Cara & Affaires Risquées' Journal

[Cara]

Name:	Affaires Risquées (Risk)
Age:	5
Height:	14.1
Sex:	Mare
Breed:	Highland Pony
Colour:	Yellow Dun
Markings	None
Brand:	None

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[Cara]

Our meeting

Things didn't go as I hoped they would, but I was kidding myself if I thought that today was going to be an different from what it was.

I arrived at my beautiful pony's yard and it almost broke my heart to see her standing at the back corner of the yard, her back to everything, her tail tucked in, just trying to forget that she exists. Funny enough, it's a feeling I know quite well.

After standing at the fence for a while I knew that trying to get her to accept me today was pointless so I fixed her a feed instead. I have found her some sweet conditioning muesli and added kelp, comfrey, hawthorn, wormwood, echinacea, pomegranate, melon, pumpkin, mustard, aniseed and fennel seeds, cider vinegar, thyme, clivers, soaked nettle and bruised garlic cloves as well as some grated carrot. After I mixed it all together I added a handful of dried mint leaves on the top to try and entice her to eat.

She watched me carefully as I put the tub into her yard. When the breeze caught the smell of the mint and drifted it to her, she stretched out toward the tub but didn't move closer. I'm hoping that she will find confidence once she was free of human company and eat it.

I am hoping that her young age and honest personality will help her overcome her fear of me and with slow and careful movement from me, she will see that she can trust me. I am going to have to look at my approach as trying the normal "I'm the alpha horse, you listen to me" approach isn't going to work with this girl. She doesn't need to feel that she is being chased into submission, she needs someone to show her that she is their equal, yet that I can be trusted to look after her and keep her safe.

She desperately needs her feet done and I'm itching to get my hands on her to treat her scars and rain-scald, but I don't dare try and enter her personal bubble until I have her permission.

My plan? I think I might just spend some time sitting in her yard. Doodling, reading, or something that will let her know I'm not in there to stalk her. Hopefully this will spark some interest, but there again it may just be wishful thinking. I'm hoping it might work.

[Cara]

Progress

Things have started progressing in the right direction!!

It took a while (almost a month), but Risk has at last accepted my presence. At first it was just a simple she would look in my direction when I entered her yard with her feed bucket, without moving away. Next she began to take a step in my direction and then she actually started giving me soft greetings. Sure, she still isn't a "come on, hug me" pony, but a greeting is still a greeting.

Now? I can approach her without her taking fright and freezing. It's still amazing how the mare will try and dissolve into the background - something I still do quite often. It took some time before Risk would allow me to actually touch her, without her flinching as though I was going to beat her.

I have treated her rain scald with an infusion of comfrey and rosemary, with the herbs she is getting, internally and externally, her back is healing up nicely and she is gaining condition. And her worm infestation has been fully cleared up through the use of worming treatment and feeding her the correct herbs. I also carefully muck out her yard at any change I get to make sure that her living space is always clean.

The treat ball that I fill for her every day is quickly getting emptied and I think I'll need to visit her three times a day to fill it up rather than just filling it up at breakfast and lunch.

As she has accepted me, I have used the little knowledge I have to trim the mare's hooves as I don't want to break the trust the pony has put into me by bringing in a new face and having someone else handling her, even if I'm right there with her too.

I have been researching her past - I managed to find the barn when she was bred - and it seems that her upbringing was the best of the best until she had been sold.

[Cara]

Progress Continues

Things have moved along in leaps and bounds. Risk is quickly getting the condition that she should have had before she arrived here. The rain rot is almost all cleared up, the worms are now history and she has a very good appetite for her feed, as well as emptying the treat ball a few times a day. The best thing however, is that she now not only enjoys my company, but she seems to look out for me each morning.

However, no matter how well she seems to be moving along, I am still the only one who handles her - even though she will tolerate Miss Carr coming into her yard - and I administer all of her medications. I am also still keeping her out full time as I don't want her to retreat into her shell once again if she is stabled at night.

I have spoken with Risk's breeders and learned so much about her dam and sire, both top-line show ponies, and what this little mare was bred for. When they sold her, there was so much potential in the filly that they knew she would go far, however, they didn't realise that she was going to become a four-legged lawn mower that wasn't looked after properly. I'm going to change that though. As soon as I get the all-clear from Miss Carr, I would like to start working her in the round pen. Start really building up the bond between the two of us. Her breeders said that she was halter trained, but was took young when sold to be broken in.

So, my next plans for this pretty little yellow dun, are to get her to join up with me and then let me put something on her back. I plan to introduce her to a saddle and bridle, I don't plan to ride her in these though. I'm going to ask her to accept my weight without the tack.