On Friday, a very sad day came. A day Jo and I have been discussing and dreading for a while.....Time to let Polly go over the Rainbow Bridge.
Polly was abandoned at the Farm, several years ago (Anywhere between 8 and 12 years ago). At the time she belonged to someone else and already been stabled 24/7 for 2 years. She had already given up, but after a little tlc from Jo became a happy pony again. When the owners left with their ponies, they left Polly behind (maybe she had no further use to them?).
She then went out on loan to Ellie and taught her children to ride, having a brilliant time. However she had developed EMS, a precursor to Cushings and very similar to Human Diabetes. At the time not much was known about EMS so Jo had her back. Doing a lot of research into Diabetes, Jo developed a feed for Polly, with a mixture of Homeopathic and Herbal remedies. EMS causes a loss of blood flow to the feet and therefore mechanical laminitus. The general cure for laminitus is box rest, no grass etc. We felt it was worth trying a different approach.
So we turned her out!!!! At first she wore boots filled with memory foam. Once she became sound, that was it. Boots off, normal shoes on. We have been careful to keep her off new grass, but let her have as much old grass as she wants. The walking around that horses do in a herd is essential to keeping the blood flow to the feet.
And so for the last 3 or 4 years, Polly has been sound, fit and enjoying life, out with the herd and teaching children to ride. What a mothers dream!! She loved children!! Totally trustworthy. She wouldn't dream of biting, kicking, or being naughty. The smallest child could catch her in, groom, and tack her up. Ridden she did as she was asked, without a complaint. She taught so many kids the basics of walk, trot and canter, without a thought of bucking, napping, or trying to snatch grass. A complete confidence giver.
To us, Polly was like a big pet. Every day we have let her roam free, grazing verges etc, when there was no grass in the paddocks. On hearing her food being mixed, she would politely appear outside the tack room. In winter she would find her way to the Hay Barn, push through the tarpaulin, and happily munch away. She never needed a headcollar, being happy to follow us back to the others.
We worked out she was about 27 this year. Her Arthritis started to become more noticeable, and it became harder to keep weight on. We were feeding soaked nuts and Barley, plus the magic supplements all Summer. We know she had some loose teeth, hence the mushy feed. We also knew she had a nasty looking growth on her top gum. Too old for the anaesthetic that she would have needed to remove it, we started to feed loose hay in the paddocks, just in case she couldn't pick through a hay net.
We had many discussions, and decided while Polly was still enjoying life, and had a spark in her, we would carry on and let ourselves be guided by our gut instinct and what Poll was telling us. You can tell in a horses eye when they have had enough. The problem with humans is they overthink things. Am I letting her go too soon? Too late? Its a hard decision.
At the end of October we had a Halloween Party for the kids. Polly was full of it. Competitive in the games.....Almost smiling!! The next day, she was galloping around bucking. Day by day, as it has got colder, she has slowed down. Her feet had started to hurt. Her knees had started to swell and get stiff. Each day, she has appeared perky when fed, but then moved real slow back to the field. We had noticed she had started to spend a lot of time asleep. The Hammer Blow came when sweet Lil ( who may become an Alpha Mare) started to drive Polly out of the herd. In the wild, the Alpha Mare drives out the sick, old and lame, to fend for themselves. Sad but its for the good of the Herd. Can't have anyone slowing them down.
Looking at Polly she seemed soooo tired. This was the time. Not too soon....it was only a month ago she was Rocking, and not too late, not suffering, though her eyes were telling us she had had enough.
We had a lot of children up to say Goodbye the night before, which must have pleased Polly. Jo, Ellie and I tried to be brave, but didn't quite manage it.
We have been so touched by the messages, letters, flowers and drawings done by the Children who loved Polly as we did.
