27. November 2010 by admin.

It has snowed and I am really happy.  Tony and I drove home from Heathrow Airport yesterday afternoon after taking Daisy up to Terminal 3 for a trip to Sweden and the first flakes were beginning to fall as we drove across the top of Lansdown.

We had not had much sleep the night before as we drove to London on Thursday afternoon to attend the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Gala Ball.  It was a last minute decision as earlier in the week I had not felt well enough to attend but I am so glad that we managed to get there.  It was a spectacular night with dogs from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home lining the red carpet and the evening was packed with great entertainment including a performance by Alexandra Burke.

The auctions went well and lots of money was raised for this worthwhile cause but the highlight was at the end of the evening end when Spike’s All Star Band came on stage.  Tony and I had said we would leave early as we had long drive home and an early start on Friday but we couldn’t tear ourselves away. It’s not often that you get to see live performances by Brian May, Roger Daltry and Roger Taylor and we didn’t leave until 12.45 am.  We were home by 3.30am feeling actually quite lively as it had been such a fantastic evening and the drive back up to London a few hours later was easy.

Today we are taking things easy.  I have sent off my report for the impending court case and Tony is walking our dogs and bringing in the donkeys and the pony at home whilst I finish this blog.  I have a few more lectures and one more trip to prepare for but on the whole things are now starting to calm down. I hope I make it out to Malta at the end of the week but with blizzards due here midweek I may not be able to go if the weather forecasters are correct.

It’s time to head home to an open fire and warm and happy dogs.  Happy sledging everyone.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I am desperately catching up with emails and still have a back log of clients to see.  Sadly I cannot afford to take time out to head to the US for Thanksgiving this year but at least that means I am here this week which has now proven to be a very good thing as an urgent course case has come in.

I conducted the assessment today and now need to write up the report and prepare for Crown Court.

Charmer is doing well back at home, my other new equine clients have noted some lovely changes in their horses, Sid the Greyhound has changed and may well have found a new home and Katie and Ruben are also doing really well. Katie sent me a really positive email and she and her gorgeous boy are right on track.  She walked him down the drive and he didn’t bat an eyelid at anything and stood quietly at the end of the track watching the cars go by which he has never done before.  Brilliant work Katie - well done.

Rusty and Maisie have joined the Pony Club and have attended their first Pony Club Event and all our animals are well.  I have just taken part in the National Equine Health Survey for the Blue Cross and despite having a high proportion of older horses we have relatively few health issues with them which confirms that all the team here at Tilley Farm do a wonderful job and our management of the equine residents is correct.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

Well it has all caught up with me and I have a cold.  Am reluctantly staying at home today as I have so much joint and muscle pain that Tina has had to cover the yard for me. I couldn’t lead a hamster today let alone pick out endless hooves, bring in, turn out and muck out etc.  I covered the yard yesterday though so have managed to spend time with my horses which I always thoroughly enjoy. Myrtle the cob was a little tetchy yesterday so a new rug is in order as the rugs I have are too narrow through the neck and she is a well built cob. She is sensitive through the base of the neck and I am sure that her current stable rug does not give her enough room.  I did change her name from Myrtle Berry to Crab Apple as I was getting her ready to be turned out yesterday morning but all in all she is coming on well. She is such a baby and really falls through the left shoulder under saddle but I did some clicker work with her for the recent photoshoot and she responded really well.  The difference was noticeable from the ground and Corinne (who was riding her) also felt a positive response.

She is also a little unsure about moving forward from the leg but she responds well to the voice so I have lots to work on over the coming months but nothing too dramatic and she is a really comfortable ride. 

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I had the final photo shoot today for Your Horse Magazine.  The final feature is on clicker training to improve posture and it was great fun.  I stuck to clicker training, teaching Sage how to lower her head on cue to help lengthen her top line.  Sage is an older horse now and it is important to vary training at any age so that both horse and rider still look forward to sessions in the school. I think I have written about Sage before in a previous blog and she was also in one of the videos on Horse Hero but to recap she was intermittently lame when her owner Corinne first brought her to Tilley Farm for a one to one session approximately seven years ago.  Freeing up her neck changed everything for Sage and she has never looked back.  She continues to compete (in Veteran classes now) and continues to be placed.

