Halter Training Victor – 9 September 2011

Today I did some halter training with Victor, this time quite late in the evening – about 8pm. And for the first time I heard his neigh!

My dad and I went down to see the ponies, I had the lead rope and halter for Victor and my dad watched – it was the first time I’d had any sort of audience when putting Victor’s head collar on. And he behaved wonderfully!

Honestly, it was so easy to put his collar on, he simply stood there very still and patiently whilst I slid his nose into the nose loop, lifted the other straps up, and buckled them on the left side of his face (right side for me as I was crouched in front of him).

Victor is a VERY lively, playful foal, so sometimes it can be quite a challenge to get his head collar on. And when it was on, and I was scratching him on his neck which he absolutey loves, he growled at me!

Ok, so he actually neighed, I just thought he’d growled at first. I’ve never heard his actaul neight before, only excited squeaks before, so I didn’t realise just how deep his neigh it is. And deep it is! I’ve never heard another pony or foal with such a low pitched neigh.

Now, before he neighed at me, I’d already attached the leadrope to his halter and taken it off, after he’d had it on for about five minutes. It was only the second time, so he’s not that used to it yet.

As my dad and I were walking away, through all the rushes (they’re in a field that has a lot of rushes) I turned round and in the semi-dark I caught sight of a tree’s foliage moving vigorously. And then we glimpsed Victor running back up the field towards where all the ponies had been. He’d followed us down! But the tree was still moving! We walked back, through the muddy pathway Gradbach and I’d made through the dense rushes, and saw Tulip using the lower branches to rub herself. She’s also followed us down, and we hadn’t noticed. Victor (Mignon Velvet) then cantered back down to Tulip, nipper her, she kicked him, and then he ran back up to Rosie and Gradbach.