Time to administer BG's wormer again, Equest Pramox this time so it will target the tapeworms. I normally give it to her on the first of the month, but with work and the dark tomorrow I thought it would be better to do so today.
Poor BG tried to be good and let me put the syringe in her mouth a few times. Unfortunately the plunger on it was stiff and just would not move smoothly, it suddenly shot forward and scared the life out of her. I had to do that three times to get the whole dose of wormer into her. If the plunger had been smoother I think it would have gone almost perfectly, instead I feel sorry for BG. She is very good about not splitting it out afterwards though.
It took her a while to get the taste out of her mouth, she wouldn't even accept a polo for a good while.
BG had a thorough groom this morning, and then a lunge and got lead over some trotting poles which she was foot perfect over.
And apparently she has an admirer. I heard a gentleman stops up the field every day and she gallops down to him to take an apple. Once she has the apple she moves away and he hasn't managed to touch her at all. It is lovely someone else thinks she is wonderful too, but I don't really want random people feeding BG, it could cause issues in summer when I really need to watch her weight. I have no idea who he is though or when he visits as I have only heard it from someone else.
Sunday 31 October 2010
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Just a little update
We’ve had three days of frost so far, including that on the Thursday. BG has been keen to see us and her food. This morning she was in the far corner of the field when we got up there, and came running down, which is always lovely to see. She has been so keen for her food I think we might even succeed getting the head collar on her in the field. I haven’t tried it yet though as I don’t want to fail before work or in the dark in the evenings, it might have to wait until I have time at the weekend. Hopefully then I can enforce it over the weekend and it can become part of the routine.
The scabs on BG’s fetlocks don’t seem to be clearing up. At the weekend she has a thorough groom and check and clean of the scabs, in the week I try to keep them clean and Sudocreamed over to keep them soft. I would have hoped they would have healed by now but the off-fore seems persistent in keeping them.
The scabs on BG’s fetlocks don’t seem to be clearing up. At the weekend she has a thorough groom and check and clean of the scabs, in the week I try to keep them clean and Sudocreamed over to keep them soft. I would have hoped they would have healed by now but the off-fore seems persistent in keeping them.
Friday 22 October 2010
Hurry up!
I let P2 out of the shelter this morning which meant I could put BG in there for her breakfast and pop her head collar on. I’ve done this a few morning’s recently and she pauses before entering the shelter, checking that is the correct place to have her meal that morning, and turns her nose up at the mess P2 has made in her home, as I don’t tidy it up first.
This morning BG was waiting near the gate, half asleep but she perked up when I went to get her breakfast. Then she followed me to the shelter and went straight in behind me with no hesitation, sticking as close to my shoulder (and the food bowl) as she could. She was nudging me on the shoulder and pushing her head forward for her head collar before I’d even got it off the hook. I think she thought I was being far too slow and she knew the head collar had to go on before she could eat so she was there saying ‘hurry up!’
Such a change from the other times where she sees the head collar and runs away from you terrified saying ‘why would you dream of bringing that near me, it is such a scary thing’. The thing is, I think those times she is generally scared. Sometimes she is just being stubborn, when she swings her back round at you and has a grump in the corner, but other times she is genuinely scared, which is why times like today are so special. I love to see her confidence up and the cheeky side of her.
This morning BG was waiting near the gate, half asleep but she perked up when I went to get her breakfast. Then she followed me to the shelter and went straight in behind me with no hesitation, sticking as close to my shoulder (and the food bowl) as she could. She was nudging me on the shoulder and pushing her head forward for her head collar before I’d even got it off the hook. I think she thought I was being far too slow and she knew the head collar had to go on before she could eat so she was there saying ‘hurry up!’
Such a change from the other times where she sees the head collar and runs away from you terrified saying ‘why would you dream of bringing that near me, it is such a scary thing’. The thing is, I think those times she is generally scared. Sometimes she is just being stubborn, when she swings her back round at you and has a grump in the corner, but other times she is genuinely scared, which is why times like today are so special. I love to see her confidence up and the cheeky side of her.
Thursday 21 October 2010
Frozen water buckets
The temperature in the car read 1 degree this morning, so not any colder than yesterday, but it had frosted over-night. It was the first morning this winter that the water buckets were frozen, only a millimetre, but still frozen. BG was stood by the gate when we turned up, I’d like to think she was waiting for us but I think that she just found a spot in the field with sun on it.
All three ponies seemed pleased to see us. P2 was in the shelter for the night, which seems to be his new routine. I hadn’t been asked to let him out this morning so just dropped him a bit of hay to keep him going and to keep him out the way while I mucked out his bed.
P1 was very good and kept out the way when I fed BG, who seemed to enjoy her breakfast. She was looking well, her coat had fluffed out but she was warm enough and let me check her over and pick her feet out in the field.
I quite like the chilly but still mornings. When it’s like that there is no where I’d rather be than up the field, I even enjoy the mucking out. Just being able to watch the ponies grazing and be up there with them is great, I am very lucky.
