The C Word, Top Barn Challenge and The Laminitus Worry

Well, hasn't our world turned upside down in the last couple of weeks??
I hope everyone stays safe and well!!

I am very grateful that Jo and I rent our land privately, as many Livery Yards have banned owners from visiting their horses.  I have been lucky over the years to either have my horses at work, or rent privately.  The only Livery Yard I have ever been on was years ago and it was DIY with only 4 owners. I think I would probably lose the plot if I couldn't see Charlie and his mares every day!

Being at very high risk due to my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker, I am self isolating expect for doing the ponies.  As I live in a 4 room shoe-box flat with Mark the Mechanic (and Part-time Horse Whisperer) I would go insane without our glorious isolated 24 acres to run about in.  Ok I can't do running!!! But just the fresh air, exercise and being able to hug Charlie and breathe in his delicious horsey smell leaves me able to cope!!  Even Mark chose to use his allotted hours exercise yesterday, coming up to The Farm, grooming Charlie (which he really enjoyed), and helping me Hay. It seems he has already thoroughly explored all four rooms in the flat!!
I am a firm believer of fresh air and sunshine as a healer!

So If you find yourself stuck inside and unable to see your horse for a while, you have my sympathy.  If you have Netflix, you could binge watch Heartland(if you haven't already), or watch Unbranded, a film about some guys that took on Mustangs from kill-pen and rode them from The southern border of USA to the Northern border (its real, not a movie!).  There is also a bunch of You Tube vids to gorge on.  I thoroughly recommend Emma Massingale, Ride Like a Viking, Karl Greenwood and Carson James.  Oh and my Channel!!!  As for books? Carson James has a great book, or try Mark Rashid. For great novels check out Amanda Wills, Riverdale series.  Not forgetting The Ridgeway Romp, now available in paperback as well as E-book (Ok enough self plugging!!!)

And so, The Top Barn 2020 Challenge is on its last week.  And what a challenge it's been this year.  I baled very early (Week 4) due to a serious Chest Infection that left me with a poorly heart and 2 cracked ribs.  Many others were defeated by the strong wind and rain. And now this bloody virus has seen a few out because they can't even get to their horses.
But still Jo has ploughed on through it all. Lulu is as fit as a fiddle and enjoying the extra work.  I am so proud of Jo for her determination to finish this challenge whatever!  She has about an hour to complete!!  Well done Jo and Lulu.

And now the serious bit!!  It's a bit of a worry to see many yards that are now on lock-down and are short staffed, are now turning horses out onto 24/7 grazing. 
While this relieves the amount of work for the limited staff, and may make the ponies happy (temporarily)  there is a huge danger of laminitus occurring.  Horses that have been stabled during the Winter (even just at night) have probably been fed grain and rugged. Most will still be chubby from being stationary for 8 plus hours. Suddenly turning them out onto fresh spring grass, maybe still rugged, and possibly with a sudden drop in hay rations WILL cause Laminitus!! 
If this is the only option, I would recommend making a track system, so they have to walk a long way for water, still feeding hay, and stripping the rugs off pronto!!  Horses are designed to survive huge variants in temperature!! They are also designed to travel miles each day, live on scrubby land and drop weight in Winter!!!  Speaking of rugs.....Only clipped horses need them!!!  An over-heated horse is going to be uncomfortable at the least!!  Wild horses DO NOT have rugs! They can survive in extreme cold. A fat score of 4 or more, is the equivalent of a heavyweight rug!

To save all this stress and change, the simple way to keep horses happy is to leave them out 24/7 all year round in all their naked glory.  Feed ample hay and that will keep them warm.  Remember horses need the 3 Fs....
Friends, Freedom and Forage!  Not Rugs, Stables, Grain!  This not only saves time and money, it also keeps the horse happy, healthy and calm. It also means that they eat the new grass as it appears...slowly... and their systems slowly adapt to the change in diet!  

