect or honour. Whilst it’s very nice for the men it gets applied to (I blame the film!), it doesn’t do the concept of horse whispering much good. People get to thinking it’s just about wearing a cowboy hat or chasing a horse round a pen. In reality, it has nothing to do with those things.

Horse whispering is at it’s best and most real when a human and a horse meet in neutral and unrestricted conditions, where two creatures share space, feelings and truly communicate. It does the whisperer as much good as it does the horse. Man, in his foolish arrogance, imagines that we are the ones doing the whispering and the horse is the one that benefits. In fact, it is all the other way round. Horse whispering – as with all forms of animal communication – takes you to a higher level, a greater consciousness, brings you partly into spirit world and a big step closer to God. I’ve experienced all these things and I know beyond question.

If more people learned the magic of horse whispering, real horse whispering, they would not need to ride a horse. If they did ride, it would be with harmony, understanding and a flow that they would not otherwise have. There would not be so many companion horses facing the bullet because they can’t be ridden anymore. That’s a bit like getting your mother shot when she passes the menopause and can’t have babies anymore. You wouldn’t do it would you? Why? Because 1) She has the right to live and you have no right to take that away and 2) Because she has so much more to offer than baby manufacture.

It’s a bit like that with horses – very like it in fact. Riding is the least of what we can share with them.

2 months

I just realised it’s a month since I posted some pics. I have been taking them more regularly, but have been too busy to post them here (have been doing a couple of other rescue missions – which are still in progress). I will fill the gaps in with the pics from the last month, but for now here are some taken today.

Beauty had her feet done last week. She stood like a pro! Shari did the trim. She has pretty good feet, but there had been a flare on the back right that needed to come off. Now the trim is done, that one looks much better.

Last night’s excitement was a massive helicopter landing right next to her field. When I came back from feeding my other two, I saw the helicopter pad runway lights were on, so I went in to the hotel to ask if they needed to be as they were pretty disturbing for my horse. Not that she was really bothered. I had already gone to see how she was coping. She was just grazing in the furthest corner and looking up at the lights from time to time.

When the chopper finally came in, I think I was as alarmed as she was. It was MASSIVE! And coming in at night, it was like an alien spacecraft landing – headlights first illuminating her field, stinky burnt fuel, very noisy chopper blades (OK alien spaceships are normally silent – and yes, we get them over the park sometimes!). Beauty ran around as it came into land, then came to a stand still and stared at the monster. I think I did pretty much the same, minus the running around. Then she went back to grazing.

This morning, she didn’t want her day rug on. It was a medium temperature day, but very sunny. I let her be for a few hours, but went out and put it on just as it was about to rain. One of the great things about having her on site is that I can just go out and tend to her anytime.

She has put on loads of weight now – as the photos will show. It is exactly 2 months and 1 day since I rescued her.

Temperament-wise she is a pretty relaxed kind of horse. Sometimes something sets her off, but not often. Shari did warn me that “she has issues” and I have to agree with that. She is responding well to good care, lots of great food and a disciplined routine. She is waiting at the gate for me when I go to feed her most days – she knows when it will be.

I think I will learn a lot more about her over the coming months and years. It is a relationship that will grow and develop I feel. She is still working me out and I am still working her out. She is trusting me to look after her and I am not asking for anymore trust than that just yet. I would like to get to the point where I can take her out for lovely walks in the forest, but it may be a while before we get to that.

On with the pics! They say it all really…

Really getting up to weight now…

Very shiny horse!




Cheeky!

Home safe and sound :)

I’m delighted to say that today’s move went very smoothly and safely!

I had hired a professional horse transport lady called Karen (who advertises on the NFED: Karen Buchan 07831 762268). She was fantastic! She drove so slowly and considerately, very sensibly stopping regularly to let other motorists pass our convey rather than get frustrated and cause problems – and let us load Beauty quietly and in our own way. I couldn’t have asked for a better service. I am very glad I booked her.

Shari loaded Beauty beautifully! She was very gentle and patient and gave her plenty of time to think about things. There was no force, no stress and it was all very calm. Beauty didn’t take long to load – less than 5 minutes. She needed time to look at the box and think things over. There was a moment of resistance, but Shari kept the pressure on the line and Beauty dropped her resistance and made the line go slack. Then she thought a little more before putting first one foot on the ramp, then another – then she followed Shari in.

The box was perfect. It was beautifully padded, impeccably clean and designed to support the horse but with no bits clanging or waving about. If I was buying a box, I would want one like that.

Most importantly, it wasn’t a trailer, so it wouldn’t have got Beauty worried about the accident she had when the trailer rolled with her in it.

Shari travelled in the back of the box with Beauty as she went up the unmade road out of her place. Then she hopped out and got into the cab because she felt Beauty was going to be OK. I followed behind in my car with my dog and Shari’s. A couple of Shari’s friends followed in the car behind so they could take her home afterwards.

When we unloaded her the other end, she was calm and cool as a cucumber. She hadn’t sweated up at all and was quite happy with things. She was interested in her new environment and looked around with a perky expression on her face, but not a worried one. I told her that I had promised her I would only take her nice places and that she would like it here. She had travelled without a rug, to avoid any rug-related entanglements, but Shari it on her before getting her out of the box.

We walked her down to her field and let her go. She trotted off, full of curiosity and excitement, and went and checked out her new neighbours.

A very peaceful and successful journey!

“Your transport Madam!”…

“Would you come in here please?”

Starting out

“Yup – she’s fine, let’s go!”

