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littlewarden.org – our new website. Woohoo!

Here’s our new website. This is the second phase of us living the dream. Thank you to my wonderful husband for spending countless hours designing it, you’re the best!

This is an exciting time for me but it’s also a time for reflection. My mum led by example, instilling in me the importance of giving something back to family, friends, the community and to strangers. She said if the act of giving was truly honest and selfless it would bring happiness, peace and contentment. I have to say now as an adult I believe she is right and it’s something I instill in my children everyday. Although my mum will never be able to see our journey, I feel she is very much part of the vision of Little Warden.

Welcome to Little Warden, where animals and people can live in harmony with nature.

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Beautiful Silver

I promised myself I wouldn’t get attached. I kept telling myself, “I’m only fostering the ponies, they’re not mine.” I thought I had convinced myself but the weeks leading up to Troy’s departure were miserable. Thankfully I didn’t have time to pine after Troy as his replacement arrived just as he left.

Silver, beautiful Silver (or Silvie as I had affectionately named her) was the spitting image of Troy.

Silver was shy, skittish and hard to catch, however, once caught she had impeccable manners. I’d describe her as the been there, done it and got the T-shirt kind of girl. I didn’t know much about Silver’s past, only that she had been a broodmare (used for breading) and she hadn’t been treated well at all. But despite her difficult past Silver’s gentle nature shone through. I think out of all the Pukka Ponies I’ve fostered she is by far the kindest most gentlest soul. I really love Silvie.

Bringing Silver into the herd was a new experience for me. The Oracles had advised me to put her in a neighbouring paddock for a week. That way she could see and touch the herd but still feel safe and I could get to know her. Over the next few days I went into her paddock to poo pick and just ignored her (well I pretended to).  I then began to strategically move towards her, gently stroking her as I walked past. By the end of the week Silver would come to greet me, she was comfortable with me standing near her, I was able stroke her all over and lead her around the paddock. I can’t tell you how happy it made me feel seeing this transformation.

During this time a friendship had developed between Silver and Oreo. Often in the evenings I would see them grooming each other across the taped fence and they had many nose to nose moments. Since all the ponies appeared calm it was time to integrate newbie Silver into the heard. I felt apprehensive about the outcome but luckily Lydia offered to come over and support me. She advised me to move Silver into the larger paddock, that way the ponies would have plenty of space to move around or get away if they needed to. If there were signs of aggression I was to intervene and remove the pony that was causing the problem.

Lydia’s advice sounded straightforward but truth be told I was petrified at the thought of intervening. I had only just mastered leading the ponies and basic horse care. “Be brave, be brave!” is what I kept thinking as I moved Silver into the paddock. Then we just watched. To my relief the ponies greeted one another and started grazing. A happy herd. “Phew! What a relief.”

 

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Myth: Too many Oracles spoil the broth

My approach to fostering ponies is similar to that of life. Adopt a flexible approach, be open to different ways of thinking but most importantly surround yourself with people who are willing to share their experiences and mistakes, so you can learn from them. So I’m super excited to introduce two more Oracles: Lydia and Rosanna.

Lydia Pink
I met Lydia at my son’s nursery. Little did I know this chance meeting would be instrumental in pushing forward my understanding of handling horses. Lydia’s love of animals and her knowledge of training horses was music to my ears. I had high hopes that we would become friends and I looked forward to her visiting me. 

Profile
Started riding: At 11 years old, when she went to pony camp.
Owned horse/ponies: Lydia bought her first pony a week after pony camp. She has owned horses and ponies throughout her life.
Training:  As an adult Lydia went to Texas twice and worked at a cowboy ranch breaking in wild mustang horses. She has also trained for a few summers in Wales with Ken Faulkner – Natural horsemanship. 

Rosanna Hollands
Rosanna was my riding instructor at Saddles. I liked Rosanna right from the start. Being greeted by her dog Loki was an added bonus. 
The riding lessons gave me an opportunity to ask lots and I mean lots of horsey questions. I often referred to Rosanna as my walking encyclopedia (no need to ask Google, just ask Rosanna). What stood out for me was Rosanna’s willingness to share her knowledge and help me find solutions to the issues I was facing with the ponies. 

