6. February 2011 by admin.

I was up early again this morning, had a quick cup of tea with Tony who got home late last night before leaving for the farm to bring in the horses, feed everyone, turn out those that are stabled over night and finish my blog. I did a radio interview for Radio Europe yesterday, worked on the online shop, went to the vets to get some special food for Ginny as her phosphorus levels are a little high and have lots to do on the yard today, plus a meeting tomorrow before I can even think about packing for Ireland.  My cat, Angel, is responding well to treatment which is great but Ginny had a small seizure on Thursday which is not so great but she is still a bright and happy soul so that is all that matters.

I will need to take some wands with me when I go to Ireland but not sure that they will bend enough in my suitcase.  We need to round up some horses and I also want to work with their new rescue who was in a terrible condition when he arrived at the yard so will have to sacrifice clothes for equipment as usual.  Teaching horses to be stroked all over with a wand has many benefits and as I always write about this thought you might find the following information useful.

The wand is one of the most commonly used pieces of TTouch equipment.  We buy the wands from Germany as we have found them to be the most balanced and well made dressage schooling whips on the market.

Used as an extension of the arm, the wand is used for ground work exercises, for ridden work and for improving body awareness.

Before you start using the wand for ground work exercises, it is useful to habituate your horse to being stroked all over his body if possible.  Some horses that spook may find contact with the wand difficult and it is this lack of awareness that is linked to this problem behaviour and not necessarily because the horse has a bad association with a whip.  Some horses however, cannot tolerate being touched with the wand at all and ground work may be the starting place although care should be taken not to accidently touch the horse with the wand until he is more settled with you simply holding the wand in your outside hand as you lead him through a labyrinth and over patterns of poles laid on the ground.

I have worked with some horses that have been incredibly whip shy but all overcame their fear within one or two sessions. I started by stroking the horses with the back of my hand, then progressed to holding a twig, then a longer piece of wood, then a short crop and so on until the horse felt confident with the longer dressage schooling stick. This approach worked really well on a very sharp, thoroughbred mare that had been beaten onto a slaughter lorry and who would understandably attack anyone who was holding a whip.  It only took one afternoon broken down into short sessions before she was standing with her head lowered and her eyes half closed as I stroked her all over her body with the full length of the wand, much to the amazement of the owner of the rehabilitation yard. The mare was waiting by the gate to come into the yard the next day (she had previously been difficult to catch) and did not turn her hind end to double barrel the handlers as she had done in the past.

Using the wand in this way for horses that are whip shy and for those that are semi-wild or simply fearful of human contact can have dramatic results in a very short space of time. It can be a turning point for horses that are deemed to be out of control. This is not about flooding the nervous system or forcing contact upon the horse; it is about drip feeding information into the nervous system and changing the horse’s expectation of what contact may mean.

The wand enables you to stay at a safe and less threatening distance from the horse and to access sensitive areas such as the hind limbs without putting yourself in a vulnerable position.  Slow stroking initiates a sense of calm in the horse and this technique is highly beneficial for horses that find it hard to stand for the farrier and for horses that are nervous about having their legs handled.

Remember to work on both sides of the horse’s body, and watch his responses at all times.  Many horses can tolerate contact with a schooling stick on the near side of their body but panic when you move to the off side. This is usually due to the fact that horses are habitually handled more from one side than the other and wand work is a great starting point for helping horses to become less one-sided.

Most horses tolerate contact on the underside of their neck and chest more readily than on any other part of their body.  If the horse is nervous, turn the wand around so that you are stroking the horse with the button end of the wand.  The length of wand that you are using to stroke the horse will be shorter when you hold the wand in this way due to the balance of the schooling stick and nervous horses will find this less threatening.  Progress to stroking the horse down the front of his fore limbs and gradually build up the exercise over several sessions and several days if necessary until you are able to stroke the horse all over his body including the front and back of his legs and along his belly.  If he becomes worried at any point simply return to the area where contact was more tolerable. Remember you are working with your horse - not merely doing something to him.

The wand is used in ground work exercises to give information to the horse and to improve proprioception, balance and self control.  It is used to give cues and signals to the horse to slow down, to halt, to move forward, to turn, to move a specific leg, to engage his hindquarters and so on.  It is also used to give information to the horse about how he is using his body and to teach him to walk in true self carriage without leaning into the handler.

The wand is used in ridden work in the steps to riding without a bridle if the horse is particularly ’stuck’ in the neck and to improve hind limb engagement by touching the horse on the hindquarter then the shoulder to give him a sense of connection.

We use white sticks because horses can see them more easily and call them wands because they are never used to whip the horse and because they work like magic!

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6. February 2011 by admin.

We had our monthly visit from the Sighthounds today and Daisy came with me as she needed a Sighthound fix.  We worked with a lovely young lurcher called Zaria who is looking for a new home.  She is a really sweet girl and mixes well with other dogs and is also very confident around people. If I didn’t have two elderly dogs that need peace and quiet in the final stages of their lives I would be tempted to take her home.  She stayed nicely focused when we were out walking around the farm and settled immediately with the body work. I really enjoy these mornings and have booked them in again for the 2nd March.

