As has been well publicized, a cold snap has hit the UK. We had a little snow on Sunday where we are, but only a sprinkling. BG looked like she was going old, with the top of her mane covered in frost. Her whiskers were frozen and her tail had icicles in it. I’m sure anyone walking past would see her un-rugged, and P1 and P2 double rugged, right up their necks, and wonder how mean I am. I felt all three on their skin though, and she was the warmest of the lot. That thick winter coat is doing its job, and it wouldn’t hurt if she dropped some weight either.
The ground was frozen though so it was the first morning this winter I gave all the ponies a full hay net. It was minus six degrees at nine o’clock, I think they appreciated it.
Then yesterday I got up the field and it looked as though BG had a thick white rug on her back of snow. I think it might have been irritating her a little as the first thing she did when we got up there was have a roll. I checked her over and again she was the warmest of the three.
I think we are now getting into the winter routine; de-ice the water buckets, put up hay in the morning, pick the compacted ice out of BG’s hooves... She seems happy in the weather, so that means I’m happy. I’m yet to see her running round enjoying the snow as she does sometimes, but perhaps that is a good thing as the ground is frozen, rather than the nice fluffy snow you get sometimes. I do hope the ground thaws soon though.
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Friday 19 November 2010
Grumpy girl
BG has been waiting at the gate the last two mornings when we have got up the field to feed her, looking out for our car. I have cut her feed down slightly though so she might loose the inclination to wait for just a measly handful. I was being a bit too soft on her thinking it was cold and wet and so her back is starting to look like a flat table top. Seeing as she is getting hay at night from the other owner it isn’t like she is being starved, so she can do with just one handful rather than two at both her mealtimes.
I gave BG a quick groom this morning to remove the mud that had dried on her coat. When I went to run the brush between her two front legs her ears went back and she swung her head round to snap at the air a foot or so away from my head. I tried again and although she didn’t look happy about it she had already told me that so she didn’t attempt to snap at me again.
I ran my hand between her legs to see if I could feel anything that would irritate her but there was nothing apart from some dried mud. She does have a thick coat so I might be missing something. She is definitely trying to tell me that for some reason she isn’t happy. The strange thing is she is normally fine about being groomed anywhere, but this is the second or third time recently she has snapped at me for grooming her there. She has never ever caught me, just swung her neck round and snapped in the air as a warning. It is all very odd.
I gave BG a quick groom this morning to remove the mud that had dried on her coat. When I went to run the brush between her two front legs her ears went back and she swung her head round to snap at the air a foot or so away from my head. I tried again and although she didn’t look happy about it she had already told me that so she didn’t attempt to snap at me again.
I ran my hand between her legs to see if I could feel anything that would irritate her but there was nothing apart from some dried mud. She does have a thick coat so I might be missing something. She is definitely trying to tell me that for some reason she isn’t happy. The strange thing is she is normally fine about being groomed anywhere, but this is the second or third time recently she has snapped at me for grooming her there. She has never ever caught me, just swung her neck round and snapped in the air as a warning. It is all very odd.
Monday 15 November 2010
Worrying
When BG was in her last home she had a rubber food bucket, which she would clear thoroughly at the end of her meal and occasionally move around her stall. She came up to me with a plastic feed bucket which was perfectly useable, but I always intended to get her a rubber one as I was worried the plastic would crack if she chewed the plastic one. I left it a while before getting her a rubber one, mainly because she didn’t actually ‘need’ it so I was a little wary about justifying the cost. That may sounds silly, they aren’t too expensive, but more cost than not buying one and it is not just my money I would be spending. I got her one earlier this year and I am so glad I did. She finishes her meal, licks the bowl thoroughly and chews on the handle, occasionally throwing it around her stall. The other night she looked up as she was still chewing the handle and threw the bucket so high it hit my husband on his thigh. He wasn’t hurt, but it does make me laugh to see her playing with her bowl like that.
Today is a bad day. We got up the field this morning and the wood the gate bolt attaches to had come off the gate post. I don’t know if this was deliberate or the horses, but it looked like it had been pushed from the road side. Then the fence alongside the gate looked like it had been cut. We have had issues before with people trying to steal the gate (which would leave the horses with free access to the road). We fixed the gate and I texted the other owner to let her know in case she spotted anything. In one of her replies she mentioned they are probably moving P1 and P2. I knew they were thinking of moving P1 and it makes sense for them to keep their two together, but I am just a little apprehensive about the future. The farmer might not want just one horse on the field, as he has mentioned selling it before, and I don’t know quite where that would leave BG and me. Also, P1 and P2’s owner is great to share with so I will miss that. I guess things work themselves out in the end, but I am worrying at the moment.