“The world seems to have changed!”

“OK – where am I?”

A girl needs her coat on before meeting the public…

Time to make an entrance

Wahay!

Meeting the neighbours (Beauty is the pale blue spot in the distance!)

Nice big trees in her new field

New neighbours – a 20 yr old and a 30 yr old

New neighbours in field on other side

Today’s the day!

Today’s the day! Beauty is leaving Shari’s place now that her wounds have healed and she doesn’t need such close, expert attention. She is coming home to the parkland I live in in the forest. Yay! Very exciting.

I have the lorry booked for midday. I am using a professional horse moving service from Wiltshire.

Fingers crossed for a good and safe journey!

Preparations to come home

I am planning to move Beauty to my place this week – hopefully Wednesday if the lorry is available (I am using a professional moving service as I want a lorry not a trailer for her now that I know about her trailer accident). It was meant to be today or tomorrow, but plans got a bit delayed when both Shari and I got involved in trying to save an orphan foal. That’s a seperate story and I can’t really write about it here for various reasons. The situation is not yet resolved yet, but a solution is in sight – so I ask your prayers for the little foal and a good outcome.

Today I put the electric fence up for Beauty’s paddock here. It’s a lovely field with great big oak trees for shelter and lots of lush grass. If my other two were going into that grass, I would be having kittens because they are both too fat and I have spent much of the summer trying to keep their weight down. But Beauty needs all the goodness and weight she can get, so it will be an excellent place for her. She will have horsey company in fields on two sides of her paddock and I will look to integrate her slowly with the other two old horses in the other half of her field. I don’t want her to be alone for any longer than necessary because horsey company is so important.

I feel sad to be taking her away from Shari’s place and her horses. I don’t like changing her environment again so soon. But it has to be done. She will have a good long time in the new place now, so hopefully she will settle in and be happy in her new permanent home.

I am going to have to stop working silly hours and change my schedule so that I am up early to feed her and take her rug off if it’s a nice day. That will be good for me too though. As it is, I frequently work til 3 or 4 in the morning (I’m a programmer and web developer and work from home). It’s not healthy and I know I shouldn’t do it. I break all the rules of health – I don’t eat properly, I don’t sleep enough or regularly and I am frequently stressed. So, ironically, by forcing me into a healthier routine, Beauty is probably going to save my life just as much as I saved hers

I am going over to see her tomorrow. Shari wants to make sure I am happy and confident doing all that she needs done and walking her in places that are strange to her. I’m not worried. I doubt she will be as tricky as TigerLily can be when she gets in a strop and I handle her quite happily. I see it as a relationship – we will get used to each other’s little ways! The only way that is really going to happen is by working through it all one day at a time.

Wish I knew what she is like with traffic – not that I am planning to take her out on the roads. But there is an access road running up through the park which I will have to lead her up whenever I want to take her to her stable. A bit of spooking or stropping I can handle, but if she is likely to tank off I would rather know! My gelding tanks off and there is not a thing anyone can do to stop him when he goes. As long as she doesn’t do that, we should be fine.

I am both anxious and excited. The excitement is obvious – I can’t wait to have her close and spend lots of time with her. I am anxious about the commitment and always having to be here at 8 in the morning and just before dark at night – to feed and do rugs. But maybe I can persuade one of the other livery girls to give her her feed on the rare occasion I have to be somewhere else. I don’t do much other than work and go see my horses, so it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just that it is a new commitment and I take these things seriously.

1 month on from Rescue

I’m afraid these photos aren’t that good. I visited Beauty quite late in the day on Monday and the light was going, so it was hard to get good pics and keep them in focus. Nevertheless, I think they show her improved condition and general state of being.

I took my friend Georgina to visit her. Georgina lives elsewhere in the country and doesn’t get to visit the forest very often. I remember calling her to tell her about Beauty the day after I got her. So she has been looking forward to meeting her. Beauty reacted strangely to her at first. She was almost alarmed. We wondered whether Beauty has had a bad experience of a blonde girl in the past and got a bit of a flash back when she met Georgina. Beauty soon decided Georgina was OK though and Georgina was able to have some nice strokes and cuddles with her.

Beauty has been a bit tense for a couple of days this week. One of Shari’s horses has had an eye problem though and there has been an atmosphere of tension and worry going on. I think Beauty has picked up on this, because she relaxed as soon as the other horse started getting better and the vet confirmed that he will be fine and regain full sight.

I got her vaccinations done this week (flu and tet) so she is all ready to move in to my place. Am very excited! We are going to sort out the electric fencing over the weekend with a view to moving her on Monday or Tuesday. Beauty was an absolute angel for the vet. She stood perfectly still and there was not the slightest flinch when the vaccination needle went in. I guess Beauty has seen a lot of life and doesn’t get too upset about things like vets and needles.

I have a stable waiting for her at her new home as well as a field. In general, I favour keeping horses as naturally as possible. My other two are out un-rugged 24/7 and are barefoot. They have never even seen a stable. But Beauty is a different kettle of fish. She is a fine mare, a fine breed, an old girl and one that has been through the mill. So I think a more conventional approach will be better for her. I wonder how she used to be kept? I am guessing stabling at night and grazing during the day. But maybe not. Some performance horses are stabled all the time when not working and their diets are kept constant and controlled. I will give her ex-owner a call and try and find out what she has been used to for much of her life. We have to make our beautiful girl as comfortable and happy as possible!

Sunset over Beauty’s field

I just love the gold highlights in her mane!