Profile
Started riding : At 4 yrs old.
Owned a pony/ horse: She shared a pony with her mum for 23 years. 
Competitions: Rosanna has taken part in a few minor jumping competitions and a dressage competition while working in Portugal. 
Training : She has done some training with ponies at the riding school, is working with a foal on the yard and has been taught some Parelli. 
Experience: Rosanna studied at Hadlow college and has a lot of voluntary experience. When she was younger she helped out at riding schools and has volunteered at the Horse World charity. She has worked at show jumping competitions and as part of a jump crew at the Kent county show. While living in Portugal she worked on a dressage yard for an international dressage and Portuguese working equitation champion. Rosanna now works as Senior trainer and yard manager at Saddles.

I’ve finally got to grips with basic horse care and field management, it’s now time to turn my attention to the ponies. I’m hoping the new Oracles will help me to better understand horse behaviour so I can tailor my training to meet the needs of each pony. I’m excited by the new challenges ahead, I can’t wait to step outside my comfort zone. 
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Bittersweet day

It’s a bittersweet day. Troy one of our foster rescue ponies has been adopted. He came to us with a head collar on permanently because he wasn’t keen on being caught. He was head shy, skittish and wouldn’t allow us to get near him.

I was drawn to him because of his standoffish manner. I made it my mission to get him to trust me, so putting on a head collar would not be any issue and he would enjoy our company.

Nearly one year on and the head collar is off.  Troy has learnt to trust people and is always the first one to come and say hello. He has taught me so much. He has taught me to be patient, to slow things down and live in the moment. I think his leaving will always be the most painful as he was the one with the biggest trust issue and he has been the first to go. 

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My Dream Team

My dream has turned into our family’s dream. Well the reality is that it’s still really my dream but my lovely husband and kids support me and are happy to join in around 80% of the time, so I can’t complain. Let me introduce you to my dream team:

PHIL (Husband) aka The Operative

 
Skills – He’s good at chopping and cutting things down. He can fix and repair anything electric. Phil is great at turning stuff we have lying around into something useful. He’s my sounding board and continues to support me even if he thinks I’m nuts.
 

Interests – Loves rugby, using power tools and  F1 (sometimes I think more than me). He loves doing anything apart from listening to me talk about horses in the field.

Horse experience – None but he has managed in the past to coax escapee ponies back into the field, don’t ask me how he did it.

NATHAN (Eldest son) aka Powerhouse

Skills – Great at lifting and pulling anything heavy particularly branches using his truck. He’s good at  making up the horses feed, cleaning the trough, sweeping mummy’s office and digging. Nathan is also great at organising and tiding up (not sure how long this will last).

Interests – Nathan loves riding his bike really fast and always wants to learn new skills and did I mention he loves doing jobs, jobs, jobs!

What he brings to the team – His enthusiasm for life and doing jobs is infectious. He is kind, thoughtful and meticulous.

DYLAN aka The Entertainer

 

Skills – Smiling, singing and helping out when he feels like it.

Interests – Riding his bike, singing, playing with his digger.

What he brings to the team – Keeps morale up by singing and reworking old school tunes. Also spontaneously telling me how much he love me.

ROCKY aka The Rocket

Role – Supervisor, watch dog and helps aid our desensitising program.

Interests – Doing everything at twice the speed, biting his ball, barking at anyone who comes down the lane.

What he brings to the team – He’s a happy magnet, always ready to give cuddles and kisses even when we don’t want them.

 

What’s great is that we’re all so different. I couldn’t have done this without them. Their support is priceless. I’ll sign off with a clip of Dylan singing one of his favourite song, Buffalo Soldier. An old time classic which he has reworked to make it his own. Enjoy!

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Crisis of confidence

Phil (husband): “This post isn’t particularly up beat, is it?”

Me: “No it isn’t but I wanted to write an honest account, warts and all.”

I’ve been solely responsible for the ponies for over three months now. Initially high on adrenaline I felt fearless and confident. I had worked out a routine that fitted around my home life and all seemed to be ticking along nicely.  There were a few teething problems, for example, a bit of nudging, barging, and encroaching on my personal space but I put these issues down to my inexperience and the ponies and I getting to know one another.

These minor niggles, however, started to occur more frequently and I began to get anxious each time I went to the field.  I knew I’d be faced with the ponies either jostling for my attention or their breakfast, or getting ready to try and escape as I entered the paddock. I tried various strategies, for example, waving my hands to move them on, using a commanding voice (not sure the ponies were convinced), tapping the gate handle towards them and I even tried shouting (something I’m not keen on) but nothing really worked.

“Make yourself appear big and confident” that’s what all the literature says and that’s the advice given by my horsey friends. In my head it made sense but self doubt had set in. Looking after the ponies and the kids on my own was challenging and at times impossible. When things didn’t go according to plan I just couldn’t see any solution to the problems objectively, I started to believe I just couldn’t do it.

