Over the past few months I have had a lot of fun interacting with some wild brumbies that were adopted by some animal lovers in country New South Wales.  Here is an overview of some of the techniques I’ve been using to help them learn to trust and interact with people.

It was back in August that I received an email from Skye.  In 2008, after reading an article about Snowy Mountain brumbies needing homes, Skye made further enquiries through the Victorian Brumby Association website.  Two horses caught her eye, Asha – a strong, small and pretty black mare – and Phoenix, her foal.  Luckily, she had room for both of them on her farm in Crookwell so Skye, and her daughter Georgie, eagerly awaited their arrival.  The trip from Victoria to the farm was a long one and when the horses finally arrived, Skye let them out into the cattle yards and gave them time to adjust to their new home.

At first the foal, Phoenix, was quite curious and approachable, as foals often are.  He and Georgie developed a good rapport.  However, as Skye and Georgie live in Sydney and only get to the farm on weekends, the handling was quite sporadic.  Over the following two years Phoenix has become more like his mother.  Skye got in touch with me to start the process of handling and educating these beautiful wild horses.

When I got there they were in some yards, a large round yard and a small one. We arrived, got out of the car and they were running around, snorting and clearly concerned. My first job, relaxation! We needed them to relax and slow down if I was to be able to put a hand on them. We started in the large round yard, where I put them into flight and started to have a conversation with them by controlling speed and direction of motion just like the dominant horse would have done in the herd they came from. As they started to give me the signs that they were relaxing and understanding what I was saying I gave them the opportunity to draw in towards me. When I turned and took the pressure off, boom, they came flying in! Although still stand-offish, they would keep facing me and even follow me around, at this stage at an arm’s length. It’s amazing how pure and untarnished their instincts were, they are so responsive to their own language and had such a desire to rejoin a herd. I’m so glad I could give them that herd security they needed! Back in the herd we created these little horses could relax and opened their mind up for the next stage of learning. 

After this I took each individually into the small round yard, I needed to be able to get a hand on them. Now that we had an understanding that they could trust and respect me enough to face me, they pretty much keep looking at me most of the time, when they did move away I would add a little pressure with toward the hindquarter until they faced me again, then they would zoom on back in to me. I then used a long stick to be able to touch them. Using approach and retreat I was able to get them comfortable with me touching them gently on the shoulder with the stick. Here at the shoulder I created a sweet spot, somewhere where I could go to them, touch them, then move around the rest of the body from. Again using approach and retreat I would move the stick rhythmically around the rest of their body until they were comfortable with me touching them all over with the stick.