In all my ten years looking after the horses at the RDA, they lived out 24/7 on mostly hay (they all had a small feed of chaff and carrots when they worked as a Thank-You).  Despite most of them being elderly ( quite a lot were fit and working into their 30's), they thrived, lived in 2 herds, and i am proud to say I never had a case of Laminitus and only one of colic ( a new horse that had a huge worm burden).  We had no EMS or Ulcers. None of the horses were grumpy, or hard to catch, and they were all very laid back. 
And our own herd is also thriving!!  Despite all the wind and rain, we have only used a rug for holding down the hay on the trailer. We have used ONE bag of Chaff all winter!!  Our ponies are all looking fit and well. They are at ideal weights, with glossy coats, and are more than eager to work with us....even at liberty. 

Anyway Lecture over... But Food For Thought?

Stay Safe.

New Shoes For Daisy, Vets, Rain, Blood Tests and Aussie Stock Saddles (Blame Karl Greenwood)

Whoa Its been so busy!! As I may have mentioned, Daisy has been slightly lame. Only in trot, and only on one leg, but as she has EMS we feared the dreaded Laminitis had struck again.  So she has been in a small bare pen with soaked hay. After 2 weeks we began wondering if she had a abscess.  So we had the Vet out for X-rays.  Sadly we were right the first time and her Pedal bones have rotated slightly. This is so unfair. We are very careful with her grass time and she is not over-weight.  However when Jo rescued her she was seriously obese and had had Laminitis several times.  This had caused the EMS (which is similar to Type 2 Diabetes in humans).  This means she is prone to Laminitis as she can't metabolise any sugar efficiently.  We have had a very wet Spring and the grass has gone mad. Even though our grazing is old and established and very coarse and diverse with 'weeds', flowers, thistles, clover, dandelions and nettles, it has proven too much for Daisy. This is a huge problem all over Britain for people with Native Ponies.  In the wild all our Natives would walk at least 20 miles a day, browsing on heathland or hills.  No matter what we do with our paddocks, the grass is too lush at this time of year. No-one in this country has miles of grazing.  And once the pony is lame, exercise is a out of the question. 

So after the x-rays, we had the Farrier out again.  Daisy had shoes put on back to front, then a temporary pad which was filled with...er filler! This will support the Pedal bone.  She is still in her small dirt pen, with soaked hay, and seems happy enough.  The rest of the herd ajoin her pen. We decided against stabling her, as she hates it, and gets stressed, box walks, destroys her bedding and is prone to ulcers. 

While the Vet was with us, Charlie had a blood test to check his Testosterone levels. The Vet had a rummage which he enjoyed and could feel something, which may be scar tissue......or maybe something left.  I am still waiting for the results.  It makes no difference to me. But its just curiosity. Is He just a late cut boy with attitude or a rig?  My old pony Paddy, had stem left, and while he sometimes acted like a Stallion, it caused him no harm. 

Although this is Not a Weather channel, I am British, so am therefore compelled to state that this June has been a washout. Its rained, rained and then some.  However (as I am British), I am not complaining. I DO NOT want a repeat of last years prolonged tropical heat. But.....And there is always a But with us Brits (we like to complain about the weather), it has made working the babies slightly less attractive!!  But as everyone is a bit fat, we have utilised the double lunging trick to the max.  Charlie and Lu are pretty good at it now. 

Two days ago I got an Australian Stock Saddle for Charlie.  Blame it on Karl  Greenwood. If you don't know who he is, look him up on You Tube. He has a Horse Stunt yard, and also does stuff on Riding Confidence. Not only does he make sense, he is also very funny.  So I was watching one of his videos, when he mentioned Aussie Stock Saddles. And how its almost impossible to fall out of one.  BINGO.  What a good idea for hacking the babies out!! So I trawled the selling pages.....and now I have one. Not only does it fit Charlie, it also fits Lu, so I will be riding her in it first.