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25.01.2022 Today’s adventure...float training! She was awesome, stepped straight onto the ramp, had a good look and smell, and then backed off nicely. That’s all I was asking for, and she gave it to me in spades. There’s just so much TRY in this little girl

24.01.2022 Clever girl Charlie

23.01.2022 Charlie-girl standing perfectly while I cleaned out all four feet

19.01.2022 Today was a bit of an obstacle course for Charlie, we: went up the float ramp, stood quietly and backed off nicely walked over pallets followed me at a trot (me on foot running) in and out of gates in the sheep yards... up and down piles of dirt and dam banks led over trot poles and a baby jump at the end at a walk I’m super proud; the other horses were calling out and carrying on, she would look over and occasionally neigh back, but wasn’t super fussed about leaving them. AND it was really windy and things were flapping, and at one point I stepped on a bit of poly pipe and it flicked up and she didn’t even blink!

19.01.2022 Why you do this to me human??

17.01.2022 Charlie went for her first float ride today, only to the end of the driveway and back, but she was brilliant

16.01.2022 Float training Day 2, she’s not ready to have the door shut yet, but will stand relaxed while I’m in there giving her a scratch. Will have to keep working on her, and getting used to having multiple people around so someone can shut the ramp for me. At the moment as soon as there’s a second person around she smells a rat, and is outta there!

13.01.2022 Week 6 Charlie has had a few big achievements this week! We started off on Monday morning and I gave Charlie a full trim on both front feet. She stood almost perfectly for the most part. A couple of times she tried half heartedly to pull away but I managed to hold her, but that was definitely out of impatience rather than anxiety or malice. She wasn’t overly impressed about me dragging her foot forward, I was a little close to her head for her liking, so a quick rasp on the ...Continue reading

13.01.2022 Haltering Charlie in the big yard, no hobbles, no fuss Original video is 2 minutes long, FFW’d to 20secs She does walk away from me a few times, but usually gives up pretty easily these days. #excusemywedgie

13.01.2022 FINALLY Charlie let me put the halter on this morning. No yards, no hobbles, no fuss! Super super proud of my little girl, she’s just kicking goals! ... Two days ago it took nearly 40 minutes to get it on, and we had some pretty serious words, and I think it’s finally sunk in Charlie has right from the start been super funny about her head being touched, so even though this might not sound like such a big deal, it’s our biggest achievement so far!!

12.01.2022 Long reining Charlie down the driveway, getting her used to being driven forward, turning and stopping from pressure on the halter

12.01.2022 Walking over pallets I also asked Charlie today to step onto a single pallet, then step up again onto a higher one (two stacked on top of each other), then off the drop on the other side. She was great, really listening to me even though she was quite worried to begin with. She did it really well a few times, I just couldn’t manage to get it on video! Here is one attempt that wasn’t too bad that I managed to capture

12.01.2022 Charlie conquered the tractor tyre today, and got fully in the float (didn’t close the door/ramp), and backed off again nicely. Fearless

09.01.2022 Teaching Charlie to lay down Day 1: getting her to drop her head from poll pressure, and popping her knee off a cue from the stick. (Have sped up and slowed down bits, original video is 7mins long)

07.01.2022 And that’s a wrap! A full trim on both back feet in under 10 minutes Again, a pretty rough job, but balanced, and she was so good! Especially on her bad side a few days ago I spent over an hour lungeing her because she wouldn’t let me pick up her offside back. She would pick it up when asked, but instead of letting me put it back down she would step away and was putting it down on her terms. So every time she stepped away I would lunge her a couple of small circles on t...he rope (not free lunge) and then try again. Like I said, it took an hour, until she would pick it up and then let me put it straight back down. As soon as she did it I walked away and immediately Charlie chewed her thoughts, and we haven’t had a problem since. With most horses, a reward for doing what we ask could be a pat, or maybe some food or something like that, but for Charlie the biggest reward I can give her is to leave her alone, take the pressure off completely. She’s at the stage still that even though I can pat her, she hasn’t yet associated this as a positive thing, and even though she lets me do it, she’s still wary. So if I was to pat her after doing something I’ve asked, she wouldn’t associate this as a release of pressure, or reward. I don’t know, just the ramblings of a crazy horse girl, but it seems to be working so far