Today is a bad day. We got up the field this morning and the wood the gate bolt attaches to had come off the gate post. I don’t know if this was deliberate or the horses, but it looked like it had been pushed from the road side. Then the fence alongside the gate looked like it had been cut. We have had issues before with people trying to steal the gate (which would leave the horses with free access to the road). We fixed the gate and I texted the other owner to let her know in case she spotted anything. In one of her replies she mentioned they are probably moving P1 and P2. I knew they were thinking of moving P1 and it makes sense for them to keep their two together, but I am just a little apprehensive about the future. The farmer might not want just one horse on the field, as he has mentioned selling it before, and I don’t know quite where that would leave BG and me. Also, P1 and P2’s owner is great to share with so I will miss that. I guess things work themselves out in the end, but I am worrying at the moment.
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Unloved, uncared for?
I got up the field this morning and BG walked down as she saw us. She is looking like a little barrel from the front, although it is hard to tell how much of it is just her big fluffy coat. She was covered in mud! She looked a right state and it gave my arm a good work out brushing it all out of her coat. She was happy enough, very perky, wolfed down her breakfast, gave the bowl a lick, sniffed round the hay nets that had been put up for P2 last night, and then tried to nose the shelter door open after I’d taken her head collar off.
I know I will get up there again tonight and she will have the same amount of mud on her. In fact, it probably takes less than an hour after a groom for her to ensure she is covered again, I am beginning to think she’s a hippo. This morning was the first time I’ve really looked as her though and thought, if I didn’t know about horses and walked past, would I think you were badly looked after? My husband said a girl at his work thought there were some horses that weren’t very well looked after because she had seen them out and un-rugged. Would people really think that about my girl too?
May I just say that I know BG is both cared for and loved. As well as the minimum two visits a day I make up there the owners of P1 and P2 also visit so she is checked throughout the day. She gets two meals a day, albeit not always much. Even if I do not groom she is checked over thoroughly. Her hooves are trimmed when needed and she is up to date on wormers and vaccinations. I just hope no-one walks past who doesn’t know about horses and believes I am not caring for her, even if untrue I would hate anyone to even think that.
I know I will get up there again tonight and she will have the same amount of mud on her. In fact, it probably takes less than an hour after a groom for her to ensure she is covered again, I am beginning to think she’s a hippo. This morning was the first time I’ve really looked as her though and thought, if I didn’t know about horses and walked past, would I think you were badly looked after? My husband said a girl at his work thought there were some horses that weren’t very well looked after because she had seen them out and un-rugged. Would people really think that about my girl too?
May I just say that I know BG is both cared for and loved. As well as the minimum two visits a day I make up there the owners of P1 and P2 also visit so she is checked throughout the day. She gets two meals a day, albeit not always much. Even if I do not groom she is checked over thoroughly. Her hooves are trimmed when needed and she is up to date on wormers and vaccinations. I just hope no-one walks past who doesn’t know about horses and believes I am not caring for her, even if untrue I would hate anyone to even think that.
Monday 8 November 2010
Bridle, fireworks and puddles
So I had a day off work last week and got to spend the morning with BG, which is lovely during the week. I spent a good while giving her a thorough groom, and then I tried to clean the scabs on her fetlock and re-cover them in cream. She didn’t much like this, I don’t think she wanted to be in when I normally only do the basics with her in the week, so she had a bit of a stubborn ‘I’m going to hide in the back of my shelter and turn my back on you’. Which is fine (though a little annoying) as I can ignore her just as well as she can ignore me. I did other things until she got bored and decided to let me do what I wanted to do.
I was going to pop the bridle on her and then lunge her (but with a head collar over the bridle as I don’t like the idea of attaching the lunge line to the bit) but decided, because of the mood she was in, I would just do the bridle. It all went on okay except the bit, which she threw her head around for and just generally didn’t want to help me out. I guess the last thing I stuck in her mouth was her wormer so I can understand her reluctance.
She walked round very nicely in her bridle. Considering in the summer she had started to be silly and trying running round in circles with it on, she walked out very nicely and responsively, so that was positive. Unfortunately when I took the bit out her mouth she clamped her teeth down on it when it was only half way out and scared herself. The rest of the bridle went off over her head reasonably easily though, without her throwing her head up.
****************
Then it was bonfire night, and something most horses owners dread. We went up late on the Friday night and BG took her time coming down for her food. There were fireworks faintly lighting up the horizon, but no noise, that she stopped to watch curiously. As P2 was out we had the shelter and she had her head collar on with no issues. BG munched her tea, made a brief break to look over the door to check everything was okay, and then finished licking her bowl. Luckily she didn’t seem too fussed and neither did P1 or P2.
