Best laid plans and all that!

This morning’s mission was to start working on Faith’s habit of snatching her head away when I take her headcollar off to turn her out.

The first part of the plan was executed without a hitch. I turned Tilly out and gave her some grass nuts to keep her away from the gate, but in the general vicinity. Obviously it is too much to expect Tommy at fifteen years of age to act like a responsible adult, and I was proved right when he started having a tizzy about not getting out first.

Faith then started her own tizzy about Tommy having a tizzy, and while she was executing some mini rears at the stable door, she slipped. Well this was an absolute tragedy, cue much running about the stable in a wild eyed and frantic manner.

Anyway, she stopped all that when I stepped into her stable with her headcollar and a carrot, which she accepted with great relief. We walked calmly out into the field, and I just asked her to stop a minute, and we both drew breath. She had another little munch of carrot, and I stood for a little bit stroking her neck and waiting for her to calm down.

When I felt she was getting calmer, I took her headcollar off, and although she snatched away a tiny bit, it was much better than yesterday. Now I think this is progress given that she had just given herself a fright by slipping in her stable, and Tommy was doing his best not to create a calm atmosphere by frantically hurling himself around in his stable and neighing his head off.

It was another half day again for me, so John, Mum and I took another stroll down the path beside the paddock. Everyone was grazing peacefully apart from Faith who was standing having a snooze. In fact she looked so tired that she could barely stand up. She had stuck her head in a random hawthorn bush that grows inside the field, and looked for all the world like she was propping herself up on it.

By the time we got to the end of the field and looked back, Faith had turned and literally ‘hung’ her tail over the bush and was standing looking pleased that she had at last relieved herself of that much weight.

Tonight I had a parent’s evening, so was late bringing them in. Tilly was determined that she was coming in first, so she did. Then I threw a few grass nuts down for Tommy, and brought Faith in. She was brilliant given that Tommy tried to follow right on her tail, and even more brilliantly she turned around for me in the barn with all the scary things like Tommy’s toy box, and waited while I shut the gate against a Tommy who had once again started tantruming. I then led her round from the wrong side without any protest from her, and popped her in the box.

Then I went to fetch Tommy, and made him wait outside the gate a little, within Faith’s line of sight. Then we slowly walked in through the barn, stopping and having a wither scratch and a bit of carrot etc. just to make the point that Tommy’s tantrums don’t really mean anything, and just because he is having one, it doesn’t mean that anything scary is actually happening.

Once everyone was in, I went into Faith’s box for a little chat and a wither rub. Once again she let me run my hands all over her back and rump, and tonight I was also able to run my hands down both her back legs and all over her tummy. She also let me touch her ears and poll, which she wasn’t keen on before. She is getting a little bit nippy, but I am just keeping one hand on her cheek, and stopping her getting her head too close.

She moved to the other side of the stable and had a mouthful of hay. Unfortunately it didn’t come away cleanly, so we had a massive shy at the bundle of hay that had ‘chased’ her across the floor.

Then she started yawning and yawning, so I gave her a last cuddle before her tea.