All three ponies seemed pleased to see us. P2 was in the shelter for the night, which seems to be his new routine. I hadn’t been asked to let him out this morning so just dropped him a bit of hay to keep him going and to keep him out the way while I mucked out his bed.
P1 was very good and kept out the way when I fed BG, who seemed to enjoy her breakfast. She was looking well, her coat had fluffed out but she was warm enough and let me check her over and pick her feet out in the field.
I quite like the chilly but still mornings. When it’s like that there is no where I’d rather be than up the field, I even enjoy the mucking out. Just being able to watch the ponies grazing and be up there with them is great, I am very lucky.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Rooted to the spot
So I haven’t been able to do a lot with BG. It is too dark in the evenings, the mornings I just have time to do the basics and muck out, and P2 has remained in the shelter a lot of the time so I haven’t been able to put a head collar on BG. I don’t have time to win the battle in the morning, and at night it is just too dark. I feel a little bad for BG, but she is perfectly happy with the arrangement.
When P2 did start to be let out again I got BG in the shelter and she was perfect with the head collar first time, and since, with only a couple of minor blips where we have had to have several attempts. She believes she knows exactly what you want her to do and tries to help you all the time. The first time the shelter was free she went and stood in her ‘pen’ instead and looked at me as if to say ‘but you feed me in here now, I’m where I should be’.
The heat in her hooves seems to have died down a lot, it is hard to work her at the moment but my husband has done some in-hand with her in the morning’s whilst I am mucking out. Then I made the most of last weekend to spend an additional two hours up there on Saturday and an additional one on Sunday.
Sunday I did some in-hand work with her over the poles in the field. Saturday I gave her a thorough groom, her mane went a bit static-y and stuck out. Then I cleaned all the scabs off her off-fore and gave the area and clean before re-applying Sudocream over the top. The scabs did appear to be going but the ones at the top are still there.
I lunged her a little and then popped her in to put her rug on. This isn’t because she needs her rug on yet, as mentioned before hopefully I won’t put it on her at all this winter. It was 1.5 degrees when I went to give her her breakfast this morning but she is plenty warm enough in her winter coat, and if anything she still needs to loose a little fat. It was again an exercise to get her used to it, for when she does need it, even if that might be when she turns 25, at least if I start now she might be used to it in time.
The only other time she has had it on I just put it over her to check the size and didn’t do up any straps. This time I put it on her and wanted to do up all the straps and leave her in it a little so she could get used to the feel. Her neck tensed up as it went over her (slowly) and down the far side, and you could almost see her eyes roll back. She stood there patiently though, and didn’t flinch when I did the belly straps or even those between her hind-legs. We kept her in her shelter for this, so it was a controlled environment if she did get upset. With it all going so well (or so I thought), I went to get a feed bowl to put in the far corner of the shelter, so she would move in the rug to go and get it, and then get used to the feel as she put her neck up and down.
She went to move when I first put the bowl down, then felt the rug move on her back, her head went up, her eyes showed their whites and she remained rooted to the spot.
I left her to it and went to muck out the field. My husband stayed near her in case she were to get upset. In the time I mucked out the field she did not move. My husband tried coaxing her with the food, but every time she thought about moving the thought of the rug scared her. I felt really mean, she obviously wanted the food but was too scared. Eventually we just put the bowl in front of her and she built up enough courage to bend down and eat some of it, but even then she didn’t manage to finish it. I wonder if we will ever get her happy in a rug, I am inclined to think maybe not after that. At least she wasn’t shaking when the rug came off.
When P2 did start to be let out again I got BG in the shelter and she was perfect with the head collar first time, and since, with only a couple of minor blips where we have had to have several attempts. She believes she knows exactly what you want her to do and tries to help you all the time. The first time the shelter was free she went and stood in her ‘pen’ instead and looked at me as if to say ‘but you feed me in here now, I’m where I should be’.
The heat in her hooves seems to have died down a lot, it is hard to work her at the moment but my husband has done some in-hand with her in the morning’s whilst I am mucking out. Then I made the most of last weekend to spend an additional two hours up there on Saturday and an additional one on Sunday.
Sunday I did some in-hand work with her over the poles in the field. Saturday I gave her a thorough groom, her mane went a bit static-y and stuck out. Then I cleaned all the scabs off her off-fore and gave the area and clean before re-applying Sudocream over the top. The scabs did appear to be going but the ones at the top are still there.
I lunged her a little and then popped her in to put her rug on. This isn’t because she needs her rug on yet, as mentioned before hopefully I won’t put it on her at all this winter. It was 1.5 degrees when I went to give her her breakfast this morning but she is plenty warm enough in her winter coat, and if anything she still needs to loose a little fat. It was again an exercise to get her used to it, for when she does need it, even if that might be when she turns 25, at least if I start now she might be used to it in time.
