Working class ponies.

I leave it to you to decide whether I mean working class ponies or working class ponies. But Obama is definitely a class pony, and is clearly working so, its simple. I mean working class ponies.

Today he was pulling larch poles out at Windy Cross, working over a carpet of brash, on uneven ground with random stumps as an extra hazard. You can see him crossing his front feet as he tries to get the angle right to pull the stick out.
But this isn't done on some carefully raked dressage arena, and more to the point, I haven't a clue what is going on. We are learning together. And the next stick will be different, different angle, different footing, it may be light and easy, it could be a right pig.

You can see Obama giving it some extra grunt as this stick is nicely wedged between a couple of others, and he can't get a straight pull because an oak sapling we are trying to save is in the way. The next shot shows the stick at the bottom of the hill.

Quite a stick.

Obama now knows that once he gets the stick moving, its going down to the pile, so he sets off and when he gets there, he stops where he stopped last time and waits for me to detach the stick from the rig.
If necessary he takes a step forward to give me room to work, otherwise waits till I am ready, I turn him and we head back to the next one.
I never taught him, I didn't have the time or the skill, I just started doing the job and he picked it up as we went along.
He prefers me to clear a track, but he'll work over brash, logs, pretty much anything. This is his third day at Windy Cross and he's looking pretty cool,  as you can see if you watch the slide show below.

< As you can see, the sequence of commands is random at best,but Obama gets the job done. This is not down to brilliant training, not even on Obama's part. Man, working man, has worked with and beside ponies for millennia. If you work beside someone, you really get to know them, and you learn to work as a team. Obama is really easy to work with, most ponies are. Dartmoor farmers, Fell farmers, Dales farmers, Welsh farmers didn't keep ponies for thousands of years in the hope that one day, small girls with rich parents would find a use for them at Gymkhanas and Pony Club Camp. They have been the backbone of the economy for a lot longer than there has been a Chancellor of the Exchequer, which I will admit isn't even 700 years. Parvenus the lot of them.

The SLL White Horses Caravan of Hope has added a new dimension.

The SLL White Horses Caravan of Hope has added a new dimension. For most people, taking a group of disadvantaged youngsters and getting them to ride a group of young horses from the Camargue, in the south of France, to London, would be enough of a challenge.

For Jakki Cunningham, who has led the 2005 and 2008 SLL White Horse odysseys this isn't enough. For 2012 she is including a disabled veteran, driving a one man, wheelchair enabled, all terrain pony drawn vehicle called the iBex alongside the group of ridden horses from the Camargue to London.

The iBex has already driven from Exeter to London, and is undergoing destructive testing on Dartmoor. The iBex hasn't broken any of the Tors yet, but it is still trying. The iBex has been developed to allow wheelchairs to go anywhere, and six schools in the Exeter area have used it this summer to ensure that everyone in the class, regardless of physical ability gets out on the farm visits atWest Town Farm, Ide and round all the muddy bits.

The iBex has also taken a group of severely disabled children to the beach, and into the sea. Anyone who has tried to push a wheelchair in sand will realise the degree of freedom this gives. Bex, one of the iBex test drivers, who suffers from Friedrich's Ataxia, spent two days at the The Royal Welsh Showground Spring Festival demonstrating the unique iBex instant release system which enables her to drive on Exmouth Beach, through Haldon Forest, around West Town Farm, Ide and through Exeter, in safety.

The iBex is proud to be associated with the unique Caravan of Hope, and believes that adding a disabled veteran to the project will increase the benefits for all. Leadership doesn't get amputated with limbs, nor does courage, resourcefulness, or the skills of living away from the normal amenities of civilisation. Everyone can learn from each other and most of all, from the horses.


For more details, and info, go to this link.