I am off to Ireland next week to work with the Irish Horse Welfare Trust so need to get organised and actually book my ticket. I am also due to visit Poland at the end of the month and have even more requests to travel abroad.  I can’t believe we are already in February and have no doubt that the rest of the year is going to whizz by. I still haven’t finished the online shop (AAARGH!) and MUST get that done before I leave on Tuesday so have a feeling there will be a couple of late nights in the office.  I also now have a sick cat so went back to the vets again this afternoon and have more pills to dish out in the mornings.  Daisy is brilliant with the animals and a great help so I know that they will all be looked after in my absence.

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6. February 2011 by admin.

The Inbetweeners won another award at the National Television Awards on Wednesday and I made an appearance too which rather took me by surprise.  This Morning was up for an award (which they won) and the clip of Dukie the terrier, leaving the studio, was shown. That clip, unlike the dog, is never going to disappear.  Made me laugh a lot - again!

I have almost finished the online shop with Jon’s help and have had another meeting with our harness maker as we want to have other colours available.  Ginny hasn’t had a seizure at all which is great and Tony is rushing around doing radio interviews, costume fittings and rehearsals for two films which is strange because according to local gossip he is in hospital having had a heart attack!  It can be quite amusing when we hear stories of what we are up too.  At least we give people something to talk about.

I spent yesterday afternoon working with miniature horses.  They are brilliant. It was sooooo cold outside and they are fully clipped so we took them into our heated training barn and did some leading exercises and clicker training to help to teach them to stand in the correct posture in the show ring. It was jolly good fun and they are just extraordinary. It was very civilised being able to work with them indoors and although they were very spooky and largely unhandled when they arrived at their new home a couple of months ago, Lucinda and their new owner have been working with them over the past few weeks and they are really cool.  They have both done an amazing job with them and the horses are already doing well in the show ring.

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6. February 2011 by admin.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable morning working with a brilliant terrier.  I adore terriers.  They really make me laugh and Arthur is no exception.  He has recently been adopted by a lovely couple who bought one of my books and they have already helped him no end.  I spent two hours with them clicker training Arthur and doing some body work and ground work.  He gets a little over excited when he sees dogs when he is on the lead and is also easily distracted.  He responded really well and his owners are just divine.  It was just what I needed to take my mind off what lay ahead and I am looking forward to seeing them on my dog workshop on the 19th February. 

Lucinda came by the farm at around 1.00pm and we drove to the field where Bow was living.  He came over to her the moment she called him but the poor horse could barely manage to walk down the gentle incline even though he was on medication.  His eye was bright though and he was certainly very happy to see her.  I find this part so terribly sad.  The knowledge that you are about to take a life, albeit for the right reasons, makes it seem as though time is standing still yet moving far too quickly all at once.  It’s hard to explain but if you have waited for the vet to come and put down an animal you will know what I mean.

Bow went quickly and peacefully and both Lucinda and I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.  His best friend Panda came across the field with some other mares and slowly approached his body.  She moved around him until she was standing by his side and licked his heart girth area several times.  She didn’t call out or panic.  She stayed incredibly calm.  She then moved to his head, sniffed his nose and gently licked his soft muzzle. It was actually really beautiful to watch her interaction with him.

Lucinda and I are now at home and we have lit a candle for Bow.  We are toasting him with champagne and Lucinda is in a really good space.  It is very peaceful here tonight.

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6. February 2011 by admin.

I spent today driving up to Uxbridge to work with dogs as I was teaching a staff training workshop at Dogs Trust, Harefield.  Dogs Trust is the best canine charity in the UK and I really enjoy working with their staff.  The weekend was peaceful, exciting (The Inbetweeners won an award at the Comedy Awards) but a little sad too as Lucinda came down to the house on Saturday to tell me that she had made the difficult decision to put her lovely little Quarter Horse, Bow, to sleep. He will be put down tomorrow and I will be with them. 

Bow spent some time with us here at Tilley Farm and was filmed for Horse Hero.  He is only four but when he was with us I noticed that he was ‘off’ in his left shoulder and did not have much movement through the back.  Whilst this isn’t uncommon in youngsters that are still growing, things gradually became worse and after he successfully ditched Lucinda at the end of a hack I suggested that it was time for further investigations.  Lucinda knows that there is always a reason for unwanted behaviour and that the bucking was not simply a young exuberant horse so called in the vet.  Too cut a long story short Bow has terrible arthritis in his joints and his behaviour has also changed dramatically over the past few months.  Despite treatment and care, his condition has continued to deteriorate and however hard this decision is I know it is the right one.  I am so grateful for knowing what I know and for not getting after Bow when he found it hard to pick up his legs when we were filming.  It all now makes perfect sense as to why he was so disconnected through his body and whilst again this is not uncommon in youngsters, forcing them and punishing them in the belief that are just being stubborn is wrong on every level.  I am glad that I take time to help horses, and will always strive to work with them to the best of my ability as opposed to simply doing things to them.

