Part 2. Horse. Inspiration to Art

Part 2 explores alternative training methods, and how illness can have a hugely negative impact on the horses ability to perform.

Natural Horsemanship

I started to research Natural Horsemanship, and came across Intelligent Horsemanship . I contacted one of their recommended trainers who came out to assess us both. (By which time, we had again moved yards!). The work began, and I must say it was a breath of fresh air. It was all about building Nancy's confidence. I had stopped riding her as my last fall resulted in my bashing my head, and I just thought if I carry on I may not be so lucky next time around! I learned to read signs in the horses face of stress and discomfort. Signals that she wasn't happy and all the little communications that horses give us, but often we miss. These communications start off small, but because throughout young Nancy's life so far, her trying to tell us she wasn't happy had resulted in these big F offs, because she just hadn't been listened to, so she learned to SHOUT. Our issues had also started to transmit outside of the work environment, into the stable. She was getting more aggressive, and I was beginning to become very very wary of her. I had never in my life been fearful of horses, but this was one was pushing my boundaries.

I also took her barefoot, (her shoes came off.. )which in the traditional world of horsemanship I hadn't even contemplated.. thats a whole other story with its ups and downs).

We started to investigate health.. ulcers to be precise. After physio etc had been explored. My particular vet said she wasn't a candidate for ulcers as she was in (very) good condition. So, we carried on. But her behaviour was getting increasingly worse so we decided to get a second opinion.

Grade 4 Ulcers

The result was as above, she had grade 4 ulcers and the recommendation was her to recuperate in a field and the very expensive Gastrogard. I also had Bronte scoped and she too had ulcers. I moved them to an acre piece of land which my (then) boyfriends parents owned. I bought a shelter, fenced it all, and let them be horses for the winter. It was perfect, my own little paradise for my two girls!

Summer Arrived ad it was time to crack on with training

Just because her ulcers had been treated did not mean things were now going to be a walk in the park! Far from it and nothing was improving! The IH trainer was finding her difficult too. Usual techniques which work well with the majority of horses were just not working on Nancy. Join up.. pfft.. Nancy just walked away. Long reining with flappy bags.. once Nancy realised there was no real consequence she kind of looked at you with this 'and, make me' face. Looking back it was quite funny! I was working twice as hard as her.. I remember one stupidly hot day (I lived in Essex at the time), I had her on the long reins with a bottle filled with stones (bearing in mind IH is about no pain, which is termed negative reinforcement. So, we make noises to 'spook' the horse into action). It wasn't long before Nancy realised that nothing happened after the noise of stone bottle or flappy bag, and she just didn't go into action at all! She had gone from bolting to literally stationary! All I wanted was a trot! A trot! But no, I was there flapping the long lines, rattling the bottle, sweat dripping from me, being watched by drinkers in the adjacent pub, that in the end I threw the bottle at her.. ah.. now I get a trot!!!

Nancy was just a little different to most horses, in that proven methods, which worked time and time again with horses, in fact, had zero affect on her. In one of the IH books, its recommended that if a horse attacks you in the stable, to stand firmly and wave your arms, making yourself big. I did this, and Nancy just lunged at me!

Time To Make a Big Move

My relationship with my boyfriend broke down (and my obsession with Nancy played a small part, amongst other things) and it was time to move back up North. My time in forums for IH met me some nice people. And it was the right place to ask for recommendations for a trainer. Many people in the forum knew of Nancy's history as it was a place I had been recording progress (and there had been a level of progress, just not much).

One such trainer was Becky Holden. She was very highly recommended, a classical trainer but also had a good reputation with difficult horses.

I moved my horses to a yard in Darwen and invited Becky to come and assess Nancy. I remember Becky's words as clear as day.. lovely mare but ****ing hell she means it when she says no! We laugh now, (maybe) but Becky went through so many pairs of gloves it was untrue, and I ate dirt/sand a few times.

She had learned the art of bogging off to a tee and there had to be

some consequences. I remember one particular session, I was lunging her as I always did before any other work (by that I mean, Becky trains horses from the ground up.. everything they learn is from the ground so this helps both with their confidence and balance. A whole new skill set for me). Anyway, the little blighter turned her bum in and came at me with her back legs, bucking towards me... talk about attitude! My onlooker stated she should have been battered for that! Not my style frankly.. I simply sent her straight into work. If she had the energy to do that she had the energy for her work!

Part 3..breakthroughs.. A look at nutrition and how I got a riding horse (if only for a brief time)