Meet Freya... And Track Systems

First up I would like to introduce you all to Freya. She is a 3 month old Belgian Malinois.  Yes they are the German Shepherd like dogs, favoured by the Navy Seals for their ability to climb (cat-like) up a two-storey building!!  While we cannot replace Scrumpy we also could not live without a dog in our lives.

As a puppy she is hard work at the moment!!!!  But very lovable. And oddly very cat like!  She arches her back up while doing her morning yoga stretches. She washes her face like a cat, walks like a cat, and already jumps like a cat!  I think we may have bought a cat! Although going on her legs and feet, she is a large cat (black panther springs to mind). 

With this distraction, I have managed very little with the horses!  Charlie has a cough, so I had the vet out, after trying Cough Mixture, Honey, Thyme and Garlic.  The vet thinks its the dust and pollen so he's having a 10 day course of Liquid Ventipulmin and the Vet Special remedy (which I won't give away here) and it seems to be working. The Vet also thinks I'm mad...probably.
In case she was early, I had Charlie in the school making a video about worming. We then built a tyre pedestal and played with that. Then we went for a hand graze on the verge......Every time I sat down I was attacked by ants.  So I started to crawl around on hands and knees, just following Charlie as he grazed, like you do. AND THAT'S WHEN THE VET ARRIVED!!!

Anyway at last the rain has arrived. Hopefully the grass will begin to grow again. It's certainly made it easier to push fence posts in.  And so we have begun a track system for the big horses.  We are also using strip grazing.  So they have their water butts at the end nearest the gate with a long narrow track leading down the hill, round the corner and up the other side, to where we are moving the fence back every day so as the new grass is exposed, the longer they have to travel for water.  It's a useful system for natives, making them walk further, and therefore keeping them fitter and leaner!

Spring May Actually Have Sprung = Laid Back Ponies

So Yes!! Here it is.....I give you Spring ( I think).  At last the cold May has turned into sunny May.  The grass is positively springing!!  Time to move the ponies onto The Hill Field (always the Spring Grazing). Not as simple as it sounds!  We have Daisy, who has Ems (which means she is prone to Laminitis), Dora (a fat Welsh Sec A), Mini (A Shetland! Say no more), and Lil, who has no grass problems, but cannot be turned out with Charlie as they are in lurve! So these four have to stay together, which means the pre-grass munchers are Lu and Charlie. They have no problems with eating nice spring grass, but WILL get fat!!

So over the last week we moved the Munchers first, to eat off the best grass. These have been followed by the other four.  So its back to strip grazing for all! This is the best course to follow with Cobs.  They Will Eat Everything In Sight. So as well as moving back the fences every day, we also have to make sure they are all working. 

To this end we have been making full use of the round pen, running Daisy round daily.  Dora has gone on a Sleepover, which is turning into a working holiday, which she SO needs. Lu, Charlie and Lil have been worked regularly. Mini the Shetland is surprisingly self-regulating with the grass gorge, so gets away with just working at the weekends.

But the upside of this??  Fat happy laid back ponies!! Because they are not hungry they are happy!  This makes working them easier because they are so chilled. Last week I took Charlie out in hand with Jo and Lu. Chilled as! On the way back, I got on him and rode him up the drive. Still chilled.  On Saturday Grace rode Lily in the school...Yup you guessed it...Chilled!  This week I have worked with Charlie on his Tricks....Well chilled!  

In contrast last weekend we all went to a horse car boot sale at an Equine Centre. I will name no names, but this yard should have fat happy laid back cobs. To do their jobs properly they need to be chilled and happy. Granted they are fat... but not in a good way.  They are all stabled 24/7 so are not exercising. So they lose muscle. And they are stiff. And living a life that's far removed from their natural lives. As they are not exercising or living in herds, or shivering a bit in the cold, they have become fat.  So they are all on diets!!!! Which makes them grumpy!  Its not hard to keep a horse happy...... All they need is to live as naturally as possible, in a herd, naked, and living off forage. And it makes a lot less work!!  I personally did not go look at these horses in their prisons, as I have already made my views clear.....but one of our friends did...and she came away in tears!

Please Horse Owners.... Let your Horses Live Naturally.....They will become the easiest, most laid back horses! 

Charlie Learning To Be a Trick Pony