A Name Change, Feathers Off and The Weather Report

 Well lets start with the Weather report shall we??? So it rained. Yes we needed the rain. NO problem with rain.  What I do have a problem with is the prolonged cold! It's the middle of May and the temperature has hovered around 8c to 10c.  With that never ending damn North Easterly Wind!!  Come On!!!!  I resolutely wore crocs for a week.....before conceding defeat and going back to boots before I got frostbite of the toes!!!! Here's hoping June will bring the warmth. At least the grass is finally growing!

So eagle-eyed Blog readers (and Facebook/You Tube Followers) may have noticed I have ditched the East Suffolk Ponies name, and changed it all to Charlie The Trick Pony. East Suffolk Ponies was an off-shoot of East Suffolk Dog Walkers, from the days when I was a Dog Walker.  The days when I could actually walk several dogs a day. The East Suffolk Ponies off shoot was basically for my free-lance grooming.  As my dodgy lungs have become dodgier, all that has ceased, and I realized that the Blog/You Tube and the Facebook page is predominantly about Charlie. As he now knows a few tricks.....I sort of feel it's Ok to call him a Trick Pony😂. Being shite at Social Media I thought it would be really hard to change all the formats. But actually it has gone smoothly. Unless of course, everything has disappeared and I am just babbling on to myself.  Please let me know!

And now the really serious subject. Feathers. Not bird feathers, but those thick profusions that surround cold blooded horses legs. Although if you have a heavily feathered Gypsy Cob (like Charlie), you may well find a family of birds nesting happily within all that fur.

Feathers were invented on Horses that live in cold climates....to keep their feet warm. They also provide protection from the wet and the mud, and from cuts and abrasions from rocky ground. Most of the Native Horses from Northern Europe have a smattering of feathers in Winter. Think Fells, Dales, Shetlands, Highlands, Icelandic, Fresians etc etc....The list goes on. Most of these feathers are soft and silky, quite thin and easy to keep.  And it makes sense to keep these feathers long in Winter as their natural protection.  I have always believed in keeping a horse as natural as possible, including the kit it came with!  Its there for a good reason. 

And then we come to Gypsy Cobs!!!  Made up from a mixture of Native English Breeds, they have profuse feathers. Very pretty when they are combed out daily, oiled and when the owner has time to spend 6 hours a day ferreting about checking for mites, cuts etc.  I love Charlies feathers (even if they are so thick they produce their own dreadlocks and have a micro climate of their own).  I never thought I would cut them off. We have managed very well over the last 5 years, with a little thinning in Summer and a whole heap of conditioner. 

However........This year (blame it on the Weird Weather) he has become very itchy. The usual ton of Mite Powder has not worked. Being in the Hill Field he has access to the Telephone Wires to scratch on.  Whilst he loves this activity, he has managed to scratch a couple of raw patches on his back legs (as well as disturbing the Internet Connection of an entire town).

So in order to treat the sores, I have had to cut off those feathers! When I say cut, I mean hack!  I didn't know weather to start with Garden Sheers, a Strimmer or a Chainsaw!!  I opted for scissors. The first pair, got some feather off one hind leg. The second pair sort of thinned the other hind leg. I sprayed his legs with iodine, and returned to the Tack Room with 2 pairs of blunt scissors and blisters on 2 fingers. I bought some new heavy duty scissors and continued my quest. More fur off, more bloody fingers! Time taken....2.5 hours!!!  Then I was offered some Sheep Shearing Hand Clippers. Today I clipped his front legs quite quickly, and there were NO bloody fingers! (Thank You Sharon).  Its messy....and I will probably spend all week faffing about with scissors and trimmers to get a neat finish......BUT....I got to those sore bits. 

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The Saga of Sweet Pea Continues

And so. On Tuesday the Vet and the Farrier were meant to coincide at 2pm. I arrived at around 11.30am to find the Farrier had already arrived and Jo, caught on the hop had to leg it to catch in Daisy, Polly and Lu, as the Farrier wanted to get the shod ponies out of the way.  Turns out it was a good thing, or we may have been there till midnight. 

Although Charlie had Dora in the next field he was apoplectic at being without 'his' mares. He raced around in the mud and rain, got hot and rolled....and was absolutely caked in wet mud when I went to get him. Luckily he had enough time waiting in a stable to dry off a bit, and I rubbed him down with handfuls of straw and apologised profusely to the Farrier for his wet muddy feathers! I know a lot of people struggle in the Winter with Mud Fever in Hairy Cobs, and clip their feathers off.  Believe me though, it is better to leave them on. They are natural protection against any bacteria.  Constant washing of clipped legs causes the skin to weaken and the pores to open, which allows bacteria in. Scruffy as wet muddy feathers look, if you part the hair you will find nice clean, healthy skin underneath....so please leave them be.  Lecture over.

Eventually the Vet arrived and started the ex-ray procedure with Sweet Pea. She was not too keen on standing on the blocks, and apparently at one point reared right up. She is very good at rearing vertically! I had buggered off to do the hay and water. When I came back the verdict was in. No arthritis at all and the feet were perfectly aligned with the Pedal Bone.  And so.....back to soft tissue damage in the Fetlock.   Mmmmm....thats what I suspected in the first place.

Box rest was advised.  So after a long tiring day with the light fading we bedded down the biggest stable and popped both Shetlands away for the night.  Sweet Pea would have had a nervous breakdown without Mini. They are surgically attached.  Initially they seemed thrilled to be having a night out of the persistent rain, at a 5 star Shetland Hotel.  I guess the mini-bar ran out too early......

The next day, we were met with very grumpy Shetlands. Sweet Pea refused her breakfast with pain-killers in. The only answer was to set up a very small pen outside again. It could be a long job!

Shaved Shetland leg after nerve blocks. As you can see she is not putting her foot flat on the floor.

Sweet Pea temporarily enjoying the 5star Shetland Hotel.

Happier in an outdoor pen.