Meeting TopBarners and More Agility

 It seems like ages since I last updated all 30 odd of you.  So Sorry. I seem to have been buzzing like a bee. 

Anyways going back to June. I may have mentioned Summer was a late starter.  It rained.... A Lot!  As a result our grass was green.  Inevitably just as I was starting the Top Barn 100 mile Stage of The Summer Challenge (Which involved me clocking up the miles on Daisy while leading Charlie), Daisy went lame. Nothing major, but as she has EMS she has a problem processing sugar. Green Grass = Sugar = Daisy gets a touch of Laminitus!  We immediately cut back the daily allowance of new grass along the track system.  Daisy was booted (and buted) and we had to feed hay to fill up their bellies, instead of grass.  Oh how we moaned and groaned....feeding Hay in June blah blah.

So short of some sort of miracle, where Charlie was happy to be ridden for more than 5 seconds, or my lungs were suddenly restored to that of a 60 year old,  The 100 Mile Challenge was no longer. Still I was happy that we had completed 3 stages of the Challenge, and set about the Agility.

Having passed the Stage One Agility, I joined the Club and enrolled on Stage 2. Where we have been stuck for an Eternity, or so it seems. The Blueprint goes like this.....Walk forward with Horse on a Loose rope, Horse must take first step. Halt on command with a loose rope...yeah yeah no worries.  Move to end of rope and count to 3. Horse must not move!  Well that's just way too far away as far as Charlie is concerned. After some 700 million attempts, he will now just about wait 3 Seconds.  So on to backing up.  A gap in our training has appeared. If I look at Charlie, point a finger and say "Back up" he will. For as long as I want.  BUT.  I have to be beside him and we move back together. After another 700 million tries we have nearly got it.  We are both bored now!

And so we will set this aside, and play with the Obstacle course which is far more fun. And I have neglected the saddling and mounting, so its back to that next week.  Daisy is sound again, so we can continue getting out and about with Charlie in tow. Anyone fancy a hack?  

So with the Top Barn Summer Challenge done as far as I could, and all the other stresses building up (mostly my Nurse Ratchett approach to looking after my Mother), I decided on a road trip.  I have known Amanda before Top Barn.  We 'met' on The Horse Tricks Club site 4 years ago. Both being Brits and both having 'difficult' ponies we clicked. I invited her to join Top Barn a couple of years ago.  Throughout all my stays in hospital Amanda has been my rock, checking in with me daily.  As I live in East Suffolk and Amanda is in Co. Durham it was a bit of a trek.  But as I had a day trip to Papworth Hospital booked in, I decided as it was 1.5 hours nearer, it was the ideal springboard for a visit.

After all the usual prodding and poking, I headed North up the A1.  Having stopped at the familiar Ferrybridge services (near Leeds) I thought I must be nearly there.  I put the Sat Nav on at that point and was gobsmacked when it informed me to stay on the A1M for the next 57 miles!!  Eventually i arrived in Co. Durham and found Amanda and her husband Colin at their small-holding.  I met Shadow (he is Enormous) and some rather scary bullocks! Amanda stayed with me the night at the Small-holding and we did a little Wild Camping. Coffee brewing on the Twig Burner and home cooked treats from Amanda. Bear Gryllls  eat your heart out!!  Next day we went back to Amanda's house and chewed the cud some more.  I really didn't want to leave. But I had to be home that night ready for Nurse Ratchett duties the next day. And so with a brief stop at Seaham for some sea-glass hunting (But that's my other life), I drove and drove.

I staggered back into reality like a Zombie.  By the end of the week, just as I was feeling nearly normal a shout out went out on Top Barn from Paula Gough.  Did anyone live near Lowestoft as she was on holiday. Well Yep we were on her way home, so Paula came to visit the ponies.  I think this should become a thing. Any Top Barner on holiday should shout out where they are and visit another Top Barner.  We could become a group of Top Barnarners!!

BTW If anyone is interested.....I still have a lump on my eyebrow!!