Simple neck exercises can help to make a real difference to a horse so I am including some in this blog.  Some of these pictures appeared in an earlier blog but I am including them again. There are also some exercises shown in one of the Horse Hero videos I think when I was working with Claude so have a go. You may be surprised at how effective they can be.

Raised Poles

Walking over raised poles is a really good way to help your horse lengthen his neck, lift his back and engage the hindquarters. Clip a lead rope the side of the halter so that you do not inadvertently put pressure on the poll and draw his chin forward.  Use a schooling stick in the outside hand if necessary to help the horse to move forward and slow down but make sure your horse is not whip shy first if you do not generally carry a stick. Start with the poles on the ground if necessary and then build up the complexity of the exercise from there.  Vary the heights of the poles and also try laying them out in fan shape so the horse also learns to bend through the ribs.

Caterpillar

This is a Connected Riding exercise which can bring about a huge change in the neck in a very short space of time.  Work slowly and watch your horse’s response at all times.  Many, many horses are tight in the neck and this will have a direct link on how the horse behaves both under saddle and in hand.  Horses with tension in the neck may also find it hard to stand still when tied or when being mounted.  They may also be spooky.

Clip the lead line to the side of the headcollar and hold the lead line in one hand.  Do not tie the horse up as it will be dangerous if your horse is sore and suddenly reacts to your hand contact.  You can do this in the stable or outside in the school depending on the horse.  Remember that your horse uses his neck to balance and lowering the neck will trigger him to move forward if he has had a tendency to work on the forehand and has been in a high headed posture for some time as he will need time to learn how to re-organise his body and re-organise his balance.

Run the side of the hand with your thumb and fingers slightly apart up the neck following the line of the vertebrae.  Be aware that many horses are extremely tight in the poll and upper part of the neck and may move away or suddenly lift their head when touched in these areas.

Watch his responses and look for signs that the horse is enjoying the work.  He should start closing his eyes, lowering his head, sighing, lick and chew slowly and so on.  You may also note the nasal passages start to clear.  Repeat this a few times and then move to the other side.

If he is happy with this repeat the exercise again but this time do a very gentle squeeze and release movement with your thumb and fingers as your hand moves up the neck. This can take a little practice as you do not want to pinch the horse.  The pressure will vary from horse to horse so remember to keep watching his responses.  Above all work SLOWLY.

 Neck Rock

This is a really simple TTouch movement and can help to over ride old patterns of bracing in the neck.

Stand to one side of the horse and literally rock his neck by placing one hand on the underside of his neck and the other hand on the crest.  Gently move your hands in opposite directions to that one hand is moving away from you as the other hand moves towards you and gradually work down the neck. Again watch your horse’s response at all times.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I am almost too tired to type.  I have spent the last two days at Discover Dogs in Earls Court but have been commuting from Bath as I was not only giving a seminar on TTouch and judging some of the Companion Dog classes with Carolyn Menteith, but competing in Temptation Alley with Cookie Dough Dynamo for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and I wanted to take Cookie Dough home on Saturday so that she wasn’t too overwhelmed by it all.  She is one tired pooch but behaved perfectly in the competition and won both her heats on Sunday. Clever girl.

The commute meant a 5.30am start on both Saturday and Sunday but Jon drove as he was Chief Cookie Dough Handler whilst I was engaged in my other activities.  Emily joined me on Saturday and also judged a class in the main ring.  The dog and child that she placed first went on to win the Championship class on the Sunday so I am really proud that she made such an excellent choice.

