So Top Barners...... We are nearly a quarter of the way through!! Already! Keep It Up One Two Three!!! We Got This! The nights are pulling out. Spring is in the Air!! Charlie is starting to lose his Winter Coat already. I keep telling him to hang on a bit: We all know February can throw some Winter Weather at us in a big way. But Nature is unstoppable. The days are getting longer, and this controls hair loss more than temperature.
We have been very lucky here on the East Coast of England. After the Mud and Wind and Rain, the temperatures dropped again. But we have avoided the snow I know many of you have had. But that mild spell seemed to have caused a little grass growth. At least the Big Pony Herd thinks so. They are out 24/7 on 4 acres and are actually still finding grass to nibble on. Sensible Cob types, they are ignoring the large container of Hay during the day, and grazing, leaving the Hay for the frosty nights!
So hopefully everyone is finding stuff to do, even on hard frozen ground. I highly recommend teaching Clicker Training. I may have mentioned this in the past, but most zoos and film animal trainers use Clicker Training now. Its a much quicker way to teach behaviors. I have recently been working on Charlies Fetch, for Certificate 3 in The International Horse Agility Club. Fetch can be well handy if you drop something when out riding (Maybe not your phone though).
Speaking of Horse Agility. We got the final results for December and the League tables. Charlie and I finished with a 2nd in OLHA Med Level and a 3rd in Bronze Liberty. This meant we finished 41st ( I think) in the OLHA League and 15th in the Liberty League. Not bad for 6 months with a half feral, half blind pony and a broken 56 year old with Dodgy Lungs and Dicky Ticker. Even if I do say so myself!! We have also just completed our Level 3 Certificate. (Blow Your Own Trumpet Day!!!!!). I couldn't be more prouder of my boy.
None of this would have been possible without Clicker Training, and more specifically The Horse Tricks Club which I joined in 2019. The Club is currently Open for new members......I highly recommend joining. There are lots of modules to teach step by step the 'How to' of Horse Tricks. Plus a great Facebook Community to join, share and ask questions. Just Google Horse Tricks Club.
I also have to add....None of this would have happened had I been fit and well and/or had an uncomplicated pony. Back in the day when I was fit and well, I had 'problem ponies' but was Gung Ho enough to 'ride it out'. This worked. I had some great ponies and had great relationships with them. Had I have bought the 'been there, done it' type I was looking for, when i found Charlie, no doubt I would still be bombing about the countryside (until I ran out of breath) and going on mad night time pub hacks. However, Fate intervened and Charlie has put me on a different path. And I am still learning Soo Much.
So, Top Barners, Clicker Trainers, Horse Tricksters...... Whatever path you are on, What Small achievements have you gained this month?
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