Wild Pony - Equine services

19/12/2024

Availability update 🥳

Are you looking for a trustworthy groom to look after your horses, or are you keen to learn how to train them in a kind and effective way?

From January I have availability for the following on Thursdays, Fridays and some weekends (east Bristol and surrounding area):

Freelance groom services:
• general yard work, muck out, bring in/turn out etc.

Freelance instructor specialising in positive reinforcement (ABTC-ATI):
• Clicker training, cooperative care, groundwork, preparing youngsters for backing etc.

I also offer bespoke services such as welfare and enrichment visits for horses on box rest, welfare checks for smallholding animals (sheep, goats, chickens etc.) and dog walking.

I'm fully insured, DBS checked (enhanced) and I'm a registered Animal Training Instructor in Equines with the ABTC.

Please get in touch with any queries, I'm looking forward to hearing from you 😊

10/06/2024

Hello! I've once again been quiet here 😬 (will I ever get the hang of social media?) but it's for good reasons! I've been very busy with my new arrival who needed (and still does) a lot of TLC. We're getting to a stage where we can both start to relax a bit, so I'll be giving proper updates soon 😊

22/04/2024

One of the best things in this world is going for walks in the forest with my dog Ella. She absolutely loves the woods, but in the last couple of years her walks have got shorter due to her age, she's going to be 15 this year!
So we're having to adapt our walks while keeping her mentally stimulated. She's very deaf now, so it's even more important to keep her other senses engaged and make sure her brain stays active through scent trails, exploring new areas and low-impact games.
If you have an elderly dog and you're looking for a dog walker in the east Bristol area, I'd love to hear from you! I can provide enriching and age appropriate walks for your older friend 😊

19/04/2024

Hi all, as promised earlier this week, here's a list of my services and availability:

● Freelance groom services:

Over the years I have gained experience working with rescued, young as well as ridden horses and I can help you with general yard chores on a regular basis or if you need a day off every now and then. Jobs covered (but not restricted to):
- mucking out and poo picking
- grooming
- bringing in/turning out
- rug changes, haynets, waters etc.

● One to one training sessions with your horse:

I'm a certified trainer specialising in positive reinforcement, and I can help you start out in your clicker training journey. A few things we can cover are:
- introduction to clicker training
- groundwork
- husbandry tasks (preparing for vet visits, clipping, farrier etc.)
- transferring cues from the ground to ridden cues

● Enrichment visits:

Being on box rest can be challenging for horses and their owners, especially if you have to work and can't be there in the day. I can provide enrichment visits to horses on box rest to break up their day and engage their minds. Things I can offer (depending on why the horse is on box rest and with vet agreement):
- easy clicker training exercises such as targeting and stretches
- scent enrichment such as herbal teas, snufflemats, scent board etc.
- enrichment walks: gentle in-hand walks focusing on mental stimulation

● Dog walking and visits:
I have years of experience walking and training my own dogs (from Jack Russell's to Newfoundlands) as well as walking and looking after other people's dogs.

I currently have availability Thursdays and Fridays, as well as weekend availability.

Message me or email me on [email protected] with any enquiries, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you 😊

17/04/2024

Hi hello! You can probably tell from the lack of posts and updates here that I'm not a social media whizz 😞 Is this something I can learn? Can I clicker train myself to be better and more engaged on social media? 😅

Anyway, some exciting things have been happening in the background.. I don't want to say too much yet but I will make sure to post here when I have more updates 🐴

I will also post a new summary and availability of my services soon, so stay tuned! I was going to wait until I have my new website for this, but as that will take a fair amount of time still, I'll just have to go for it.

Hope you're all having a great week, even the sun has poked through a couple of times in Bristol so let's hope spring is finally on the way 🥳

07/02/2024

I know I've been quiet on here but I'm so happy to be able to announce that I'm now a registered Animal Training Instructor with the The Animal Behaviour and Training Council after being assessed following the completion of the Equine Training and Coaching Diploma at the Natural Animal Centre 🥳
Let's keep bringing ethical and evidence-based training to the everyday horse person 🙌
I've also got an exciting year of CPDs ahead, so watch this space 😊

03/01/2024

Happy New Year everybody! 🥳 Looking forward to new adventures this year, starting with this 4 week course on the Equine Discomfort Ethogram. As a trainer it's so important to be able to recognise and distinguish whether a horse is in pain, experiences fear or if we're just not being clear in our training, so we can get the cause investigated by qualified professionals such as a vet and/or behaviourist.
There is no 'bad' behaviour, there is just behaviour with different root causes, and it's up to us to figure them out 😊

Join Trudi Dempsey, an IAABC Certified Horse Behavior Consultant and ABTC Accredited Animal Behaviourist, for an in-depth study of the Equine Discomfort Ethogram. Learn how to recognize and differentiate between horse behaviors triggered by pain, discomfort, environmental stimuli, or confusion in training systems. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to enhance your knowledge of equine behavior!

Register for this 4-week course before February 7th, 2024!

Click the link below.

https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/equine-discomfort-ethogram/

[ID - Up close left side profile of a dark brown colored horse with view of eye and eyelashes. Text to the left side reads, Equine Discomfort Ethogram: Improving Welfare Through Pain and Discomfort Recognition with Trudi Dempsey, CHBC, AAB. 4 Week Course Begins: February 7th, 2024. This course will help you interpret horse behaviours and postures. You will also learn to distinguish behaviours that might be addressed with behaviour modification from those that suggest the need for further diagnostic procedures. This knowledge can contribute to improved wellbeing in horses.]