WESTERN DAILY PRESS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2002
cold to the touch and contact there can be uncomfortable for the horse. A horse that lacks trust is also reluctant to have contact on or around his head, and the tail can be tightly clamped, which is why the focus of the work has been on initiating contact on the body and lower part of Basil's neck. As his confidence continues to grow, Fleur should be able :o start working towards the poll and sown the lower leg. When any animal has a high level If concern about a situation they an not eat. The mouth is tight and movement of the mouth maybe small and fast - or non-existent. In tense licking and chewing is not a sign that a horse is relaxing or "submitting" - it is a signal that the stress levels are increasing. Over the course of the past month, Basil's mouth movements have completely changed. The licking and chewing is more relaxed and the tension in his chin has changed. As I was working the back of my hand over Basil's back in session four, he started curling his muzzle and moving it from side to side as a response to the sensation on his back. As Fleur and I finished the session last week, we put some feed on a small, flat' Frisbee and offered it to Basil. It was too much to expect him to take it from our hands, but I wanted to see if he could accept food from Fleur if it was presented in such a way that he did not have to touch her hand with his muzzle. Offering food in a bucket or feed scoop, may have caused Basil to react if he touched the sides with his nose, and he may have associated the negative experience with being close to a human. For the first time in his life, Basil took the food from Fleur. Everyone that has seen Basil agrees that he genuinely seems to be enjoying the attention. TTEAM horses in general show a marked willingness to be handled. Working on two national rehabilitation yards I have had horses, which were once impossible and dangerous to catch, come running to the gate to be brought in for their second session. The beauty of the work is that it can be taught to the owner and carers, enabling them to worn with their own animals. The onus is not on one person to elicit the change, and the work offers ways for other people to be introduced to shy or nervous animals, since the consistency comes from the work pendent relationship between the animal and the person, but builds confidence within the animal. It therefore develops more ability to operate in a calm, focused mode. Responses to new situations' less automatic and more con sidered. The animal learns to learn. This, along with more body awareness and awareness of environment, yields more adaptability and more appropriate action. All this without the use of fear or force. o You can contact Sarah at the UK itself. e TTEAM Centre, Tilley Farm, Farm- borough, Bath A2 OAB or telephone 1 TEAM does not promote a de-01761-471182 (mobile: 07968-006529).