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Home sweet home from my two days in the city. Its always nice to get away for a little while, because you come back refreshed and itching to press on with training horses. Apparently both wild ones were well behaved while i was away. but eyed the stranger giving them hay a bit suspiciously as it was very out of their routine. But both wild ones were happy to see me it seemed. With bay boy at the gate waiting to be brought in to the stable. The grey who is a lot more suspicious in nature was also, happy it seemed to be caught. But oh no...grey has a limp. i don't know if it is the wet weather causing soreness, or if her feet that have always been in terrible shape are causing her grief finally? What ever it is, it doesn't look to severe, will have to wait till tomorrow when i can wash and take a close look at the problem.

i got home just in time to teach my afternoon riding lessons. So having caught grey girl,in record time, i decided to bring her to the barn for the afternoon. It was her turn to watch the comings and goings inside the stables. Like i said in my last blog. As long as you show them there nothing to be afraid of, they don't learn that they should be fearful. So it was with the girl, i left her loose in her stable and allowed her just to watch the kids running around the place and the lesson ponies coming and going. She stood right back in the corner of her stall, but ears pricked watching the whole thing. No big deal. I didn't act scared the other horses were happy and relaxed. Grey girl accepted that this situation wasn't dangerous. by the end of the day she had her head hanging over the stable door, children running almost right under, or into her nose at times.

I let the lesson kids be kids, they run, jump make loud noises, and the horses just learn that this is no big deal. Rather than try and teach the kids to be quiet and calm. the wild horses just learn that this activity is just as ordinary as anything else in life. Although the kids are forbade from actually approaching the horses or feeding them tit-bits at the end like they do with the lesson ponys. Grey, allowed her time to watch and assess the situation took her time but was definitely perfectly calm with it all in the end. You just got to let them take the time it takes.

Bay boy was desperate to get to his stable after riding lessons had finished. Waiting for me at gate as soon as he saw i was coming to get him. How quickly they come to enjoy there 'creature comforts'. Shelter, warmth and food they don't have to forage for. He seems to love it and grows physically as well getting more and more calm and confident every day. While i was in the city, i happened to read a article about article about teaching a horse tricks.....maybe this will be what i do with the boy until he old enough to actually be ridden? who knows..im home and i feel inspired to try new things and keep up training these little wild things.