Epona's Pastures

                                        
We would like our readers to welcome our newcomer "Panache" to Epona's Pastures.
Panache is an 8yo bay STB who has finished his career on the track and is looking for a new beginning. He is a solid boy who stands approximately 15.2hh with a lovely temperament and a willingness to please.
Panache has been with us for a few weeks now and has had time to settle in to his new environment. He had his first training session in the round yard this week and was a pleasure to work with. Our aim is to get Panache working under saddle and turn him into a pleasure riding horse over the coming weeks.

                            Panache has a lesson in the roundyard - 27.09.09

On yet another cool Spring weekend morning we took some time to gently work with Panache in the roundyard. We were again fortunate enough to have Charlie's expertise at hand. Charlie always takes the time to bond with the horse before he begins every lesson, gaining the horse's full attention and confidence, with the aim of establishing himself as the horse's trusted leader.

Once the groundwork has been established, Charlie slowly gains Panache's acceptance of the saddle and gear and eventually his own weight in the saddle. Even though Panache isn't entirely green, we believe in taking each step slowly, putting strong emphasis on building his confidence and trust in his riders and handlers. We believe that the right work and effort now helps to establish a well rounded and confident horse further down the track. Throughout this process we learn almost as much from each horse as they do from us.
As Panache accepts Charlie's weight, Charlie swings into the saddle and slowly asks Panache to take a few steps forward. Panache listens and although he is a little careful to start off,  he is soon striding out with confidence.

Below is a short video clip of Panache's achievements for the day:

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 Panache Continues To Impress - 25.10.09

Over the last few weeks we have progressed with Panache's training and he continues to impress us at every turn. It wasn't long before we decided that Panache was ready to leave the roundyard and test what he had learned out in the open. Lynda rode him out in the paddocks to see what his response would be outside the confined space of the roundyard. Panache continued on in a relaxed manner like he had done nothing else all his life. 

Panache Has A Checkup - 04.12.09

Before Christmas we had one of our Veterinarians out to do a check up on a couple of the horses. Panache was given a full dental treatment and we were told it was a long overdue. Poor boy had very sharp teeth and he will now be much more comfortable when chewing his food. He was also given his annual tetanus and strangles vaccination before he was allowed to head back to the herd to tell the others about his "adventures" for the day.
 

Out In The Bush - 13.12.09

Panache has now been out on several trail rides and he is proving himself to be the perfect pleasure mount.  When we next headed out for a Sunday ride with one of our volunteers Sue, Matt had been so impressed with Panache that he left his own horse behind. There was three of us riding plus the two large dogs running at the horse's feet, Panache behaved like a perfect gentleman on a loose rein the whole ride.

We are extremely fortunate to have the whole forest as our "playground" and "training grounds". The trails offer a huge variety of exercises and challenges for the horses when they go out. Panache has been fantastic each ride and taken it all in his stride as we introduce him to new scenarios.

 


                                       The Girls Take Panache out - 30.12.10 

Those of you who have been following our stories for a while will remember one of our volunteers "Thea" who moved back overseas last year. Well, we were all excited when she came back for a visit at the end of December with two of our friends "Anne & Camilla" who have also ridden with us before. The three girls went out on several rides during their stay with us and Panache certainly got a few good workouts.