The only other time she has had it on I just put it over her to check the size and didn’t do up any straps. This time I put it on her and wanted to do up all the straps and leave her in it a little so she could get used to the feel. Her neck tensed up as it went over her (slowly) and down the far side, and you could almost see her eyes roll back. She stood there patiently though, and didn’t flinch when I did the belly straps or even those between her hind-legs. We kept her in her shelter for this, so it was a controlled environment if she did get upset. With it all going so well (or so I thought), I went to get a feed bowl to put in the far corner of the shelter, so she would move in the rug to go and get it, and then get used to the feel as she put her neck up and down.
She went to move when I first put the bowl down, then felt the rug move on her back, her head went up, her eyes showed their whites and she remained rooted to the spot.
I left her to it and went to muck out the field. My husband stayed near her in case she were to get upset. In the time I mucked out the field she did not move. My husband tried coaxing her with the food, but every time she thought about moving the thought of the rug scared her. I felt really mean, she obviously wanted the food but was too scared. Eventually we just put the bowl in front of her and she built up enough courage to bend down and eat some of it, but even then she didn’t manage to finish it. I wonder if we will ever get her happy in a rug, I am inclined to think maybe not after that. At least she wasn’t shaking when the rug came off.
Friday 1 October 2010
Success - head collar on!
I have continued to feed BG in her ‘pen’ as P2 is still on box rest. For the first couple of days I think he liked being special and having his own little castle, but I think the novelty has worn off a little now.
The weather has been cold and miserable so BG’s thirst for food has overcome any apprehension she might have had entering the pen. She will enter quite confidently, eat her meal, and then occasionally get a little het up when she has finished and realises she is trapped. It seems to vary though as the second night she was in there she stood very patiently for me to groom her, even all up around her head. This morning she was on her toes and charged out when we opened the ‘gate’ for her, but the wind had put her on her toes anyway.
Last night was the first night I attempted the head collar with her. I felt really mean as you could tell she wanted the food, but just couldn’t quite get her confidence up to put her nose in the head collar. She thought about it a couple of times but just wasn’t quite brave enough, and every time she turned away I left her. If she wants my attention of food she needs to come to me, not take it when she wants to and turn her back on me the rest of the time.
Unfortunately I get up the field at seven at the earliest on a work night, so before long it got dark. I didn’t want to not feed her since I could tell she really wanted the food and did try so hard to overcome her fear and have the head collar on, but I couldn’t feed her and let her get away with it.
Eventually we went for the hoof, rope round neck and head collar on approach which I was a little dubious about doing outside. She was a bit reluctant, and pulled away when my husband went to put the head collar on, but when he held the rope and I went to put it on her she was perfect, even better than she has been recently in her shelter. She was perfect about having it off too, even the buckle being undone.
Unfortunately, with the wind this morning and us needing to get to work we were unable to repeat it, which probably isn’t sending the right message to her. It also looks like it is going to be a windy night so she might be on her toes then too. I have the farrier coming on Monday so really need to be able to catch her, especially as it isn’t at one of her normal meal times.
The good news is I got to give her a nice groom last night (mostly in the dark) and finally remembered to trim an inch off her tail to stop it touching the ground.
The weather has been cold and miserable so BG’s thirst for food has overcome any apprehension she might have had entering the pen. She will enter quite confidently, eat her meal, and then occasionally get a little het up when she has finished and realises she is trapped. It seems to vary though as the second night she was in there she stood very patiently for me to groom her, even all up around her head. This morning she was on her toes and charged out when we opened the ‘gate’ for her, but the wind had put her on her toes anyway.
Last night was the first night I attempted the head collar with her. I felt really mean as you could tell she wanted the food, but just couldn’t quite get her confidence up to put her nose in the head collar. She thought about it a couple of times but just wasn’t quite brave enough, and every time she turned away I left her. If she wants my attention of food she needs to come to me, not take it when she wants to and turn her back on me the rest of the time.
Unfortunately I get up the field at seven at the earliest on a work night, so before long it got dark. I didn’t want to not feed her since I could tell she really wanted the food and did try so hard to overcome her fear and have the head collar on, but I couldn’t feed her and let her get away with it.
Eventually we went for the hoof, rope round neck and head collar on approach which I was a little dubious about doing outside. She was a bit reluctant, and pulled away when my husband went to put the head collar on, but when he held the rope and I went to put it on her she was perfect, even better than she has been recently in her shelter. She was perfect about having it off too, even the buckle being undone.
Unfortunately, with the wind this morning and us needing to get to work we were unable to repeat it, which probably isn’t sending the right message to her. It also looks like it is going to be a windy night so she might be on her toes then too. I have the farrier coming on Monday so really need to be able to catch her, especially as it isn’t at one of her normal meal times.
The good news is I got to give her a nice groom last night (mostly in the dark) and finally remembered to trim an inch off her tail to stop it touching the ground.
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