Happy New Year

Rowan has continued to amaze me this week. The little scared pony that arrived almost two months ago is almost gone and has been replaced with a confident little pony. He is letting me touch him pretty much all over now though he does take some persuading to be fussed anywhere other than his itchy spot at times. Today when picking something up off the floor I touched just below his shoulder by accident. Rowan did not move so i continued to touch his leg then his other foreleg. we didnt get quite as far as his back feet not because he wouldnt let me but because he was trying to see what i was doing (hes a nosy little bugger) and so kept turning round. 

we are still having a few problems with the headcollar but he is getting much better with me bringing scary things into his stable. 

So from Rowan, Oska and Myself have a Happy New Year and good luck for 2012

Merry Christmas

Well as Christmas presents go having your foal come up to you and press his nose into your hand wanting a rub for the first time is pretty good! He is going from strength to strength at the moment. He has become so confident in the past few days getting more and more curious every day. He has been (literally) poking his nose into everything. He is still a little panicked when i have a headcollar in my hands but today has been much more willing to let me touch him with it. We have had to instill a few more ground rules today as he is beginning to explore things with his teeth but he seems to be learning quickly what is and isn't allowed.

I have been walking around with a grin stuck to my face for the past 24hrs and am still not quite sure that I believe how well he has come on in the past couple of days. We still have a long way to go but he really has made my Christmas this year. 

Hope you all have had as good a Christmas as we have 

Helen, Rowan and Oskubuska

Rowan has been a star this week. I have had to take a bit of time off from the yard having got flu i then also managed to get an eye infection too which had the result of me not being able to drive and with the yard a good 15 miles away my good mate took charge for a few days in my absence. I was a bit worried about how Rowan would be as he has not really had anyone else going in and out of his stable and whilst Jane is more than capable of looking after him he has been a little nervous of her as she can be quite loud. He has however coped really well and is now far more confident with her although he still runs to his 'safe' corner each time she enters his stable. 

He also now has a new stable as his was needed so I could bring Oska in for the night. He followed me (and his feed bucket) from one stable to the other without a problem and quickly settled in his new box. If the weather improves a little we may let him out next week into the paddock behind the stable block probably with the company of Hector as the two of them seem to be getting along very well at the moment. Hopefully will have a headcollar on him really soon too. I took his off the other day without a problem and he almost certainly would have had it back on the next day had I not become ill. 

Not much progress to report atm im afraid. ive gone and gotten flu and haven't been well enough to do much more than check both horses and do the basics. Rowan seems as confident as ever calling me as soon as i get out of the car and is just such a pleasure to be around. He is much more accepting of my mate Jane who keeps her Iceys on the same yard. Up until this week Jane hasn't really done much more than just chat to him over his door occasionally going in and sitting with him for a while when she has had some time. With me being ill however she offered to check on him for me so I didn't have to make so many trips out. Now that the two of them have been around each other a little more Rowan is now much happier when Jane is in his stable and is coming up to her at the door which he wouldn't have done a few days ago.

My little man is doing really really well at the moment. He seems happier and more confident every day. He is happy with me touching him right up as far as his ears now and looks rather put out if I dare go into his stable and don't give him a rub.

 He has met the vet for the first time today and he is very pleased with how Rowan is getting on. He looked at his feet and thought that we were right to be concerned about the rings on his feet but he thinks that they are just as a result of his change in diet but wants us to monitor it over the next few weeks.

He has really taken to his new ball (the type that you put feed in and as they roll around the feet falls out). He wasn't sure at first when it rattled but now that he knows what it does he practically knocks it out of my hands when i take it to him. 

Panic over

We have now decided that we overreacted the other day worrying about laminitus. We have spoken with both vets and neither are concerned he will however be seem by the vet next week he is coming to the yard anyway. I think he is looking good now he is putting on weight nicely and is filling out a bit. A friend who met Rowan just after he arrived 3 weeks ago thinks that he looks taller but i'm not convinced but then I see him everyday so may not see the changes as dramatically as she does. 

He is generally much more confident coming up to us in the stable and investigating what we are doing. He has been a bit jumpy at points this week but it has been so windy here all of the horses seem to be a bit on edge and when it has been calmer he is definitely more relaxed and happy for us to be around. We are taking it all nice and slowly and we will get there in time.