Hi, I have recently acquired two 6 month??? old colt foals, I believe on is much younger than the other. Biggles is quite an introspective foal, when I first saw him he was in a large barn with about 25 other weanlings, he was always behind his stable mate Bandit and looked to him for support. The two boys were delivered and as they had never been handled we herded them into a large stable and let them settle.
They were not in great condition and biggles was definately the submissive pony. After a while we put Bandit in the adjoining stable to give Biggles a chance to support himself and get to his fair share of food. They both can still see and touch each other, Bandit has been fine he allows us to headcollar him lead him, tie him and all the other stuff you do with babies and is quite happy.
Biggles is another matter, to date his health and condition has improved he is a lot more interested in what is going on around him and if you go in he doesn't immediately dive his head into a corner with his bottom out towards you which is 100% improvement, he has never shown any signs of kicking even when he does turn his bum to you, it seems more of a I don't trust you enough yet, but if you quietly go to his side and start scratching his bum he loves it and will let you carry on around his back etc, he had rainscald and he loves having those spots scratched and picked at.
You can even get to his head scratch under his jaw round his poll etc but only on one side. If you try the other side he faces the corner or runs away. If you go in with a rope or headcoller he won't turn around or runs away.
I can't lead him or let the vet deal with him with no headcoller on and how can I even attempt join up safely while he is in a stable (albeit a big one).
Also he should have been microchipped for his passport before he is 6 months old but how can I do this he definately won't let the vet near him to do it and could set me back weeks if not months with the whole trust thing.
I'm not looking for an easy solution just a light at the end of the tunnel.
If I sit in his stable reading or looking after
Hi Ren,
What you could do is a so called "Stable Join-up", using the same bodylanguage you'd use in the roundpen. As soon as he looks at you, take your eyes off him and take a step away, until you can touch his shoulder and walk away. If he accepts you touching his neck and maybe head, take a string out of your pocket and rub him with it in your hand and eventually put the string around his neck. Next thing you could tie a leadrope at the end of the string and this way be able to let the rope take the place of the string. You could even improvise a halter with the string and the rope. Make sure you don't leave it on him when you leave him, so he doesn't get caught with it. This could take a few days, but after he's seen that it doesn't hurt him, he's likely to accept more and more.
Give it a try and let us know how you're doing!
Thanks so much Miriam, I shall start tomorrow, with the join up I'm sure it will work I was just scared of pushing him away before he had any trust at all. I know he wants to be pals I am just not understanding him. I have just got my copy of 'From my hands to yours' and that should help. The string would be a great idea and will definately give it a go. Luckily I have patience and would rather take longer and do a great job than rush and bodge the job.
I shall certainly keep you informed and again thanks.
Ren
Hi Ren, lucky Biggles to have found you as his light at the end of the tunnel!
He seems to really need a friend to trust and with your patience, his buddy Bandit and a lot of love he'll come around, just give him time. I think that letting the two of them stay togehter, not separated, when you're not working with them, might bring normality back into their daily routine. I see you had to separate them to make sure both get their right portion, but maybe this could only take place when you feed them. Social contact at this age is what makes them to horses, they learn from eachother and from their own mistakes.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Miriam
Hi i have just got my first colt and he is 8 munths old, how old shuld he be for me to do join-up?
he is a cob he is black and white and his name is peper.
he has joined up with me once in the stable and folowed me round is it to soon?
Hi Linda,
Monty says you can do Join-up with a foal as soon as it stops looking for his mother, so I think your colt has accepted his status as a individual by now. Since you've done a stable Join-up, now would be the time to take him out in roundpen and establish your mutual trust in a Join-up, Follow-up and vulnerable areas session. From there you can build up to whatever you plan to do like desensitizing, stepping on a tarpolin, you name it. The number and length of the sessions should not be too much for a young horse. After a few sessions just keep your bodylanguage as in the Join-up, but live happily ever after with your colt!
Hi good news, head coller on at last, daughter took three hours of patient desensitising and she succeeded. I suspect he was tied up at weaning because the minute the headcoller was on he thought he couldn't move, another hour of coaxing and now he's a happy lovable baby and has even got a bit of spark in him. He always comes to the stable door for loves and follows around. I am so pleased, now to get him to walk on a lead rope and be comfortable seperate from his stable mate without anxiety. Still slowly slowly. Montys comment on breathing in his book was like a light on. I never noticed how I stop breathing when I'm doing something a bit scary or intense. Then feel like my lungs need to catch up. Now I am conscious of it I take time before approaching the ponies to just steady up and breath from the stomach. Who knows it looks like it might be good for me as well as the horses, they certainly noticed.
Just a quick question though regarding eye contact, I wear glasses and wondered if this might make a difference especially when they go dark in the sun. Not that I can do without them I am as blind as a bat if I don't have them on.
Hi Ren,
Great news, working on your breathing and having made progress with your colt!
Could you change your glasses to ones that do not dark in the sun, maybe some old ones?
Horses need to see your eyes to read your intention, wearing normal glasses is not a problem because they can see the direction of your eyes. We all learn so much more then the horses do, they know their own language, it's us that have to learn and gain a universe from it!
Keep going and let us know how you're doing.
Miriam
Biggles is doing very well, he has the most shocking rain scald that we can deal with now he comes to be haltered. Shame that I have to deal with picking his scabs off when he is being so trusting, I'm sure it is very uncomfortable and it certainly upsets me so I can only imagine how he feels. He is now almost completely bald but stood so well for the farrier and his hibiscrub wash even though the bathing was not so enjoyable. I would like to say a big thank you to Adam my farrier who showed both Biggles and Bandit that feet triimming is a nice thing. It can only make things easier each time they are done.
Hi Ren,
So trust is there between you, this is great! In situations like you describe it is essential to have trust, so the medication and other bodywork is done without stress. You'll find that having dealt with the scald and farrier has deepened the bond between the two of you and his general trust towards people.
Thank you for the update, you came a long way, congratulations!
Miriam