Diary of an Anxious Horse and Protective Mummy - Part 2
Having settled in to his new environment quicker than anyone expected, the anxious, quirky one was not only proving to be tidier in his bedroom and less stressful out in the field but he was also much calmer to handle. Now, this is in part due to the miraculous calmer from my incredibly patient and understanding vet, but also in part due to the calm environment at New Hatches Livery and Rehabilitation Centre and the lovely calm attitude of the staff.
With everyone happy about his levels of relaxation, the nearly 9 months of holiday/convalescence time was about to come to a rude end. The time had come to try him on the Salt Water Treadmill, albeit without the potentially alarming water to start with. I have to say, I was a tad apprehensive about how he'd cope with walking on to the treadmill as when he was a day visitor at the RVC and had to be weighed, the weigh bridge was clearly a black hole waiting to swallow him up! In fact, his little Exmoor sanity companion had to walk on the weigh bridge first and then stand at the end so the big goofball couldn't/wouldn't run off dragging me unceremoniously behind him! Well to add insult to injury and despite not having his little sanity companion to hold his hoof, my big lovable goon happily walked on to the treadmill and through the treadmill, rather sedately I may add. After a few walk throughs, the doors were closed and the treadmill started up. Despite a wobbly start with him having to remember that he actually has 4 legs, he finally got the hang of it and coped well. Again, this is down to the patience and expertise of New Hatches. How he will cope when the water is added is for another blog.
Keep checking our website or visiting New Hatches Facebook page for more news on services and clinics at New Hatches Livery and Rehabilitation Centre.
