New Tractor, Cold Winds, Cow Hysterics and Riding The Babies

I have a huge grin on my face as I am writing this.....because this week I have finally ridden Charlie (without being thrown into the next County!), but more on that later (Sorry Spoiler Alert).

So Jo bought a new tractor.  Not a lawn mower...but a real Mini Tractor, a John Deere if you are a tractor fanatic.  We are thrilled with it. It starts each morning...and has way more pulling power. I spent two days hankering to plough a field with it...until it rained.

We were planning a pony party on Monday just gone, but the weather scuppered our plans.  There was actual snow on Saturday!!  Having already hard boiled and painted the eggs for the egg and spoon race, it seemed a shame to waste them.  So little Nancy who came up for a ride and Shaneece Who Helps on Saturdays (and had came to help with the Party) had a lesson from me, and learnt the art of egg and spoon racing. 

Lulu may have been more interested in bullying Dora








And so to COWS!! Last week we went out with Shaneece on Daisy, Nancy on Dora and Mini in hand, for yet another 'Meet and Cow Greet'.  As we approached they cavorted over.  Suspecting Dora may spook, I asked Rob (Nancy's Dad) to be ready to catch the child.  As predicted, Dora span, throwing Nancy safely into her Dads' arms.  Couldn't have done it better if we had practised!! Mini, who has probably never seen cows before, freaked out, Daisy nonchalantly sniffed and nipped them, before grazing quietly while the little ponies sorted themselves out.  It took a while, but eventually both the little 'uns dared to get close enough for a sniff and the drama was over.  Trouble is the cows run over.
I was dreading Charlies encounter with them!  Jo and I decided not only did we have to train the ponies to become bored with the cows, we also had to ignore the cows so they became bored with the ponies.  The next day they were gone!!

Daisy... Not Bovvered

Dora.....Drama Queen

Mini..... WTF?











So onto the babies (Charlie and Lil).  Grin factor Alert.  Jo and I had hatched a plan.  While Charlie has allowed me (and a couple of kids) to sit on him, he has got stuck, and not moved forward, preferring to back up, which is the beginning of his default setting to rear. Charlie cannot be forced to do anything...that just causes a fight.  So we decided as he loves his food, Jo would stand a little way in front of him with carrots, so it was his decision to move forwards, instead off up and down and exploding.  It worked!!  
Yesterday, we just went half way round the 'School'.  All his decision.  Today we walked all the way round!!  I even suggested with a bit of leg pressure and a vocal command that he might like to walk on . He feels solid and sure of his balance,  and calm!

Lil has had a few kids sitting on her, and Ellie rode her a circuit on Saturday.  Much younger, but a sensible girl.  Today I rode her a few circuits, with Jo in front of her.  We did a few bending poles with open steering, and some stop starts.  Although Lil is smaller and narrower than Charlie, and still feels a bit like a fawn finding its feet, she was very relaxed and seems to be happy to work.
No photos, but we have a short video (possibly).  So proud of these Gypsy Cob Babies.

https://youtu.be/VPD7Grt7c1w

Enough Snow Now Thank You

The novelty has definitely worn off. With more snowfall and a cracking East wind straight off the sea, things have taken a downhill turn.  No more pretty pictures or snow angels.  The last couple of days have been hell!!
Battling through snow drifts in Jo's 4WD, (My pretty car is useless atm), we have got through to the yard. Obviously we have had no choice and would have walked if necessary.

Of course the hose-pipes and taps froze.  And the drifts were too big to get the tractor through.  Yesterday was the worst.  You know its cold when your hairy cob has icicles on his beard and snowballs on his mustache!  Thankfully Rob (Nancys Dad) came up with 60 litres of bottled water. Rob lugged water, while I struggled with several wheelbarrows of hay through the drifts against the wind.

Jo meanwhile, ingenious as ever, managed to rig up water from the tack room with a shower attachment. Its amazing how long it all takes in the snow!!  After 3 hours, they all had water, hay and feeds.....and 2 very knackered mummies.

Today was actually better. Or are we adapting?? No actually the temperature rose to -1c.  The wind had blown some of the snow away and where we had walked had flattened to a compact ice rink.  Charlie had lost his icicles and snowballs.  Over night someone (LU probably) had destroyed the fence and Lu and Daisy were in with Polly and Dora, and had finished their hay. Charlie had stayed put and was calling somewhat pitifully even though Dora was attached to his tail. Feeding them soon restored them painlessly to the right fields....and as I reassembled the fence, I told them that they had to wait for the hay as I was somewhat busy.

Once again I left Jo wrestling with getting water to all, and I decided the tractor may get through with the hay.  It didn't get up the hill without both of us pushing, but I discovered going flat out worked.....and was rather fun. 

Only 2.5 hours today!!! We must be getting good.  I have no idea how people cope in countries where it snows for months on end!!  I have officially seen enough snow now thank you.

