Hazel's Diary
Looking after a horse or pony can be hard work and a lot of money. Sometimes owners can no longer keep their animals and sign them over to us to be looked after. This diary is about one of these ponies, Hazel.
April 2009
This month I have moved fields. Because it is springtime the grass is really rich - far too rich for my herd and me! It seems a bit odd having moved as I was so used to my old field, I knew everything about it, where the trees were and even my friends next door. I don’t feel as confident in this new field; there are new noises to hear and things to see. But I know its good for me to get used to new surroundings so I will do my best with help from Tytti. The grooms had a training day from Ben Hart. He comes to help train the staff and the horses they work with. All horses are different you know, just like people. We showed him some of my work in the school and he said how well I had done. Tytti explained I had got a bit more nervous since moving fields but he said that’s normal. We have been told to keep getting me used to different things and I will soon be back to normal, and even better. Challenges can be a good thing! I did something for the first time too; I got weighed on the weighbridge. It is quite narrow and felt very strange on my feet but I did it anyway. I will be doing this weekly to make sure I stay in a good weight. Plus it’s a great step for my confidence and training.
March 2009
I feel great with my newly trimmed feet. I will now see the farrier in four to six weeks time when I will need another trim to make sure my feet don’t get to long. I’m growing in confidence all the time and am really enjoying learning new things. I think Tytti enjoys it to; we have lots of fun finding different things to do together. I have started to do some fun activities in the school. It is all aimed at making me more confident dealing with new situations to prepare me for when I’m ready to find a new home. We do lots of walking and even trotting together, Tytti makes sure I stop when I need to. This improves my leading skills and how I react and behave. I squeeze through small gaps against the fence line, this gets me used to going through gaps such as walking into a trailer or through a stable door. My favourite thing is walking over poles. I was very nervous of this at first and didn’t want to go over them. Tytti kept trying though and I soon decided I was just going to go for it. I leapt really big to make sure the pole didn’t touch my feet, but it didn’t move. The second time I jumped a bit smaller and I then realised that I didn’t need to jump at all. The pole is actually really low and wasn’t going to hurt me at all. Sometimes it just takes time for me to get used to new things but I know the more I do the more confident I will become.
February 2009
Now the sun has come out I have started to loose some of my thick coat I grew to keep me warm over the winter. Being groomed daily really helps to get rid of the old coat plus it feels so nice, but poor Tytti gets so covered in my hair! I also have been enjoying having a nice roll in the field and the occasional afternoon snooze. Most of the time horses sleep standing up, this is because how we have developed from many years ago. We would need to react quickly from danger and if we were lying down it would take a lot longer to run away. Although in these nice warm afternoons you often find me having a little sleep laid down. One of my friends normally watches over me to make sure I am safe.
Last month if you remember, Tytti was working on picking up my feet. I now realise that having your feet picked out isn’t that bad really. I had a visit from the farrier the other day too. Horses feet continue to grow so they need to be seen by a farrier who trims them every 4-6 weeks. I was a little worried at first, but Tytti was holding me and telling me it will be ok so I stood very still. It didn’t hurt at all. The farrier trimmed only a little of my hoof away and then rasped them with a special tool to smooth the edges. My feet now look great! All of the new things I have to do are all preparing me to be ready to go to a new home, its all very exciting.
January 2009
I am learning so much here at The Blue Cross. Sometimes I look around and see the other horses and ponies wearing rugs and funny bandages on their legs. This makes me realise I still have lots to learn for my age. I didn’t experience many of the things horses do when they are young, that’s why I am quite nervous of new things now. I’m sure I can catch up though. My new groom Tytti really looks after me well. I enjoy doing things with Tytti as it’s good for me to get used to the way other people handle me. Being caught isn’t a problem anymore and I don’t even need any food to reward me. Normally I get a nice scratch on my neck, which is lovely, I know I have done well then.
Tytti has started getting me used to picking up my feet. This means that she can get rid of any stones or mud that is in them. At first it was really scary as what would I do if something scared me and I had one foot held up? Soon though I felt more comfortable and safe in my environment, which meant I could relax. I really enjoyed the snow the other day it was so nice.
