Reluctant Rewilding

It's been a month of learning for both me and the herd. Since I brought them back to the forest, they've been reluctant to stray far from their barn. The forest is dense in places, especially at the moment, and Pixie, in particular, has found it difficult to adapt.

I tried gradually stretching her comfort zone towards better grazing, but as the foliage was thickening, the forest was getting darker and darker as the weeks passed. Pixie was actually becoming more, rather than less, anxious. So I scrapped that plan and decided to employ the idea of observational learning.

Oscar loves the forest, he often chooses to join me for a route about and a little jog to get my daily step count up!! So I decided to make the forest the most amazing place for him, treat searches, scent tracking, wandering to the best grass, etc. He was soon leaving the herd and heading out on his own to see if I'd left anything exciting out there.

During this time, I didn't ask Pixie or Bonny to come into the forest at all, and although Bonny joined us a few times, as soon as Pixie called her, she was straight back to the barn.

The other night, I went out about 10 pm to do my final checks and could find no ponies. No one in the barn, no one in the meadow, no one along the paths. Mild panic ensued, but my daughter and I headed out, checking routes that led to roads first, just in case Hudini Oscar had struck again!! But there was no sign, so we began walking into the woods.

After about 3000 steps (slightly obsessing over my step counter at the moment 😅), we began to see hoof prints in the softer ground and the smell of fresh horse poo met us. The path then turned steeply uphill towards the open moorland, and there, in the distance, were the ponies, munching happily on all the yummy diversity the wild has to offer. I returned home with my daughter without them seeing us, elated that my step count had now hit over 11,000!

Now, every night at 10 pm, I go out to check, and every night there are no ponies to be seen. I would now like to get my hands on a reliable tracker that doesn't rely on wifi signal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve had a few conversations over the past month with those involved in supporting free-living herds. They all relay the same observations,  that the herds take a long time to start exploring further afield. Even when resources are limited, the hesitance to venture into the unknown is there. But by creating a safe, emotionally supportive environment, they become braver, calmer, and smarter. Chatting to Lucy Rees earlier this year, I discovered that she has recently had to fence the massive expanse of land that her Pottoka horses have, as they had begun exploring further than they ever had before. It was now a constant challenge to keep them from breaking through the fences and wandering off into the village!

We must never underestimate the importance of safety for horses and the time it takes to build their confidence. Once our horses feel safe, they’re happy to explore, but the safety, both physically and emotionally, must come first.

There are so many ways of helping our horses become calm and confident in new or altered environments, but one size doesn't fit all. So understanding your horse, listening to their voice, and allowing them as much agency as possible can lead to the best outcomes.