We will soon have to catch the foals to move them with their mothers over to new fields.

Earlier this year, we caught the foals to have them microchipped but, since then, we have mostly left them alone to be with their mothers and to be foals.

So today I made the decision to at least show the foals the headcollars so they get used to them, if only in their heads.  We did this with Efstur last year with absolutely no success but, having said that, when we actually started working with him properly, he quickly got used to the idea of having a headcollar put on so I think some of the preparation work we did before had some merit.

I am also an optimist.

We started off by showing the foals what we wanted.  Hetja was a very obliging volunteer.

We put one on the floor and Dreki investigated.

He stood on it.  Well, it’s a start.

Dreki was in a very receptive mood.

Lilja was not.

So Flossie, knowing the best way to approach Lilja is to be smaller than her, crouched in the field until Lilja’s curiousity got the better of her.

She had “helpers”.

And it didn’t take long.

With lots of encouragement and rewards (tickles)….

….. Lilja decided she might be able to think about possibly doing this.

Floss showed Lilja there was no point being a silly-billy.  Nothing horrid was going to happen.

Then it was my turn.

My two little foals were getting braver.

And of course, there was the statutory reward.

Floss and I will take two headcollars to the foals on a regular basis.  We will let them play with them and see there is nothing scary.  I doubt we will get to put them on but we will at least we may move along one step in their training.