Life Without The Tractor and Hay

And now for the weather!!!! Funny how us Brits like to talk about the weather. I guess as we have a temperate climate, we tend to talk about any unusual weather conditions.  Even though its normal to have cold weather in December.....we tend to forget!  Anyway it suddenly got COLD (for us). We even had a few flakes of SNOW!!!!!  On Thursday I had leggings under my jeans and a hat!  We even rugged Charlie, Dora and Lulu. The forecast was 0c, 25mph north winds and rain/snow.  OOOh.  Bit of a shock after a mild November.

Naturally the Tractor broke down!!  Why wouldn't it? BTW its not really a tractor, but a ride on lawn mower....But it does the job of a tractor. Daily it pulls our little muck trailer, and helps us deliver hay. It stopped working on Thursday....My mums 80th Birthday. The day I had to leave on time, as I had booked us Spa treatments and lunch at a posh hotel/golf club. So we used Jos' Subaru....Not a 4WD, but an AWD with a tow-bar. 

Friday came, Tractor still would not start....Weather, Sleet, Cold. I was at RDA. The sun came out so I poo-picked with a wheel-barrow....well 4 wheel-barrows, then set about fixing up a paddock on the Winter grazing (Nearer to tack room and full of grass). Spent at least an hour untangling self tangling fence wire as the sun set and the temperature plummeted. Lost the will to live (and all feeling in my lips and fingers).

Saturday...still no tractor.  Once again I was at the RDA, filling in teaching.  By the time we had finished there I was cold and hungry. Jo had texted me saying horses had Hay and Water, Lu and Charlie had broken into the Minis' field and raped and assaulted Dora. I went straight home thinking 'Tomorrow is another day'.

Sunday saw us full of Scarlett O'Haras' grit and determination.  With Megs help we cleared the backlog of poo with the help of the Subaru. Moved the ponies to the Winter paddock and picked up all the fence posts from the 3-Acre.

Monday....I begged Mark The Mechanic to come and fix the Tractor. Which he did.  Meanwhile we untangled and reeled up all the self-tangling fence wire. Today was all calm.  Tractor working, ponies all on Winter grazing, temperatures back up to 8c, rugs off....Woohoo!!!

At the moment we don't have to give Hay.  Maybe only for this week, as we have lots of old grass and the horses are happy and full. BUT....this will not last. There is no goodness in the grass. Once the temperature drops below 5c it will not grow. Once there has been a frost, the goodness is gone from the grass. We are lucky that our ponies have gone into Winter fat. It won't hurt them to drop a bit of weight.  BUT if the grazing is poor, or the horses are old, or at the right weight, Hay MUST be given.  For a start the horse trickle feeds all the time. They need something decent in their guts at all times.  It keeps them warm, and it keeps the guts moving.  Without Hay a horse will get grumpy, drop weight and possibly get colic. Once an elderly pasture kept horse starts to drop weight in Winter, its a very fast slippery slope. Next thing you know, you will take a rug off and see ribs.  

This time of year it is vital to a) Feed plenty of Hay....There should be some left over, and b) Remove rugs daily for a visual check, and weigh tape once a week.

Happy Winter!! x

Warm ponies with lots of Hay.

The container stops it blowing around in the wind.

A Nice Sunset.

This is NOT a Weather Channel.

Although you may be forgiven if you have made that mistake. And so, to the Weather.......March has certainly come in like a lion. Its been wet, its been windy, its been really cold.....and mostly all three. 
And so on the 1st of the month, we moved the bigger ponies into the Three Acre Field.  The grass has been growing there since last August.  It also has a lovely sheltered dip.  This is usually where I strip off to a tee-shirt, only to realise how damn cold the wind is when I come back up the hill.  The little ponies have been given pretty much the whole 4-Acre Field, and are finding grass that the bigger ponies couldn't seem to find.
Charlie certainly seems to have felt a shift to Spring.  He has been very amorous with Daisy and playing gelding games with Lu, who seems up for it. The rest of the time he has been amusing himself with massive twisting corkscrew bucks.  I can only hope he doesn't try that with me on board. Or he may have to be sold to the rodeo.

Yesterday my other half appeared to fix the brakes on the tractor.  Its been a bit hairy in the hilly parts of the field with no brakes.  I was about to try some different bridles on Charlie, as he still has an issue.  Its not the bit, but the bridle going over his head. So Mark wandered up to the field with Jo and myself, holding a selection of leather. He may have been a little horrified to watch Charlie violently overreacting to having just a headpiece and browband popped over his ears. So then I wanted to put his normal bridle on, just to try and calm things down. "Hold this" I said, passing Mark the lead rope.  He kind of anchored himself, as if he was trying to stop the iceberg hitting the titanic. I was about to tell him to give Charlie a little slack, but thought what the hell. The bridle went on so smoothly I was shocked. Not a pull back or rear in sight.  Did Charlie feel the extra strength?  Or have a got a horse whisperer for a partner?

The Horse Whisperer Chatting to Daisy