The TTouch seminar was packed.  The judging was great, great fun but difficult as all the dogs and their owners were all so lovely.  And it was also a great weekend for meeting up with friends.  Carolyn Menteith, Marc Abrahams, Trevor Cooper, Marie Miller, friends from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, staff from Dogs for the Disabled, Demi and Bumble and Rachel and Dangerous Dave from Over the Rainbow, Practitioners Jacqui Carter and Janet Finlay and my lovely friend Janet Atkins (who was on the Maremma stand with Léo’s full sister Ciela) were all in attendance so it was a brilliant social event as well.
Hot on the heels of ICAWC I am nearing exhaustion but in a very satisfying and rewarding way. 

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I am home.  The conference was a huge success again and I have been asked to teach in several European countries next year.  I have been asked before but my schedule is always so packed in the UK that it is hard for me to get away but I am determined to go and help the ICAWC delegates next year.  The talks as usual were highly informative and Trevor Cooper from Cooper and Co Solicitors was one of the speakers.  His presentation was on UK dog law and he has a wonderful knack of making a difficult and complex subject highly interesting and informative.  I have worked with Trevor on court cases in the past - all with successful outcomes fortunately and he really is the best.

The flight home was somewhat bumpy. Even the cabin crew looked slightly alarmed as we came in to land as the wind was horrendous.  We had to wait on the flight for the Fire trucks to come and provide a wind break so that we could walk safely down the steps.  The wind meant that it was too dangerous to unload our luggage for some reason and after spending an hour and a half in baggage claim we were told that it wouldn’t be unloaded.  Grrrrr.  I have things in my luggage that I need so will have to head back to the airport today as I have just received a text telling me that my suitcase will not be delivered until Monday.  I am going to Discover Dogs in London tomorrow and need my dog equipment as I am giving a seminar on TTouch but right now it is sitting somewhere at Bristol Airport. What a pain.

Charmer has gone back home.  He left the day before I flew to Prague and he has been a very good boy here at Tilley Farm.  Fingers crossed that he settles in at his home again and that his owners can continue with the work.  Our lovely little dressage horse has also gone.  He has been sold on for very good money so another nice success for Tilley Farm.  He really did look pretty spectacular when he left and was behaving perfectly both in work and in the stable and I will enjoy following his career.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I am in Prague!  This is my first trip to the Czech Republic and I am really happy to be here.  The International Animal Welfare Conference is one of my favourite events and I am lucky to have been invited to speak at the conference for the past five years.  It is an opportunity to meet people who are working in rescue around the world and to share our experiences and expertise.

ICAWC is organised by Dogs Trust and is a unique event and one that I look forward to every year.  I have already hooked up with friends that I have made over the years and am looking forward to meeting new delegates.

The conference starts tomorrow morning with a trip to the local shelter then the workshops.  Carolyn and I are teaching a combination workshop showing the delegates how clicker and TTouch can help to change the lives of the animals in their care and increase the animals’ chances of finding a new home.

As I arrived in Prague this afternoon I thought I would walk up the road to find a cash machine.  I asked the hotel receptionist how far I needed to walk. She told me to turn right out of the hotel and walk for 7 minutes.  I did just that and marched up the road at my normal walking pace.  As I continued up the hill I realised I was starting to leave the city.  There seemed to be a distinct lack of cash machines and I was slightly bemused.  I then thought I should perhaps observe the walking speed of the Prague residents.  Yup.  They were walking reeeeeally slowly.  I turned back, walked for a good six minutes heading down the hill towards the hotel and found the cash machine!

I am prepared for the workshop tomorrow so am going to head downstairs now to meet up with friends and Dogs Trust staff for supper and will then go to bed as I am tired.  I had a nightmare evening last night with one of the horses at the farm as our neighbours had a firework party without notifying us and one of the horses owned by a friend really panicked as the noise was horrendous.  I do wish people wouldn’t drag out firework night - it is so distressing for so many animals and I stayed in the stable until late ensuring that the horse settled which he did thankfully.   Thank heavens for body work.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