I have known Lucinda for a long, long time and she has had such bad luck with horses over the years.  She is dedicated and gifted and I wish this could be different for her and for Bow, but I am proud of my friend for knowing that there was something wrong and for deciding to do the right thing by her horse.

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6. February 2011 by admin.

In between all the office work, dog walking, clients and mucking out I actually managed to go to the cinema with Tony, his mother Helen, and Daisy.  We went to see the Kings Speech on Wednesday.  Wow.  If you haven’t seen it go - it is a great film.  I had a very productive meeting yesterday in London with my agent Helen Robinson and today called in to see a dear, dear friend, Sharon, who I haven’t seen for over seven years on my way back home from town.  We spent hours catching up and I cannot believe that we have not seen each other for such a ridiculously long time.  We have been through a lot together over the years as her close friend was my friend Cynthia who had such a sad and tragic life and whose horses Equinox and Fleur still live with me here at Tilley Farm.  Sharon’s son, Daniel Maiden Wood (he is also Tony’s godson), is drummer for Anna Calvi and I am going to download the new album tonight. Great music.  Daniel is now so grown up now I almost didn’t recognise him.  Not sure why people (me included) are always amazed when they see someone they haven’t seen since that person were a child, because, it actually would have been more spooky if Daniel still looked like a thirteen year old boy!

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6. February 2011 by admin.

I had another lovely, lovely day today filming with Fiona’s horses.  I love the relationship she has with her horses and they clearly have a wonderful life with her.  Too many people in this world view horses as a commodity and do not appreciate their magnificence and spirit.  They misinterpret behaviour as the horse simply being naughty and I always enjoy working with like minded people who truly want the best for their horse and who are open to gaining insights as to why the horse may behave in the way that he does.  Her horses, like mine, have wintered really well and I commented on how healthy they looked.  I am always interested to know what people feed their horses and it turns out that we feed the same feed!

Buddy is hilarious. He is a real comedian who wants to know everything that is going on and who will no doubt have Fiona laughing and crying tears of frustration at the same time!  At three he is still very young and Warmbloods are slow to mature so we worked on releasing the tension in his neck so that he can learn true self carriage as he continues with his training.

I also worked with Taz.  He is such a sweetie but is so braced in the neck it is clear why he has a problem working on the lunge.  Part of his problem is that he has had very little experience so he has a genuine fear of the unknown but the bracing pattern that has built up over the years makes it hard for him to release and lengthen his neck and to move in balance.  His jaw, protruding cheekbones, and ears are unlevel and this pattern continues through his body and I am going to go back to Fiona’s with Tina so that we can show Fiona more exercises for all the horses.  The dished face means that he is a very sensitive horse and Taz is truly lucky to have found a home with Fiona as it would be too easy to label him as awkward and quirky if he lived with a less experienced and less open minded owner.

Norris is, well, divine.  There is something truly special about her beloved horse that connects with something deep inside me and I am looking forward to going back to work with them all.  Fiona, thank you for being such a wonderful ‘client’, for loving horses as they should be loved and for sharing your journey and your passion for helping horses through your brilliant website.

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6. February 2011 by admin.

I so enjoy my Sundays on the yard.  It gives me time to connect with my horses which is sometimes difficult during the week when there are so many other things to do.  I leave my phone at home and spend the day immersed in the wonderful energy of the horse which is always so relaxing and rewarding.  Toto consistently has more spring to his step which is lovely to see, and the horses have all wintered really well.  Coats are shiny (aside from the Icelandics who are real hair balls!) and all are calm and content.   Myrtle is desperately in need of being clipped again and I really need to start planning a schedule for her so that we can take her out to experience a few shows in the Spring. I can’t believe how quickly the weeks are going already.

Our online shop is almost together but it is taking some time to collate all the information and take the necessary pictures and I need to write some short articles on why and how we use the equipment for the website so that Liz (our patient and brilliant webmaster) can link them to the relevant products page.

Ginny’s seizures seem to be less frequent HURRAH!  She hasn’t had one since we went to the vet and she is now the first to charge down to the stable yard gate at home demanding a walk which is so lovely as she hadn’t wanted to walk at all over Christmas.  I swear she has a picture in the attic that is aging as she looks so well, bless her, and I am happy that she still has a really good quality of life.  When I got home today she was bouncing and leaping at the gate as I was bringing in the donkeys, so off we went, and trudged around the neighbouring farm at quite a pace!   Tony is having a glorious time rehearsing for the new film he is doing and is probably having one of the best acting experiences of his life as the leading lady is one of our all time favourite actresses.  How lucky are we that we both get paid to do something that we love?

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