John Wayne Quotes:

TCJpart102 Galloping About

TRAKEHNERS AT FULL GALLOP:

Anyone who has watched Trakehners galloping about, has witnessed something very special.

When the boys are feeling fit and playful, or it's windy, or even when they're pretending to be startled by something, off they go pelting around the land.

A regular group of horses would simply move about with chaotic carefree abandon at a speedy rate, scattering about with varying degrees of speed and agility.  Not so with a group, or in my case a small gang of 2 Trakehners.

They move with perfect synchronicity like dancers at the ballet...only much faster.  Perfect co ordination and matched velocity, they gallop side by side until they break apart like the red arrows.

John has taken some brilliant photos of their antics, here are a few.

They are just exquisite aren't they?

Tom and Henry: Trakehners of extreme gorgeousness.

Horse Sense

Worming

WORM CONTROL:
and why we shouldn't panic!

There's a minefield of information regarding the worming regime of horses, and how you choose your own strategy depends entirely on your horse and how he is kept.

 

  

A large yard, for example is likely to have it's own shedule which you'll likely follow, and how that treatment manifests depends on the enlightenment of the yard manager and how much 'work' is required, because regular poo-picking acres of land grazed by twenty horses or more, takes an agonisingly long time.

 

People, like me, who keep their horses at home have other problems, with no organised plan to follow we must develop our own strategy.

 

Of course your vet will help, my own vet practise will send you a detailed year planer with exactly what worm to target at a given season and the precise chemical needed to treat it, they'll even send you the wormers in a timely fashion to deliver their strategy.

 

 

BUT, this may not suit everyone's own philosophy or horse, and if like me you prefer a less invasive approach then worm counting is for you.

I poo-pick twice every day regardless of the weather. 




This keeps my pasture in brilliant condition, thats aproximately 20 poos every day for Tom & Henry,. 

I send T&H manure samples to a lab periodically without fail, and the lab I use: Westgate even email me a reminder, which is brilliant.

 

Now obviously there are things wormcounts don't tell you about, and repeated 'no eggs seen' can only give you a partial window of your horses gut health.
 

 

And though always happy with these results, I am also aware of the parasites it can't tell you about:   like encysted small redworm larvae or tapeworm, so every few years I worm them with an oral gel paste in Winter and Spring containing moxidectin and praziquantel.  as I have just done this week (3rd week November), and the next Spring dose will be 13 weeks from that date.
 

 

The boys don't much like being wormed, and they sulk once it's done it puts them off their food for 5 minutes, and generally they have loose droppings the next day too, then they are back to normal again.

 

another job done.

 

 

 

a Forage Based Diet

HAYLAGE & A LITTLE CUNNING:

... with a little thought, you can turn your horses hay or haylage supply into the other  'real' meaning of forage: to seek for food.

 

...and you know: Tom & Henry just love to munch.

 

Here Tom & Henry are enjoying the new layout of their forage, they are foraging, and strangely I have noticed they prefer the nets on their right side, how strange?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I had to buy more nets of course, I dont like them so only had 2, but as long as safety is guaranteed, I support thier use here, because I can see how handy they can be.  But I wont ever tie one up where it can get loose, or they can get caught up in it.


It's always worth remembering all horses arent the same: Henry can jump clean over his stable door, so geting caught in a net is childs play for him, so be careful with your own horse, even if he's not as 'athletic' as mine!

 

 

As you know, Tom & Henry eat their ad-lib haylage from Haybars: there's 2 in their yard, brilliantly customised by John to fit on a straight edge, (Haybars are a corner unit), and the other 2, one in each stable. 


These are filled twice daily with fresh haylage and the boys are just crazy about this arrangement, because they can wander between the grass and 4 separate hay sources.

 

 As you will also know, Tom & Henry have been brought in at night already because of the saturated ground here in Essex and my serious aversion to any more mudfever, so they are forced to spend time indoors, and I can only imagine how boring that must be once you've wandered around a few times and had a nap.

Horses need to eat, they eat for about 18 hours a day (almost the same amount of time cats need to sleep!). 

They eat to stay healthy both physically and mentally, to generate warmth and keep their guts in tip top condition,  of course the idea is they wander in equal measure too, which is why you'll rarely catch a wild horse overweight, he has to work for his living.  But it doesn't have to be a bore.

So I decided to hang some nets outside their stables, and they are crazy for this plan.  They now have three places to choose from to 'forage' for their forage, horses love this, plus it's safe because the nets are outside and less messy too (which the butler likes).

 

I came home early today from work so I was able to take photos in the daylight, normally it's dark when I put them indoors.

 

Try this with your horse, he'll love it!



T&H recommended x


 

Tom

WHEN SHELLEY MET TOM:
22ndJuly2006.
He took my breath away, of course I was already in love with Holme Grove Constable.

 

 

 

Tom was born 14th April 2002, 3.50am bay colt: here he is as a foal, with his Mum HGCopelia.

 



Henry

WHEN SHELLEY MET HENRY:
22thJuly2006.
Love at first sight.  Holme Grove Gwygion was five years old.

A character already.

 

Henry was born 16th March 2001, 7.30pm bay colt: here he is two.