I have a particular soft spot for exmoor ponies, having been thrown off one called Teddy repeatedly as a child, its fair to say my affection for the breed includes an ingrained respect for their determination and strength of character. This week I met William, a stunning little 3 year old exmoor who had regressed to his wild days and was proving very difficult to catch and handle. William fancied himself as the new Lloyds bank horse , I think, some of his airs above the ground really were quite impressive. He was a great demonstration of the good old lesson about keeping control of your own feet and energy, and by staying safe and grounded, he soon settled and wanted to listen. The long hand on a stick was invaluable for catching him in the stable. He still bears the mental and physical scars of the branding process that all 'wild' exmoors go through, but his woner is well on the way towards having a happy and cooperative little friend in him so I look forward to introducing him to longlines in the near future.

The other home visit which stands out for me this week is a re-visit to Zephie. She is a 5/6 year old warmblood mare whome I visited earlier in the summer for rearing under saddle 'out of nowhere.' It was immediately apparant when I sat on her that she was nowhere near relaxed and accepting enough of the legs against her sides, as she was so forward going this was rarely a problem until you needed to use leg, and then she tensed up through her ribcage and neck and reared. Ishowed her owner some ridden exercises and lateral work to help with this, and showed him some clever ways to work through transitions to begin to encourage her to relax through walk-trot transitions, and to lengthen her neck and outline in her school work.
I did not hear from her owner for a while, and today went out to revisit. I cannot believe the difference in her, her whole shape has changed and her muscle tone is improved. Her outlook is softer and her attitude is more willing and relaxed. She moved happily off my leg and accepted lateral leg aids cooperatively, and we began to work on canter transitions. Using polework to help prepare her, and setting up a 'canter spot' that she could predict and prepare herself really helped. She still has a favourite feel of leg - not too tickly, not too naggy, but definate and clear, - but she is becoming so much more tolerant of any leg aid and her owner rode her beautifully in all three paces at the end of the session. I am so proud of what he has acheived with her and look forward to my next check in.
And so, today I leave for the first leg of the Monty Tour and am writing this blog instead of finishing packing my things! I was so worried yesterday as I had such a bad cold but the lemsips have done it and I am feeling alive again today and ready to meet Scotland! I cant wait to find out which horses we have at the first demo...its almost my favourite part of tour, the prepping section where each horse is trotted up for the vet and I try to guess how they will be in the actual demo when they are being trained. Its all very exciting!

Thats all for now I MUST go and pack
Rosie