Lill
Well-Known Member
As Blue has been out of work for the past couple of weeks i've been concentrating on Merlin a lot more. (Merlin is Welsh D 2yo colt)
These pics are a year old now, he looks much the same now but a bit bigger!
And one of him in his winter woolies
First i decided to make a scary looking thing to put in his field, which consisted of a jump wing with feed bags and carrier bags attached to it using baler twine, the idea was the bags would flap about in the wind and he would then get used to flapping plastic and not be scared of it in the future...
he found it scary for all of 2mins!
Then went back to eating.
Next, i tried a traffic cone plonked in the middle of the field, this also was scary for all of 2mins, once sniffed it was decided it wasn't scary!
Then i took him in the arena and walked him about, we have huge mirrors in our arena and part of them were covered with a blue tarp (to stop birds committing suicide) so as he found his reflection a bit scary
i thought i'd feed him in front of the mirrors and next to the tarp, at first he didn't want to go over to the bucket unless i went with him, but then he decided it wasn't all that bad, was very funny to watch as he would take one mouthful and look at himself in the mirrors and take another mouthful and look at himself and so on!!
He has just about worked out his balance enough for me to pick out all 4 feet now!
He wasn't very good at this, this is the baby who when he was a few months old would get up from lying down rather like a camel, i.e. bum first and then his front!
We have also progressed from a small non scary brown numnah on his back, to a bright red one, to a bigger blue saddlecloth and now we are on to a neck cover, next will be a small fleece rug - am quite pleased with his reactions to these things he looks a little worried but once i have put them on his back and he's had a sniff he is no longer bothered by them.
He has also walked over poles on the ground and hose pipes and watched horses being clipped and loads on the lorry.
Hmm what shall i try next??
These pics are a year old now, he looks much the same now but a bit bigger!
And one of him in his winter woolies
First i decided to make a scary looking thing to put in his field, which consisted of a jump wing with feed bags and carrier bags attached to it using baler twine, the idea was the bags would flap about in the wind and he would then get used to flapping plastic and not be scared of it in the future...
Next, i tried a traffic cone plonked in the middle of the field, this also was scary for all of 2mins, once sniffed it was decided it wasn't scary!
Then i took him in the arena and walked him about, we have huge mirrors in our arena and part of them were covered with a blue tarp (to stop birds committing suicide) so as he found his reflection a bit scary
He has just about worked out his balance enough for me to pick out all 4 feet now!
We have also progressed from a small non scary brown numnah on his back, to a bright red one, to a bigger blue saddlecloth and now we are on to a neck cover, next will be a small fleece rug - am quite pleased with his reactions to these things he looks a little worried but once i have put them on his back and he's had a sniff he is no longer bothered by them.
He has also walked over poles on the ground and hose pipes and watched horses being clipped and loads on the lorry.
Hmm what shall i try next??
