Everything seems a little different....

Everything seems a little different at the moment. The ponies have modified their behaviour for the weather and I am trying to keep up with the changes so I don’t have to worry about something being wrong.

Two nights ago we got up to do the evening feed and P1 was neatly tucked up on the ground at BG’s hooves as she munched the remains of the hay net. P1 is the boss of BG, if he wanted the hay he would have it. They don’t seem as keen on the hay as they first were, as they will leave bits. I actually prefer it like that, it means there will be more left for later as the weather cools over-night, but it is unusual to see them saving their food. Plus, I have not seen the ponies lying down in the snow, although damp patches on BG’s belly suggest she does sometimes over the night.

Last night P2 and BG were gulping back the water. BG does not drink a lot, but she had a long drink before her tea, and then after her tea she attempted to have another drink from the water bucket inside. This was frozen over and me removing the ice scared her so she wouldn’t then drink from it, but as soon as we let her back out of the shelter she was back over to the outside water buckets for another long drink. Maybe the hay was slightly dry, I don’t like the idea of soaking it in this weather though.

Last night was the first night I was really worried about them. It was cold, not as cold as it had been, and it isn’t snowing much here, but it was so windy and that makes it feel worse. BG was waiting at the gate this morning, and the other two were stood expectantly, but they were all absolutely fine. I think us horse owners sometimes worry too much.

As we were sorting them out this morning a lady stopped as she walked past the gate and told my husband “I like the bay”. Anyone complimenting my pony puts a big smile on my face, and to pick BG first out of the three makes my smile even bigger. It was nice as well to have a compliment as I hear lots of people in this weather being criticized for the way they care for their animals. Why aren’t they rugged? Where’s their food? Not all horses need rugging, and although ad lib hay is what most people provide over the cold weather some horses would just eat and eat everything they are provided with and grow far too fat to be healthy, so their intake needs to be monitored throughout the day. Different horses need different care, which is partly evidenced when you stand BG next to P1 at the moment. Both are coping perfectly with the weather, but in order to do so P1 currently has three rugs on, and BG has none.