Polly was the kind of pony that everyone loved. Sweet and Kind. Not a bad bone in her body. I am missing her so much, and my heart aches from not seeing her....So I cannot imagine what Jo and Ellie feel, having known her so much longer. xx
I give you Polly.....One In a Million XX
Let me clarify that title....I DO NOT mean hard feed. In my humble opinion horses only need hard feed if they are being worked hard. Hard meaning hunting, eventing, racing, pulling a coal wagon!! Or if they are elderly and struggle to keep the weight on. Otherwise grass and enough hay works a treat for most leisure horses. We use mineral blocks, which they all have a lick of when they need. Our two EMS girls have a handful of chaff with Turmeric, Oil, Garlic, Chasteberry and a few other goodies, just to treat their condition. I also like to give a small feed after they have been worked, as a reward. Sometimes its just a handful of carrots, or Chaff, Vitamins and Carrots!! Mostly carrots!!
We also believe 100% in the horses living out in herds 24/7. This is their natural environment. Horses are prey animals, and in the wild they live in large herds for safety, with an Alpha Mare, who makes the decisions and a Stallion for protection. At the first sign of trouble they leg it. In this environment, they are able to act out on their natural instincts, and they are able to form their own hierarchy and feel calm and relaxed. It also helps the oldies if they are able to move around and not get stiff.
And so 3 weeks down the line Molly is a changed horse. She has totally relaxed with her little herd. They have 3 acres to run around in and seem to be finding enough grass to keep them happy. A minor miracle after that Summer, when all the grass burnt off. We thought it would never recover! On top of that we give them more than enough hay. More than enough means there is hay left in the morning. With the knowledge the hay is not going to run out, Molly has totally relaxed and is happy to share the Hay Feeder with the others. We also put out a few nets, low down in the trees and a little on the ground so everyone can find a peaceful space to munch in.
On Sunday Ellie came up with most of her children and some others to boot. Molly was extremely interested in what was going on and un-phased with the twins (who are not quite 2 years old) hugging her legs. Lil was happy to be sat on, while Mini took exception to a twin lying on her back kicking his little wellington booted feet on her backside, and started to buck. Luckily she is well behaved when actually tacked up. Guess she feels apart from that her time is her own. Mini has very strong opinions on what she is expected to do!
Meanwhile over at Holiday Heaven, the other 3 have taken the meaning roughed off to the extreme. Covered in mud they now actually look like pigs in shit! They really wouldn't care if they never saw us again....apart from moving the fence back so they can continue to stuff their faces!
Huge thanks to Clare, Ty, Shaneece, and Meg for helping out xx
So its been a week since the shake up and all is well. Doing two lots, means a lot of driving, but it also means lunch at Valley Farm Equestrian Centre at Wickham Market, Suffolk. The only place you can get a decent home-cooked lunch while watching a lesson, and looking at llamas and a camel!
Its hard work having the herd split, and sometimes we are pushed for time. But the three on holiday are as happy as pigs in shit. We are lucky if we get a wicker. Its like "Hello, nice to see you but can't stop! Grass to eat". Next door there is a mule, and a couple of ponies.
Totally unhandled, Jo and i have been fascinated with them and have been making friends. On Tuesday, we noticed the mule had escaped, and was frolicking on 30 Acres of Sugar Beet Crop next to their field. We think it belongs to their owner. We phoned the vet and asked them to let the owner know. On Wednesday, the Mule had been joined by her field mates and they all looked like they were having the best time. Today our landlord told us people had been trying to round up the escapees with sheepdogs. By the time we arrived all was quiet.....but the intrepid trio were still loose. Hope our herd don't decide to join in!!
Meanwhile back at the Ranch, Molly has well and truly settled in. At the moment the herd are following her every move (But she doesn't yet know Mini is actually in charge......Mini is biding her time). Its nice to see them settled. Molly has become more relaxed each day. To start with I was feeding her, as she is a little underweight, but after wolfing her grub for two days, on day 3 she wasn't interested. They have plenty of grass and ad-lib hay, so she has realised she is not starving. Because there is plenty to eat, she has chilled out no end. To start with her droppings were dry and 'stressed', but now they are dark and shiny like everyone elses. When she arrived she was tucked up, (a sign of stress). At last today her belly has 'dropped'. She is part of the herd now, they are all grazing side by side.
Molly has had some very welcome visitors from the RDA. Clare, who used to ride her, and Ty. Moll was happy to see some old faces, as were we. When we get the others back home Clare and Ty will be able to hack out on Moll and Daisy, while Jo and I concentrate on Charlie and Lil. Happy days ahead!!