Tony, Emily, Daisy and I all met in Coventry last night to see a play called One Night In November at the Belgrade Theatre. Emily’s best friend Selin was in the play and we all went to support her. She was brilliant. We met up with my friend, colleague and co-author Marie Miller who has lived in Coventry all her life and had supper together before we all went to watch the production. The play is about the Second World War air raid on Coventry and it was both thought provoking and somewhat harrowing.  We all went out afterwards but managed to rise reasonably early to head back to Bath. I have a busy weekend as I need to prepare for my trip to Prague for the International Animal Welfare Conference and as I will be working on the yard on Sunday I need to get my equipment together as I am teaching a workshop with my good friend Carolyn Menteith as well as giving a presentation on how to build bonds with shelter animals using TTouch and clicker training.

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27. November 2010 by admin.

I have had a wonderful morning at the farm.  I have spent the morning in the company of five Sighthounds who are being cared for by a local charity.  Some of our Practitioners came to help and Tony also called in to meet a wonderful older Greyhound also named Tony!

I worked with a nervous female Greyhound called Piper Chick who generally will not eat treats but after a body work session in the training barn she relaxed so much she was able to take food from my hand.

Debbie (one of our Practitioners) and I took Tony (dog!) and Piper Chick around the farm for a walk using a combination of body work and clicker to help them stay calm and focused. The two dogs were brilliant. Even when two pheasants took off in front of them they merely stood and watched them go which is fantastic as ex-racing Greyhounds obviously tend to have a chase drive.

The five dogs settled really well including a dog named Sid who has been to the farm before and is quite active as a rule with a tendency to be a little unsettled in new situations.

It was a very peaceful morning all round and I will be giving the charity a morning of my time once a month so we can collectively continue to help this lovely charity and their gorgeous dogs.  Not only will the dogs benefit but our Practitioners will too as Tina and I will be working alongside them giving them a chance to hone their skills with two Instructors.  I am really proud of all our Practitioners in the UK as many are doing incredible work helping many distressed animals and their human carers too.

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1. November 2010 by admin.

Charmer the Cob has been at Tilley Farm for a week now and he is a highly intelligent horse.  He is coming on beautifully and his back and neck are changing already. He has been excellent to handle and though there is still plenty to work on I am really pleased with his progress so far.  His lovely owners have been out to work with him too and Hannah is learning lots of ground work that she can also use with her other horse back at home.  Hannah emailed me a lovely series of videos and photographs and we can all see clearly that there was a significant change in his posture at some point.  This would confirm my feeling that he has slipped in the field and the change in his posture occurred at the time that his behaviour started to become unmanageable so everything is slotting neatly into place.

My old boy Toto has also improved.  He is so much freer through the body after Lorna worked her magic on him and she has been of huge benefit to Charmer as well.  It’s certainly not time to write him off just yet so I must find the time to ride him again now that he is full of vim and vigour once more.  I am loving our indoor arena and I can’t imagine how we ever survived without it.  I can now arrange a variety of workshops for early next year as we can ride and work horses outside regardless of the weather.

It’s yard duties all day for me then back home to bed down the donkeys and the pony before it gets dark. Tony is on his way back from meeting fans at a London event and he will have to do some repairs to the back spare room.  Two mice had become trapped in the stud wall and whilst I sadly have to take steps to controlling the annual migration of field mice into our home as the rainy weather sets in I cannot bear to hear them struggling to escape knowing there isn’t any way out for them.  The thought of them becoming weaker and weaker as they desperately scrabble upsets me and if I am going to take an animals life I would rather they are dispatched as quickly as possible.  So. My good friend Jon cut neat little holes in the walls last night and we caught them before liberating them in the fields at home.  They had fallen a good way down and had no chance of crawling back up the inside of the wall.  One was a reddish brown and one was tiny so I named them Chili ‘n’ Minor!

I have two more trips to make before the end of the year and more power points to prepare as well as another photo shoot for Your Horse plus all my private client work.  Ruben is doing well, my horse and dog clients are all improving and our courses for next year are filling fast so as usual, all is exciting and good here at Tilley Farm.      

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