Elsa the Redwings Rescue Pony

27/03/2024

I’m so pleased that Elsa has settled so well. Pretty amazing considering she was at redwings for 6 years.
Phoebe thinks she’s just about tolerable, tinker loves her and she seems to think humans are pretty ok!

We’ve been having some issues with feet, I think it’s come from her standing in wet, and getting thrush and being sore. She is quite handy particularly with her right fore and will stamp/strike out particularly if stressed. Obviously it’s a vicious cycle because if I can’t get to them to pick them out and treat the thrush it will get worse.

I use a mixture of red horse field paste and if it’s really bad, scholl athletes foot spray is amazing stuff, and they don’t seem to mind me spraying it on either.

So despite her being ok with feet (a bit snatchy) when she arrived, I’ve had to go right back to basics. I had Lucy Butt equine behaviourist out to help me find a food reward that wouldn’t make her over aroused (excited) as we’ve also had issues with that, and we have settled on emerald green meadow magic grass nuts, which she seems to think are good enough to work for but not so good they make her anxious! I’ve also found that having haylage also available loose really helps her settle.

So I set to work with positive reinforcement just teaching her to comfortably lift her foot, and built that back up to holding it for a few seconds, and then letting me pick it out. (Note we already did a few sessions on manners around food).

This is after a few short sessions, she’s a super learner, I’m so pleased.

19/03/2024

Little bit of drama Sunday! A poor decision on my part meant Elsa got over threshold and very handy with her front legs out walking 😣
I walked her too far and we had company that disappeared at the end point. She had been so relaxed walked I thought it might be time to add in distance and a friend but I was wrong.
We re-grouped, went back to basics yesterday with a shorter walk by ourselves, she was hoof perfect, and faith was restored. Don’t be afraid to hold your hands up and say “I messed that up” !!

10/03/2024

Yesterday we celebrated one month of Elsa being home with our first sit on!

My friend popped over to stand with us (just in case - always sensible) and we did some basic getting on/off the block and laying over with no problems.

Sitting on felt like a very natural progression, so up I went and chilled out there for a few minutes. She didn’t move from her net 🤩 it’s really lovely to have a 9 year old pony that’s never been sat on or messed around with - I feel very lucky!

Today we followed up with some “passive” (ie I put it on and let you mooch about) saddle training.

08/03/2024

Another successful walk this evening, thank goodness for the SUN!! even if temporary god it’s made a difference to my mood and the horses seem so happy
I’ve been laying over Elsa - just when she’s in the field and eating her haylage with her friends. She’s not been bothered at all.
Tonight I used a block and after lots of scratching (which she loves!) I swung my leg over and there I was, sitting on my pony for the first time!
Unfortunately phoebe was hot on her heels and she’s a bit scared of her, so after a few happy seconds of chilling on her I slid off and stacked it totally ungracefully! She ended up with a muddy butt swipe from my boot but didn’t move a muscle! I’m so pleased with her 🥰

07/03/2024

Elsa is fitting in so well!

She’s a bit foody in the field and is quite good at pushing poor tinker around. She won’t go near phoebe though 😂

I’ve started some basic clicker work with her, I know redwings are great with gentle negative reinforcement training and she’s also been trained with scratches as positive reinforcement.
They warned me she can be “excitable” around food!

So I thought id introduce some low value food (chaff) and start doing some groundwork, which went really well initially. I took her in the school and after a few minutes she started getting really frustrated, striking out with her right fore (!!) and shaking her head at me. I felt quite intimidated and was glad I had my hat on! It was very deliberate and looked like irritation to me. So I ditched the food and tried to regain calm and then left the school. On the way back I walked her a little way down the road and she was good as gold.

Yesterday we went a little bit further down the lane, grazed at the end point and turned for home. She was brilliant on the road, we haven’t seen any traffic, people, dogs etc yet so I’ll be interested to see her reactions to stuff. Even though our lane is very quiet we do get a lot of couriers racing around, tractors, dogs etc and things that are typically scary for horses.

So going forward the plan is to use gentle pressure/release methods and scratches, which she loves. We will gradually introduce food over time as it is such a powerful motivator, but it’s essential to start it right to avoid these frustration behaviours arising.

This video is on the way home, nice and steady 😀

04/03/2024

Yesterday we tried the total contact saddle on for the first time! I believe she’s worn a roller at Redwings but this was the first time I’d ever put anything on her back and girthed it up. Phoebes girth is miles too long for her 😂 (but great for practising) so if anyone has a 26/28 we’ll be needing something a bit shorter soon.

She sniffed the pad but happily carried on munching her haylage once it was on and I played around with the girth a bit, chucking it down either side (once I knew she was ok with it!) no drama.

After that I decided to do our first proper clicker session, we started with “stand still, face forward, relax” click, treat. Rinse and repeat. Haylage always available too.

Once she got that I started some walking, halt, rewarding light responses. She’s very bright and she’s obviously had some great handling prior to coming here, although they said she was very foody so just used scratches for rewards. I was using very low value chaff so no reason to get manic about it. Kept the session short and sweet.

All good! My aim for the next two weeks is short daily handling/bonding sessions and build up to walking her out in a couple of weeks 😍

03/03/2024

03/03/2024

03/03/2024

Welcome to Elsa’s page!
Elsa is a 9 year old 13.3hh traditional cob mare, she’s an “unbacked project.”
I acquired Elsa via Redwings Hapton in February 2024. Elsa was originally rescued by RSPCA Felledge when she was just 9 months old and someone had dumped her by the side of the road with horrendous injuries to her hind legs. So bad the muscle was exposed. She spent some time at Felledge before being moved to Redwings Hapton around 6 years ago.
She then underwent significant rehab to recover from the injuries and to learn to trust people again.
I saw Elsa on the Redwings website in December 2024 when I was considering another mare for my small herd. After a phone interview, viewing and home check (a long but worthwhile process!) we were approved and Elsa came home. This page is primarily for me to track our journey, and if people are interested in her and what we get up to please feel free to follow and interact.