Herd Antics

18/02/2025

We all know that personal space and boundaries are vital in keeping us humans safe, especially if a big, young, exuberant horse is concerned.

Our Dandy is one such horse and judging by all the Nick's in his hide, even the rest of the herd have to give him strong reminders when enough is enough. He can also be over the top with humans.

I still prefer having a fence between him and me when we interact, but this day, I felt brave enough to go into the Big Paddock to check on the river level.

Needless to say, I got distracted by Harry and Beth, finding them handfuls of grass to nibble on.

Then they went out of the Big Paddock, up the hill and down to the river for a drink. Dandy followed them.

15/02/2025

As most of you know, this page is dedicated to the behaviour and conversations of our herd.

I do not consider myself a trainer but I am responsible for our horses' education. Therefore, observation of their body language is, for me, key to understanding them better and doing better by then.

Here is my explanation of Bethy's stance in my previous post. Bear with me, I am not an expert. Still learning. 🧡

14/02/2025

What common denominators can you see in these drawings?

I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks! 😁

It was when i was drawing the top two and then went to find the last example that i realised how i could make it better for Bethy. 🥰

And i did! Watch for the next post! 😉

09/02/2025

Beth tells me what she wants!

06/02/2025

This conversation! 🤣

Adult and teenager.

Hilarious!

Story in the captions

03/02/2025

Dandy may challenge Harry, initiate play but when push comes to shive, he knows Harry's got him covered.

Story in the captions 🧡

01/02/2025

Why am I so good at getting it wrong even when I get it right??? 🙄

Oh, that's right, I'm human! 🤣

Fortunately, Beth forgives my human foibles 🥰

Story in the captions...

29/01/2025

The feed shed is located in the House Paddock, so when the herd are there, they see when i go into the shed to prepare their meals.

One or two (one) can be quite insistent if they feel i am taking my time! Others have better manners.

Story in the captions. 😊🧡

25/01/2025

Resource guarding v being part of a team.

Harry, Beth and me.

Story in the captions...

21/01/2025

This could have ended badly.

And of course, there was a plane to catch.

Story in the captions...

20/01/2025

I wish I had good scratching nails like Eva! The ponies really appreciate her giving them a scratch.

This time, Lucy showed some interesting behaviour.

Story in the captions 😊

18/01/2025

I have had such fun playing with Beth! Three days in a row! And the play time got longer each day because Beth asked for more! 🥰

Many learning opportunities were created (aka mistakes! 🤣) but all in all, we had a great time.

Here are some of the things we did...

14/01/2025

The power of eye contact.

Have you ever felt inexplicably and irresistibly drawn to a horse because they have focused their gaze on you?

Beth does this to me often, a "come with me" look.

The one described here is not quite the same. Quite the opposite in fact. Nevertheless it shows how powerful a look can be.

Story in the captions...

09/01/2025

And horses, donkeys ponies and mules, too. In fact any animal. 🧡

Jane Goodall..

08/01/2025

This should be posted on Valentine's Day, but it won't wait 🧡

It is both funny and touching

Story in the captions 🥰

06/01/2025

Some real life just for a change.

04/01/2025

The festive season can be overwhelming, especially for the young ones, both horse, human and all other 🧡

But it is also an opportunity to learn how to manage situations better.

This story is not so much about the overwhelm, but about how Piper told me something.

Enjoy 😊