06.01.2022 This will be Charlie and Me at Equitana next year Or not

05.01.2022 The round yard is underwater so we go for a ride around the garden instead Just watch out for those wooden edging sleepers please Charlie

05.01.2022 All aboard the Charlie train First sit she was such a good girl, she was very tense and I could feel her flight instinct wanting to take over, but she relaxed pretty quickly, chewed her thoughts, and everything was right in the world

04.01.2022 Excited to start using these natural herbal products on Charlie, thank you McDowells Herbal

04.01.2022 Today Charlie went on her first expedition off the property She loved it! Always looking around at all the animals and windmills and random things making noises. We encountered a couple of cars that she wasn’t too fussed about, and a very rattley 4WD that gave her a fright, she jumped around a little bit but was ok, and then we passed it on the way back, and she had a good look at it but was perfect. Charlie is so accepting of what’s happening to her, once she realises som...ething’s not going to eat her, she’s fine. She also has a CRACKING walk, which I love in a horse, can’t wait till she’s ready to be ridden! Past the sheepyards where the lambs were being marked, through half a dozen gates, and trotted home in the rain, Charlie was perfect, couldn’t fault her at all

03.01.2022 Week 8 Not much has happened this week, we’ve had about 40mL of rain over the last few days, so everything is pretty muddy and the round yard has gone underwater I guess we have had a few wins though, including being able to close the float door on Charlie, and going for a drive. We did a lap around the block which was about 14 or 15 km, and averaging 60-80km/h. She stands well in the float without being tied in at first, which was a challenge initially; as soon as she got ...on she decided it was time to fly back out again. So we did a bit of work this week standing in there calmly untied and eventually letting me slip out the side door and lift up the tail gate. Unloading is fine, she walks back nicely on command, although likes to hook around to the left as soon as her bum is out of the float and step down off the highest part of the ramp, so that’s something else to work on next week. We finished last week with Charlie finally letting me hop on, and I’ve been wanting to do a bit more, but unfortunately with the weather this hasn’t really been possible. A couple of days when we had a break from the rain I saddled her up and practiced mounting/dismounting in the garden (as the round yard is flooded), and she was good. She stands really well and I can mount and dismount from both sides. I got my Aunty to lead us around the garden a few times. She started off really stiff and unsure but she gave it ago and relaxed pretty quickly when she realised what was going on. Just a few other random things like bringing her in for a good brushing, cleaning out feet, de-tangling mane and tail, and keeping up with the routine of haltering, rugging and unrugging every day. Charlie has also discovered a liking to weet-bix which is hilarious watching her eating them, and trying to get all the dry crunchy bits out of her mouth. She has also finally taken to the taste of the McDowell Herbal supplements, so hopefully we start seeing some results for her anxiety, and calming that flight instinct. This afternoon she surprised me, when it was bed time I put the other ponies away, and usually Charlie hangs around not too far away waiting to be led into the round yard and fed. When I was rugging another horse I heard the sound of hooves cantering off and I looked up to see Charlie running away and it really disappointed me because I thought we were finally in a solid routine. I looked over again a minute later and Charlie had put herself to bed and was waiting patiently for dinner. I gave her her feed, put the rug on and took her halter off all in record time. Definitely seeing some results! It’s meant to fine up next week so hopefully we can do a bit more ridden work, although it will take a while for this place to dry out! Fb.me/VBACharlotte2020

02.01.2022 I rode Charlie in the big yard for the first time this arvo. I was a little bit hesitant after a couple of stacks, but Charlie was great. We have excellent steering to the left and right, which has been a massive speed hump. She has really struggled to combine the left and right sides of her brain. Going left is fine, and going right is fine, but to ask left-right-left has been a lot harder than imagined. Nevertheless, we have worked it out, and we were making some nice turn...s in the round yard. As it was a first ride, I wasn’t asking too much, and any attempt at doing what I asked was rewarded. Charlie even rewarded me with a small back-up, only one step, but that’s all I was asking for. She’s turning nicely, but has been struggling moving forward off a click and a small kick. She takes a step and that’s it. But that’s ok, for a first ride that’s all you can ask for, she’ll put it together in her head eventually. It was difficult asking for a stop when there wasn’t much go, but was responding quite nicely to the pressure and whoah when we were long reining this morning See more

01.01.2022 The view from the driver’s seat