With the arrival of Misty the laminitic grey pony a new element- a different dynamic has been introduced into the paddock.
We were warned that she could be a little head-shy and difficult to catch and indeed she was but with the introduction of a little equine psychology things are much better. The answer is to approach her but not very near letting her know if possible you have a tasty pony nut in your hand. However as she backs away instead of you going after her you slowly go in the opposite direction. This then should make the pony- certainly Misty- come after you. She and I are now the best of friends.
As far as the group is concerned she cannot be lead through them on a leading rein as she is protective of you against the other strange ponies. Equally Nutmeg the semi-blind horse who is top of the pecking order will protect her herd against the stranger. So what we have to do after sniffs across the fence for a few days is to put Nutmeg and Misty together on a one to one basis so neither is protecting anything else and they only have the other for company. Once they have accepted each other one by one we will introduce the others.
Copyright Alexandra Bastedo