Simple tasks like leading and bringing the ponies in for grooming became problematic. Sometimes the ponies would stop dead in their tracks and just refuse to move or they would try and go at their own pace down the lane which was scary when you’re holding onto the lead rope.

My physical health started to suffer, I wasn’t sleeping well and I would worry all day about how to handle the ponies. This went on for about a month until one weekend I’d reached breaking point. Flood of tears were unleashed on Kim but in true Kim style she wasn’t phased and calmed me down. We talked through the issues and broke down each tasks into small doable nuggets. Kim reminded me of the importance of enjoying the ponies company something I had forgotten amidst my obsession with getting things just right and my overwhelming sense of failure.

Now when it comes to handling the ponies my aim is to end each interaction on a positive, this helps me stay grounded and reminds me why I started fostering rescue ponies in the first place.

Quote of the month

“The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude to the problem.” Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean.

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Cutting the apron strings

We’re seven months into fostering. Kim has done a sterling job in settling the ponies and helping me  section off the field.  She has shown me how to bring the ponies in, groom and check them. Over the last few months I’ve started to take on more of the day to day jobs. Kim’s increasingly busy life has meant she has less spare time so the moment I’ve tried to avoid has arrived. I have to step up and take responsibility of the ponies.  This is what I had been working towards, part of me was excited but I was also petrified. I knew I could go to Kim if I got myself into a pickle but I was determined to show her, my family and friends and most importantly to prove to myself that I could do it and I wouldn’t buckle under the pressure.

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The first winter

The muddy swamp that is the field has finally dried up, so work begins on repairing the sacrificed paddock and learning from what went wrong after our first winter with the foster ponies. You might be thinking I’m nuts, wanting to prepare for next winter even before summer has arrived but I really don’t want a repeat of last winter.

Just to recap. I spent most of it trawling through the mud with my wheelbarrow poo picking, while others had accepted they couldn’t poo pick any longer, I kept going. I think this is when I realised my obsession with horse poo. I have devoted a whole post to it and affectionately named it BROWN GOLD. I’m sure you’re (not) going to be excited to read it.

I admit I wasn’t in the best physical shape with 2 under twos and I’d never done this kind of work before so every part of my body was either in constant pain or screaming in agony. I spent many hours wishing someone would concrete the whole damn field so I wouldn’t have to drag my sorry self around it.  I felt I had made the biggest mistake taking on this project, my dream was not suppose feel like this but I didn’t dare tell anyone, I couldn’t bear the look of I told you so.

To top the physical exhaustion I can’t count the number of times I fell in the mud because I lost my footing, the wheelbarrow got stuck and on three occasions I remember it like it was yesterday being pushed or nudged, call it what you will by the cheeky one (Oreo).

Trying to haul myself out with nothing to grip onto was not a pretty sight, I’m only thankful that no one was around to see this spectacle. To add insult to injury, I was greeted with laughter when relaying my mishap to my not so dearest husband.

Anyway, what have I learnt from my first winter with the ponies. Muddy and clay fields are a nightmare! And it is true, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. So the main problems identified were access, muddy gates and a water log out-building. Our strategy was to reconfigure the field. Currently the field was  divided into two sections. Kim came up with a plan which meant splitting the field into 5 paddocks with a middle lane and gates adjoining each paddock.

The thought behind this layout was to:-
Prevent or minimise the main gateway and lane getting muddy and waterlogged
Make the field and boundary accessible and safe for kids, family and friends
Allow paddocks to rest and be repaired
Be able to move ponies around so they didn’t get bored, they could graze more effectively and always be turned out or into a poo free paddock
Provide a safe and separated paddock for newbie ponies

Over 100 posts needed to be bashed in and around 200 pegs needed screwing. This was a mammoth task which we aimed to complete in half a day. Work started at 9am. Once again our (Phil and I) naivety shone through. We didn’t think of the simple things like how were we going to get the 100 posts around the paddock, screwing 200 pegs by hand was not only tiring but time consuming. Fortunately Kim and Dean saved the day by bringing the appropriate tools and work finished around 1pm. My 3 Superheros (Captain Kim and her faithful right hand men DIY Dean and Gadget Phil) did a magnificent job. Well done, dinner was on me.

