Molly Goes Home, Snow! And The Meaning Of Lowering Your Energy

So as you all know, Molly was an odd rescue case!! Loaned to the Rda from a friend of mine (the lovely Rachel), Molly had become very grumpy and unhappy. So Jo and I took her in for a while to 'fix' her, before she went home. 

She settled in well with the herd, but objected to being tacked up. Initially she wolfed her food, but then refused it.  She refused to wear a rug, and although ok with me, laid her ears back every time Jo touched her.  Oh yes a challenge. She was a bit lean, tucked up from stress and full of thread worms.  So we wormed her, and let her be.  Jo made a point of spending time with her.  

After a few weeks, I took her out for a ride with the other big mares (see previous blog).  Still not a happy girl.  As she was trying to kick me while I slowly girthed her up, we decided she looked like a girl with ulcers. This was NOT the Molly I knew.

So we put her on a daily feed of warm bran mash, with Ulcer Guard, Liquorice and Camomile....which she lapped up.  Jo brought her out for her feed every day, so she could bond with her.  Within a week the change was astounding. At last we had a happy horse! Unless we took Lily out of the field.  Despite the others being there, and hay on offer, Molly still cleared the 5ft fencing to try and find Lil.

We have always said, nothing over 14.2hh as we are set up for ponies. We put up a double fence 'Molly Baffler'. Landlord NOT happy!!  The time was right for Molly to go home.  Looking at the pictures when she arrived, compared to recent pics, the change was amazing. I always felt Molly was missing Rachel.  Even when she seemed happy, there was sometimes a wistful look about her, like she wished she could go home.

So Rachel came to collect her.  She has settled in at home, like she had never been away, and has a new friend to hack her out, so its all turned out well.  I miss her, peering over the fence, waiting for breakfast, but am happy to have returned a physically fixed horse to her owner.

Molly the day after she arrived.

Molly 3 months later.













And so it snowed. Thankfully a tiny amount compared to last year!!  We have been soo lucky. Kent (just across the Thames Estuary), Wales and the West Country seem to have suffered big time. We have been really lucky!

I have continued to work Charlie for the Top Barn 12 Week Challenge. We have had some fun...and some progress. I have discovered I have a Comedy Pony, who is very popular on the Top Barn site.  Check out my You Tube Channel (as I am incapable of posting the vids on here!!).  

Anyway today showed the meaning of the Handler Lowering their energy.  You may have heard this saying, and not understood it.  Todays video (if you can find it) shows what it means..  Charlie got out of the wrong side of bed this morning.  Maybe I did too.  Anyway he started being pushy...which pushes my buttons...I start becoming less patient (my energy levels rise), he feels it as a challenge....and we have conflict.  Some trainers relish conflict as a chance to exert their dominance. However I would rather have a partnership.....with mutual trust. I do not want to dominate my pony.  I want us to work as a team.

So time to walk away, take deep breaths, have a break.  I chose to change what we were doing.  As a friend had arrived, I was chatting away, as I tacked Charlie up. No pressure, my energy levels dropped.....and so Charlie relaxed and stood, loose, while I saddled and bridled him.  And thats what trainers mean when they say Drop your Energy Level.