...log-in...

...the boredom-breaker issue...

With the weather unspeakable, the paddocks like a swamp and very little riding to be had, is it any wonder our horses might need some added amusement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hay, of course plays a huge part of Tom & Henry's life, I make certain there's always enough fresh hay to last the whole day.  I don't weigh or measure it, just ad-lib.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horses love to graze,  which means moving and eating.  so simply putting hay in a single place isn't good enough if your attempting a natural set-up.  Haynets - small holed and normal, hay racks, and 4 Haybars all play a part in my boys daytime feeding routine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More: added to these I have some Jimmy's Hanging balls situated under the eves of the stable.  Tom & Henry LOVE these.  We hung these up at Xmas, only replacing them recently, they last ages, and are a welcome addition to the 'graze' set up I have in the yard.  the boys can wander around the area and find all sort of things to do: eat, chew, lick, bite and play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logs:  we had trees down in the storm, so cut into pieces John has been leaving them in the yard for Tom & Henry to de-bark before they go in the splitter.

 

They LOVE them.  often spending 10 minutes at a time chewing the bark off, kicking them around the yard and playing with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's some grass too, and they really wander and graze all over the place, in and out of their fields and yard, to find something new or different to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I try to remember in the wild horses would move for many miles in one day, chewing on branches and lots of different grasses.  I am just trying to replicate this as much as I am able.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, large green plastic bins are not part of this 'natural lifestyle'  but they amuse nonetheless!!!

 

 

 

Snowfall at WW

...AND TALES OF THE TOTALLY EXPECTED...

 

 

I am writing this post, because without exception, when it snows, someone always asks me 'how are your horses in the snow?', to which I reply to surprised faces 'they love it!'

 

...and so does Min!

 

 

 

 

It's snowing again, the boys spent the night indoors of course, because we're not going through mud-fever again...seriously.

 

This snow time last year was when the abrasive nature of snow rubbed Henry's pastern and he got mud fever, remember this, snow can be fun, but it can cause problems too.

 

 

They were living out too, that didn't help, this year, they're indoors at night, their feet and legs can dry, we are MF free.

Snuggled up in their clean beds with lots of haylage, their drinkers didn't freeze because john has cleverly wound greenhouse heating wires around the pipes.

 

 

 

The yard is clear and danger free, the yard buckets are filled and snow is building up in the surface.

Tom & Henry would always rather be rug-free, but since its their nature to play and roll, and more snow is due, i put their outfits on suitable for the nippy weather and let them out.

 

 

Tom & Henry are gorgeous trakehners, but this does not mean they tip-toe around the snow because they are too posh to dip a toe in...NO! they love to play in it, eat it, lick it, roll in it.

boys!!!

 

Here Tom & Henry are looking gorgeous.

preparation, preparation, preparation...

SNOW:

Preparation is key to surviving the weather in the yard.

 

Last night, knowing it would snow all night, I prepared my yard with a sprinkling of salt&grit. 
 

 

 Not terribly romantic but John bought me a palette last autumn and it's very handy indeed.
 

I emptied the outdoor haybars ready for a new bale the next morning.

 

This morning then, when everywhere was covered in 5cm of snow, my yard, where I'd treated it, was clear and slip-free for the boys, and there was no fiddling with hay covered in snow, i just topped it up.
 

 

 

I put their medium weight rugs on, since they do like to play and roll in the snow, and out they went for a munch leaving me with an easy to sweep yard.

 

Once I have swept I sprinkle more grit on.

 

RECOMMENDED: Salt&Grit.

 

 

Also, we stocked up on horse feed too so we don't have to make any mad dashes to the farm shop for emergency supplies.

 

it's the Brownie Motto but 'be prepared' is the key.




 

 

 

And Now for Something Completely Different

A POST (nothing to do with mud fever...well, maybe a bit...):

 

 

 

 

 

It's funny how you can so easily get wrapped up in your horses' afflictions you almost can't see anything else, do anything else.  But apart from Henrys' MF, all things are fine back at base.

 

Though Tom did fling off a shoe Thursday night which John and I found, funny how it's always the white foot that loses the shoes...I wonder why that is, all new advice suggests the white and black hooves are just as strong as each other, but that's not what we are seeing here at WW.

Steve came today in the baking heat to put Tom's shoe back on,  he puts himself in the yard exactly where Steve shoes him, not tied up and waits....how cute is that?

 

 

 

...anyway, Steve said he's never known 2 horses to get their shoes off like my 2 in all his 20something years as a farrier...well Trakehners are special...athletic, sharp, and they manage to twist the metal too, very skillful!

 

 

 

The boys are looking fantastic, healthy and shiny.  They have just been bathed for the last time before the weather gets chilly.  They seem very chilled and happy.  Have come through harvest without so much as a sniff.   Have watched as John and I did our August bank holiday hedgerow prune and trim (this is also an attempt to avoid any village hullabaloo). 

 

 

They witnessed as the builders had a skip delivered and didn't bat an eyelash at anything.

 

 

I guess it's just that time of year, they are looking slimmer, although because of all the rain we've had the grass has been plentiful and they will go into winter well 'conditioned'.

 

 

 

In preparation for winter, I am planning on altering my strategy from last year.  Last winter they didn't spend a single night indoors, but then we got mud fever, and that's very nasty, so we won't be doing that again.  Prolonged contact with wet conditions without any respite, not again.  I thought I was doing the right thing, treating them like horses, but of course in the wild they'd wander for miles making sure they didn't stand in wet all day long wouldn't they? Tom & Henry will come into nice clean dry stables at night during the worst weather as we had done every other year, that's what we'll be doing.

 

 

Plan your winter now, get your rugs cleaned and mended, stock up on your first aid kit, bandages and boots, get your order for shavings in too just in case there's a shortage.

And the wet summer we've had will undoubtedly affected the hay crops all across the country, plan for a shortage and get your order in now, otherwise you may have to contend with less than perfect quality, and it's just not worth the worry, even if your horse likes hay from the bin (like mine do).

 

 

...and the boys do like their nice soft clean beds...and lots, and lots......and lots of haylage.

 

 

happy hacking x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TCJpart68 Tom

TOM:
Tom just wondered what he'd look like as a blonde!

...personally, I prefer him as a brunette!

John & I suspect the culprit or at the very least an accomplace to this amusing deed is none other than Henry himself...

...me?  I was at the other side of the field when it happened.....honest xxx