Halter Training Victor – 4 Sep 2011

Just got back in from another training session with Victor (Mignon Velvet) – a very adorable little skewbald roan miniature Shetland foal. And today I managed to get his head collar on easily. And he didn’t mind!

The other times when I’ve been training him I could get the nose loop on him and bring the strap up and around his ears (whilst scratching behind his ears at the same time, which he loves!) and hold the buckle and strap together – but whenever I went to do the buckle up he’d walk backwards and start to get anxious.

But today he did not mind at all. In fact when I went down all the ponies were asleep, apart from Goldsytch Gradbach who was ‘on guard’. Rosie promptly woke up and came over to greet me, rubbing her head against me, Tulip looked at me, rolled, got up, walked around a bit, and then lay down again (she’s about three months in foal), and Victor looked at me, got up and began suckling from his mum (Rosie).

After a while, curiosity got the better of the foal and he came over to sniff the head collar. And then I was able to put it on him no problem whatsoever! At first he seemed a little confused, but then he lay down and went to sleep after about five minutes. I stayed in the field with the ponies for another twenty or so minutes before taking the head collar off Victor – whilst he was still lying down!

The next step is to attach the lead rope to the halter and gradually get him used to being lead around.

Oh yes! And we’ve agreed to buy Victor too! Before we’d bought his mother Rosie and the foal had just temporarily come to live with us until he could be weaned. And I fell in love with him… He’s just so adorable and has wonderful confirmation. I hope that he’ll make a good stallion so we can breed from him, but if not (and we do have a stallion: Gradbach) we may get him gelded so he can run with the herd.