December 2008
We have moved fields and now we’re in with some other horses and ponies, its great fun. Pippin and I have been put into a new shelter and woodchip area next to the field. This is so we can get to know some of the other horses and ponies over the fence. Flora tells me this is important as when new horses get introduced to a different group sometimes we get a little excited and gallop around. This way is just safer and actually we quite like it in the woodchip. Flora has just passed me over to another groom. This is so I don’t get used to just one person handling me. Her name is Tytti. She is really nice and we get on well. Before I go onto the list of horses that Tytti looks after, Flora took me for my first walk. It was so brilliant. I was really nervous but I know its good for me to see new things. It will help me find a new home when I am ready. I think Tytti is going to work on picking my feet up next. There is so much to learn!
November 2008
Wow, what fun I am having out in the field. I also have a new friend called Pippin. Pippin is a little nervous too so it means we can learn together. Everyone is very friendly here and often come and give us treats and a pat throughout the day to try and make us more confident with people. We now stay in a stable at night with some nice hay to eat and shavings on the floor to keep the bed dry. While the grooms are taking out all the muck from my stable, cleaning and filling up my water for when I come in later, I get brushed. I’m now getting used to this and have realised that not only does it keep me clean it also feels really nice. Pippin and I then have our own little field out the back next to some other horses and ponies. Sometimes it takes some of the grooms a little time to catch us both but we are getting better. I think we are in this field for a month to make sure we are fit and healthy and then we get to go out into another field to make more friends. How exciting!
October 2008, the vet gives Hazel the 'all clear'
The grooms at the Blue Cross gave me some time to settle into my new home. It is so strange when you move to a new place. There are new smells, new people and new horses to get to know. My friends and I were put in isolation away from all the other horses for a while just in case we were feeling a bit poorly. A nice groom called Flora tried to make friends with me in the stable. I was a bit worried at first but she was very quiet and didn’t rush me. It didn’t take her long to put a head collar on me; she gave me some nice treats whenever I did something good so I quickly learnt. I then had a visit from the vet. She watched me walk and trot to make sure my legs were ok, listened to my lungs and heart, looked in my eyes and even injected me to protect me against flu and tetanus. I then had another injection, which made me a little sleepy. I had my teeth rasped so there were no sharp bits and I also had a tiny chip put in my neck. This means that if I ever get lost I will be returned to The Blue Cross. So much happened, but the vet said I was nice and healthy. That was great news because it meant I could go out into one of the isolation fields to eat some grass. I think I will learn a lot here!
September 2008, Hazel arrives at The Blue Cross
Hi, my name is Hazel and I'm an Exmoor pony. I now belong to The Blue Cross. I was signed over by my owner who couldn’t look after me anymore.
When The Blue Cross picked me up, they couldn't catch me. I wanted to be caught but I was just so scared of what was happening. There was a big lorry and all my friends were being shut in there. I hadn’t really been handled for a long time and I forgot what it was like to have people touching me. One of the grooms tried to catch me in a stable, but I wouldn’t let her. I think she realised how scared I was so left me some yummy treats on the floor and told me not to worry. I saw my friend walking on the lorry and the grooms let me follow her. I went really quickly so I didn’t get left behind. I felt bad for leaving my owner, but knew it was for the best and that she had done the right thing. I neighed goodbye as loud as I could.
It was a long journey, and we talked about The Blue Cross all the way. We wondered what would it be like, would there be lots of grass, and would the other ponies be nice? We had so many questions.
It was dark when we arrived and there were lots of people waiting to see us. My friend and I came off first. We tried to dodge the people and walked calmly into a warm cosy stable. There was hay, water and a big deep bed for us to sleep on; we started to feel very tired then. A couple of faces peeped over the door at us taking pictures and writing things down. The vet was there too. She had a look at us from outside the stable and decided that we looked in good enough health. Apart from being a bit muddy and tired she thought it would be better to come back when we were a bit braver in the next couple of days.