Footnote:  I was broken mentally and physically during the first winter with the ponies.  I have come to realise horse ownership particularly those that keep ponies/horses out 24/7 are a seriously dedicated tough bunch of people. I will never ever complain or moan about the weather being too cold, wet and miserable and the woos of having to stay in now that I have experienced looking after horses in the winter.

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The Oracles

I’m feeling reflective today. I’m five months into living the dream. I’ve got through the first winter,  boy was that an eye opener and the ponies are still with me. What’s got me this far? The key ingredients include sheer grit, an “I can do it!”and “failure is not an option!” mindset with a good sprinkling of naivety (sometimes not having a clue makes you fearless). Most importantly this dream would never have happened without the support of good friends. So this post is about those individuals that have supported me right from the start. They don’t know it but I refer to them as The Oracles. Together they bring over 30 years of knowledge and experience on horse behaviour, care, handling and riding.  Let me introduce you to Stephen, Carolyn and Kim.
Stephen Yeardley

Started riding: 31yrs old
Owned horses: Piebald (Milburn) &
Jutland (Gallacher)
Competed: XC, TREC and Endurance
Trained: Both horses were trained at Westcourt stables in Pewsey and Stephen continued to train them following Gary Witheford’s method.

Carolyn Roberts

Started riding: 5 years old.
Owned horses: Loaned a pony (Mali) whilst in secondary school.
Competed: At small shows(working pony category) XC.
Training: Follows natural horsemanship.

Carolyn and Stephen were the first people barring Phil that I trusted enough to share my vision. For about a year I drip fed all my ideas (the sane and the wacky) to them.  To their credit, they listened patiently to my ramblings. Once the fostering option became a reality I bombarded them with endless emails, lists of questions on how to care and handle the ponies. Even though they were busy running their own business they always took the time to reply and offered solutions when things didn’t go as planned.

What they bring to the table is an understanding of natural horsemanship, an approach I also favour.  Fundamentally Carolyn and Stephen keep me grounded, they remind me that I need to enjoy the moment and to value just being with the ponies.

     Kim Macleod  

Started riding: 13-14 yrs then at 36yrs old
Owned horses/Ponies: Shetland (Eric), Welsh section A (Tom Jones), Irish Cob (Branston), Irish sport horse (Murphy) and Thoroughbred (Faith).
Competed: Sponsored rides, low level dressage
Trained: followed Monty Roberts in the past

Kim is my rock. She continues to guide me through this project, showing me the practicalities of looking after horses and managing my field. Kim has a wonderful ability to adapt to whatever situation in a calm way but in the same breath she doesn’t take any nonsense from me when I’m being a scaredy cat or when the ponies are being cheeky. She is the first point of call in an emergency and is definitely someone you want on your side. What I really appreciate is her approach, she has only ever suggested options, she has never made me feel small even though I now realise that I’ve asked her so many silly questions. She doesn’t dictate or swamp me with her beliefs for which I’m grateful as it has allowed me to find my way and make decisions that work for me.

The Oracles and I share a common goal which is our love of animals and the desire to make the lives of the ponies that come to live with me and my family as happy and relax as can be. I’m so lucky to have people like this around me. If you find anyone that can get you through difficult times, hold on to them and most importantly let them know how wonderful they are and that they are appreciated. In the words of Yoda ” Long way, kind words go.” (I’ll apologise now for the many film references and quotes that will feature in my blog).

The Oracles continue to provide me with a great source of strength. I don’t think they will ever know how important their advice, help and kind word have been and continue to be in pursuing my dream. Here’s hoping I find some more Oracles along my journey.

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Heartbreak




December 2016



Phil and I thought rather naively that having large animals would be easier.  Our thoughts were: they’re bigger, stronger so they’re unlikely to get ill. How silly were we. Only a month in and Joker escaped from the field. He must have eaten something he shouldn’t have in the neighbours garden and fell sick suddenly. The charity’s vet came and said he was very ill and the best thing for him was to put him to sleep. We were devastated. I hadn’t for one moment thought it was this serious. I couldn’t understand how he could get so ill so quickly.

Phil and Kim stayed with him until the end. I was stuck with the kids at the house. To be honest I don’t know how I would have coped in this situation, I was in bits from the moment I got the news. Phil said Kim was amazing, she talked to Joker, stayed calm and stroked him until it was over. I have never seen Phil’s face look like it did that evening. I hope I never do. 

The loss of Joker was devastating, we were not prepared for this. I don’t know how people cope, we only had him for such a short while and it knocked us for six. This raised doubts as to whether we were going to be cut out for this. This is something that goes through my mind everyday.