Saturday night the fireworks were closer and nosier. BG and P1 didn’t look up from their grazing and P2 didn’t seem to worry either. Most horse owners debate whether to keep their horses in on fireworks night or let them out. Many opt to keep them in as the horse can’t then injury itself running madly round a field. As with all these things it does depend on the horse. When we last had lightening up the field BG got herself a bit worked up trapped in the shelter with us. As soon as we let her out another streak of lighting came and she didn’t even glance up from her grazing. For her I think I would always leave out, as that is where she seems happiest.
****************
Yesterday was a lovely day. After a thorough groom I left BG to doze over her shelter door in the sun. Normally I do whatever I intend to do with her then turn her out whilst I clear the muck in the field. She seemed so content just dozing I left her and cleared the field first. Then she had a brief lunge and I was just debating whether to take her for a walk on my own when my husband arrived. I prefer both of us taking her out in case something happens, in fact I have only braved it the once on my own.
We managed to sneak out the field without P1 noticing (he starts careering round and calling out) and walked along the single lane road until we reached the part we can turn off at. Thanks to all the rain there were massive puddles at the entrance to the part we turn off onto. Some horses do not like water and puddles, a fear of not knowing how deep it could be. BG happily walked through, some things I am grateful for. She will avoid puddles but won’t go too far out of her way to do so, so walks through if needed without blinking. On the way back my husband ploughed through the puddle rather than her and she scuttled a bit sideways to watch him with a concerned look. Once he slowed down she didn’t mind him going through the puddle, I think she just objected to him splashing her first time.
There is nothing better to do on a Sunday morning than go for a walk with your husband and your pony. We didn’t meet anyone else out. There were some people in the distance BG watched excitedly, and we met a car on the way back, but that was all. BG just stood on the grass verge and grabbed a mouthful of grass ignoring the car totally as it went past. It was a little slippery under foot out but it was still a lovely little walk. P1 had eventually realised we had gone out and was calling out and waiting by the gate when we got back.
I was going to pop the bridle on her and then lunge her (but with a head collar over the bridle as I don’t like the idea of attaching the lunge line to the bit) but decided, because of the mood she was in, I would just do the bridle. It all went on okay except the bit, which she threw her head around for and just generally didn’t want to help me out. I guess the last thing I stuck in her mouth was her wormer so I can understand her reluctance.
She walked round very nicely in her bridle. Considering in the summer she had started to be silly and trying running round in circles with it on, she walked out very nicely and responsively, so that was positive. Unfortunately when I took the bit out her mouth she clamped her teeth down on it when it was only half way out and scared herself. The rest of the bridle went off over her head reasonably easily though, without her throwing her head up.
****************
Then it was bonfire night, and something most horses owners dread. We went up late on the Friday night and BG took her time coming down for her food. There were fireworks faintly lighting up the horizon, but no noise, that she stopped to watch curiously. As P2 was out we had the shelter and she had her head collar on with no issues. BG munched her tea, made a brief break to look over the door to check everything was okay, and then finished licking her bowl. Luckily she didn’t seem too fussed and neither did P1 or P2.
Saturday night the fireworks were closer and nosier. BG and P1 didn’t look up from their grazing and P2 didn’t seem to worry either. Most horse owners debate whether to keep their horses in on fireworks night or let them out. Many opt to keep them in as the horse can’t then injury itself running madly round a field. As with all these things it does depend on the horse. When we last had lightening up the field BG got herself a bit worked up trapped in the shelter with us. As soon as we let her out another streak of lighting came and she didn’t even glance up from her grazing. For her I think I would always leave out, as that is where she seems happiest.
****************
Yesterday was a lovely day. After a thorough groom I left BG to doze over her shelter door in the sun. Normally I do whatever I intend to do with her then turn her out whilst I clear the muck in the field. She seemed so content just dozing I left her and cleared the field first. Then she had a brief lunge and I was just debating whether to take her for a walk on my own when my husband arrived. I prefer both of us taking her out in case something happens, in fact I have only braved it the once on my own.
We managed to sneak out the field without P1 noticing (he starts careering round and calling out) and walked along the single lane road until we reached the part we can turn off at. Thanks to all the rain there were massive puddles at the entrance to the part we turn off onto. Some horses do not like water and puddles, a fear of not knowing how deep it could be. BG happily walked through, some things I am grateful for. She will avoid puddles but won’t go too far out of her way to do so, so walks through if needed without blinking. On the way back my husband ploughed through the puddle rather than her and she scuttled a bit sideways to watch him with a concerned look. Once he slowed down she didn’t mind him going through the puddle, I think she just objected to him splashing her first time.
There is nothing better to do on a Sunday morning than go for a walk with your husband and your pony. We didn’t meet anyone else out. There were some people in the distance BG watched excitedly, and we met a car on the way back, but that was all. BG just stood on the grass verge and grabbed a mouthful of grass ignoring the car totally as it went past. It was a little slippery under foot out but it was still a lovely little walk. P1 had eventually realised we had gone out and was calling out and waiting by the gate when we got back.
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