BBC Countryfile star Adam Henson has admitted to 'probably breaking one of the rules' after a horse whisperer gave him advice on how to behave with his animals. The television presenter, who runs Cotswold Farm Park near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, shared the confession in a recent YouTube video on the farm's channel.
Apple Treat Causes Rule Break
In the video, Adam visited young Exmoor foals after their first horse whisperer training session. Horse whispering uses the animal's own communication methods, such as non-verbal cues and energy, to build a partnership rather than 'breaking' the horse. However, Adam admitted he might have broken one of the rules by giving a pony an apple. He said: 'There we go, have a bit of apple. That's a good girl. It's all about patience. You're very beautiful, aren't you? Yes.'
He then acknowledged the mistake: 'Ian did say to me they don't really need treats. So, I'm probably breaking one of the rules by giving her some apples. As you can see, there's still quite a lot more work to be done, but we'll keep working with them.'
Expert Tips on Behaviour
Adam revealed that the experts gave him 'some tips on how to behave' with the animals. He explained: 'It's interesting that when I was over with Ian and his colleagues, they were giving me some tips about how to behave. And it's as much about the person as it is about the pony or the horse. It's a bit like training a dog. Often people who have got very naughty dogs, it's not necessarily the dog's fault. And one of the things that Ian said to me, my habit is to pat a horse on the neck, but he said with these, a pat is something that's more aggressive and is a sudden movement. So he said stroking them like this is the way forward and they quite like it.'
The farm team will continue taming the foals so that visitors to Cotswold Farm Park can meet and spend time with them.
Previous Regret Over Missed Opportunity
This comes after Adam shared a Countryfile regret, admitting he could have made himself wealthy. While filming for the BBC show in Switzerland, he saw Swiss valley sheep being brought off the mountains. He told the Talking Farming podcast: 'I said to the producer, "I really ought to get some of these animals, they're beautiful." Of course, being too busy and a bit slow off the mark, I didn't, but loads of people did in the UK and they've become really, really popular and very valuable. I completely missed a trick. I could have made myself wealthy but I missed it.'
Adam appears on Countryfile tonight (Sunday, May 17) from 6.15pm to 7.15pm on BBC Two.
