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'Setting Up for Success' The handling issues that surround Semi-Feral British Native Ponies |
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Article by Sarah Weston |
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The aftermath of the discovery of so many sick and dead horses at Amersham [a UK horse dealer found to have many starving or dead horses on his premises] -many of which were waiting in a queue to go for meat - has brought home the reality of horse breeding in this country [the UK]. These ponies are competing against the fall out of racing yards and the indiscriminate breeding of injured mares at the same time as people are being tempted to import better bred horses and ponies from the Continent. Unhandled and poorly handled semi-feral ponies are often only attractive to the uninitiated, or well intentioned and hopeful novice, and things so often go wrong from the outset. Apart from being really careful about the quantity and the quality of the native ponies that we breed in the wild, how can we set these ponies up for success? Looking at it from the pony’s point of view, their first encounter with people (save for picnic nicking New Forest ponies) is a group of humans arriving on horseback and quad bikes to chase them into a confined area. In some areas this is known as colt “hunting”. The next thing that happens varies from place to place. On Exmoor the foals are often separated from their mothers immediately, whilst on the New Forest they tend to be kept together. In some cases they may have a halter put on them and be tied to something solid while they are branded. Encounters such as this will leave an almost indelible mark in the pony’s memory and set it up for failure in all but the most experienced and committed hands. If you have what you think is a near death experience, what you perceive to be a real attempt on your life, you will do your utmost not to repeat it. I hear of ponies that will go through barbed wire fences, run until they drop or attack with mouth or feet in order to avoid being touched by a human hand ever again. Some of this is nature rather than nurture, but the genuinely untouched horse is rarely so frightened. Taking the time to handle ponies in a non-predatorial way saves time in the end and does a lot less to undermine the overall reputation of the breed as a malleable, ultimately trainable pony. I compare it to transactional analysis in human psychology - if you speak to someone as if they are a child, they will respond like a child; talk to someone as if they are your parent and they will respond like a parent, but the key to good relationships is for both to talk to one another as adults. As humans we can rationalise and bring things back to this even keel. In horse psychology, if you behave like a predator, the horse has no choice but to act like to prey, and the key to a partnership with a horse is to act like a partner, so that the horse can do the same. |
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Alternatives to Extreme Handling of Semi-Feral Ponies Hot Branding Later Handling Great strides have already been taken to improve practices at some of the sales – better facilities and strict handling procedures in the auction ring, where handlers are limited to waving flags at ponies to get them moving, rather than hitting them. Nevertheless, there are sales yards where ponies and foals are still given nothing to eat and drink all day - 7.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. in some cases. Ponies may be put in inappropriate groups where they can be bullied and injured by other ponies, or they can’t get away from the crowds. For some ponies, one sale follows another. What can be done to improve the situation for Semi-Feral ponies? by Sarah Weston |
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About Sarah Weston | |||||||||||
Sarah Weston Sarah Weston is a Recommended Associate of Intelligent Horsemanship. Although based in the New Forest, she also covers Dorset and Wiltshire with occasional forays to Exmoor and Dartmoor, Kenya and Tanzania. The author of No Fear, No Force, she has become a specialist in handling untouched and semi-feral ponies and regularly teaches on this subject. Sarah was originally a barrister but exchanged sober dress for sturdy boots when she realised she could no longer bear being in an office. |
� 'No Fear No Force' can be purchased from Sarah Weston's website at: |
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'No Fear No Force' - by Sarah Weston No Fear, No Force is a guide to handling and training unhandled and semi-feral foals in an ethical, logical and gentle way. Using straightforward techniques, you as a breeder or new owner will be able to train your foal and bring them round to being friendly and handled within hours and days rather than months and years. This method will become the new tradition in foal handling. "Just a quick one to say that the book is fantastic- just like having you in the room!" Jenny Major "And very good it is too - not only just for feral foals, but a lot of sensible advice there for those born in a domestic environment!! Great book, Sarah!!" Heather Moffat |
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