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.

An Excellent Day And Mice in Feathers

Today we had the farrier.  They all came in....The Shetlands shared a stable and at one point were both rolling in the straw at the same time....How Cute! Good job they didn't get their legs tangled!  Daisy had the other stable, Lu and Charlie tied up outside, and Polly free-range.  Once Charlie was done we moved him up a bit so i could wash his feathers in Maseleb shampoo.  It kills everything...ticks, lice, mites, fleas......His feathers are so thick, he could have a whole flock of birds nesting in them. But he has been scratching his legs a lot, and I don't want to take the feathers off as they are fab. When the farrier asked what I was using, I told him, a very expensive (£24 a bottle) shampoo which killed mice! Of course I mean to say lice and mites.....but you never know, there may be mice in there along with the flock of birds.  
He was an angel.  I then cut a bridle path, just so the headcollar has a place to sit.  I was also able to trim his beard, thin his feathers, thin his forelock and thoroughly brush out his mane and tail......He was almost nodding off.
Until we moved Lu to the other side of the farriers van so Polly could be done. Lu had a moment of thinking she had been shut out, and barged between the van and barn.......Not really enough space for a thoroughbred, let alone a Haflinger. That woke everyone up.
Daisy, who has been a bit lame, has laminitis again.  As she only seemed a little lame on one leg, we thought she had a slight sprain.....but on the concrete she was clearly doing the laminitis stance. 'She hasn't lost weight' the farrier exclaimed, to which Jo and I replied in stereo......'Oh yes she has'.  It could have turned into a panto at that point.  He suggested we leave her in to stress and box walk the weight off.  We don't want to put her in that situation, so she is out with the shetlands now.  She should be getting the prescribed diet of 9lbs of fresh air and a bucket of water.
Once they were all done, we went in for a coffee. The farrier said he wouldn't need to do Charlie next time unless I did a lot of road-work. I laughed and told him how long it had taken me to get a head-collar on.  I then said I felt a bit pressured by my peers who had 4 year olds that they were hunting and driving. He reassured me that going slowly and building up his trust was the right way forward with his back ground and said, and I quote "There's not a bad bone in that ponies body. Once you have his full trust he will do anything you ask".
Hell YEAH!

Poor Daisy Has Laminitis

This week has been all about Daisy.  Poor girl has got Laminitis out of no-where. Well obviously the grass has been growing, but not so's you'd notice.  Her feet have been growing too and she was ready for the farrier a week ago. Seeing she was a bit footy on Tuesday, we brought her in, with lots of steamed hay and feeds of chaff and bran and bute. We turned her out Wednesday, as she isn't keen on being in, and was walking much better with boots on. Thursday she was laying flat out in the sun.  Actually they all were, but bringing her in for the farrier, it was clear she was in pain.  He pursed his lips and sort of whistled....like mechanics do just before they tell you your car is worth little more than scrap. He says we need to keep her on the hat-rack side.  Can't ever see Daisy looking like a hat-rack, she's more like a large passenger liner. They are all strip grazed, out 24/7, have basic meadow hay and very little hard feed. We only feed natural chopped chaff and bran, mainly to get supplements in. And thats not very often. He even told us to stable her on shavings instead of the 3 year old barley straw.  Luckily Jane (who has the 5* Shetland Hotel) had shavings and even delivered them to us.

This is Daisy, awaiting shavings delivery, in a classic text book laminitic stance. Notice the weight all on the back end, front legs pushed forward to relieve pressure on the toes. Luckily we had some padded boots/shoes for her, The type they use for endurance. and rubber mats in the stable. 
This morning she was so much brighter, we let her out in a grazing muzzle for a couple of hours, free-range as the grass is older and longer, and therefore not as packed with sugar.  She wandered off up to see the others at a pleasing speed.  Jo has ordered her a bigger, sheepskin padded muzzle for when her feet are better.  Although the one she has is large, it rubs long term.

And Stretchhhhhhh