This message is from: "Foxfire Farm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello all and Happy New Year! Had to laugh out loud about the chickens and PNH... Glad to hear you are happy with the PNH work since I am about to begin working with a new trainer who uses it and is working toward upper level certification... After a terrible session with Tomas a year ago with a trainer I had previously thought was going to be a good one for helping us learn to drive, we had to start looking for someone else... Many of the trainers in our area are excellent horsepeople, of the old school of make 'em do it no matter what. Long story short, the trainer we were using got angry when she slipped and fell and Tomas dragged her on her butt through wet grass... we were ground driving at the time in wet and muddy conditions. He was a bit up that day due to dramatic temperature change. She refused to let go so water skiied the distance. She became so angry that she decided to work him until he "behaved"... Over an hour later, when we returned to the barn, he was soaked with sweat with his heavy winter coat and it took 6 hours to dry him out, towelling and blanketing... I was most angry at myself for not demanding that she stop, but I kept thinking she was done! He was sore for days. We have not used a trainer since, hence we are still not driving. Because of my back injury this summer, all the horses here have been used little, but in hand work continues. I am looking forward to starting the NH work and will be doing an observation 'lesson' with this trainer and some of her horses this weekend. We are building an outdoor ring that will be finished this spring so we have good footing to work in, tired of slippery clay!
About the Fjords and their sensitivity... When I was injured and could finally get near the horses again, I still could not move very well and could not reach up to halter them to turn them out. So I would go to each horse and stand with their halter open in front of them and say "Remember, I can't move, so be nice to me..." They would drop their noses into the halter, then turn their heads to the right, still low, to allow me to buckle them. They did this with no apparent coaching. I am sure they read my body language and voice. Then, when I led them out, I would remind them that I was the hurt one so no funny business. As I led each one they would take baby steps as we walked out to pastures. There was no head moving to to swat at flies or any quick moves for any reason. Even the filly was like this. They would do the same when I removed the halters and were totally careful about their movement when near me. When I was able to move and do things normally we returned to the normal routines of haltering from the left and reaching up to buckle.... They just seemed to know when I was hurt and when I was well. When I told friends about this, many didn't believe me, but Reena (from the list) saw it many times... so reading about the fjords escorting the ram was further affirmation of their ability to sense such things. Betsy in snowy South East Michigan where we now have 4 Fjords in a 1/2 mile area! our Tomas, Mira, Lidamir and Reena's Gustav.. woo woo! >Fjord escort > Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 20:38:05 -0600 > From: Janet McNally <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Fjord escort > > This message is from: Janet McNally <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > I wonder now if they sensed that the first ram was ill and > in need of help? Maybe they could smell something different > about him? Or did they realize he could not see? > Janet W McNally
