Up at 0445 to take Koi-Lee to Hamilton airport.
It's harder to watch someone leave than it is to leave isn't it ?
The last couple of days have been very wet, dull, & uninspiring.
Today the weanlings were branded. The vet does this, as it is done
with liquid nitrogen & only a registered person can use the nitrogen.
Branding is done partly for identification purposes & partly to prevent theft.
The babies have a number put on their offside shoulder (right hand side) & a Trelawney
brand on their nearside (left). The babies begin at 1 every year & the number below
that denotes the year.
For example, Racy Belle was 40 over 2, as he was the 40th foal born at Trelawney in 2002.
The brand is held in liquid nitrogen until cold, then placed on a shaved area on the twitched foal's
shoulder for a few seconds. The skin soon raises in the shape of the brand & the number is
clearly visible. Over the next few days, the hair immediately over that patch of skin turns
white as it dies, leaving the foals with a neat, clear, legible number.
I asked Ledge about the branding process & whether or not it was painful for the foals.
His reply was that it appeared uncomfortable, but more humane than the old
alternative which was fire-branding which he considered harsh on the babies.
I watched all 6 foals, immediately after the process & only one appeared affected
by the procedure. He was agitated & pacing his box & couldn't seem to get comfortable.
I certainly thought it was going to be harder on them than it was.
Yesterday, the farrier came & trimmed all their feet so it's been an intense few days
for them.
This week has seen Ledge, assisted by Chris handling the weanlings every day & it's
been a fascinating process to observe.
On Monday morning they were handled in their boxes for the very 1st time, when he
placed a rope around their neck. He encouraged them to walk towards him, praising them
& releasing the pressure as they did so. Each foal was handled for no more
than about 10 minutes. After that, headcollars were fitted & they were allowed to
get used to the idea of having something on their heads.
The next day leadropes were clipped to the halters & each foal was led around its
box. Ledge is very clear in his expectations of the foals. If they behave properly
they are praised & conversely if they mess about they are reprimanded quietly
but firmly & asked to perform the task again.
Later that day, they were led out of thir boxes in pairs to walk around the yard
directly outside the barn. The yard is completely enclosed & every gate
shut just in case one of the foals should manage to break free.
The horses are led every day as yearlings so good leading manners are a
prerequisite. It is the groundwork which Ledge does now, which makes the staff's
life easier, come the yearling prep season.
Long, orange stock sticks are used in conjunction with lead ropes to encourage
the foals to walk on promptly when requested. These are held at waist height in the
left hand, perpendicular to the ground. If the foal hesitates or refuses to walk
on , the idea is to gently place it behind yourself & alongside the foal's quarters.
The foals are asked to walk, stop, turn, wait whilst another foal passes, & all the
things they will find themselves doing in another few months on a daily basis.
The ideal place to be when leading a youngster, or any horse, is at the shoulder.
It's dangerous to be ahead of them as they can either duck behind you, or strike
out with a front foot. It's equally dangerous to get caught behind a horse for
reasons which anyone who read about Claire, will appreciate.
Sorry if this sounds like one of those dry 1920's manuals but my usual 'style'
seems to have deserted me this evening, think I'm just too knackered.
The babies have also been wearing very cute weanling rugs this week. They soon
became accustomed to these too, after a couple of them spent the first evening
'glued' to the partition in their boxes, convinced they were paralysed by the fiendish
things on their backs.
That's pretty much all for today, Michelle was preparing a deliciously scented Mexican
meal when she was interrupted by a visitor in the form of a teacher from Harriette's
school. She is here to do a 'home check' prior to the school allowing a Japanese exchange
student to stay at Cedar Lodge for a couple of weeks.
One of my English teachers once labelled me an iconoclast & he obviously knew me
well because the urge to misbehave when being viewed by a teacher doing a
homecheck is overwhelming.
Michelle looks just the part, introducing the kids & Eric, 'my husband who's studying'.
Cue Eric, looking up from his books at the table, the perfect model of dutiful
father/scholar.
The point at which Michelle gestures to me on the computer with the words '& this is
Carol, our lodger, she rents the cottage' is when I long to pick my nose, scratch my a***,
or cough up a hairball. I really am a very bad person.
It's something about the way teachers speak, I just can't help it. Maybe it is because
they address kids all day that they feel it necessary to adopt the slightly instructive,
supercilious manner with adults too. Whatever the rason, I am dying to burst into the
kitchen & tell teacher that Michelle has not 1 degree but 2. It probably wouldnt help
to secure a Japanese student staying here though so I will be good & wind my neck in.
I must just elaborate & say, this is only some teachers. I had some very good ones & they
do by & large perform a difficult task. Then there are those who wear corduroy jackets
with leatherette elbow patches, don't let me get started on them.
Enough. 'Down Briggsy, in your bed'.
Fankyou Di for my lovely letter, e-mails are great, letters are even better, especially when
they have very cute drawings of something you are trying to describe. Aah.
Got the reply to the e-mail Ang, think I would like Cathy :)
Will try & call you tonight Stu.
Chef, thanks for the remarks, I thought I did the red corrections ?
Until next time Bloggers,
Cx
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