Excitement Over Foot Pus, And a New Dora

First Published 28 Sept 2019

You would not believe how excited people have been over Foot Pus. Yes Foot Pus!!  Pus from Daisy's foot to be precise. The Farrier came out on Wednesday. You may be thinking that the Farrier actually lives in our Barn, but I swear, he does actually see other horses in between ours! He proceeded to pare back Daisy's hoof. We all thought it would take more than one session. But No. He found the hole!!! 
Although not too far from the surface, it goes in a long way, and has a curve in it. As he cut back the sole, we all leaned in, and shouted with joy as a lot of foul smelling pus poured out. You would have thought we had found gold! Daisy gave a sigh of relief as if to say "At last you stupid humans".
Now we can see the problem, we have spent the last few days flushing the hole with Hydrogen Peroxide and poulticing.  Daisy was instantly sound.
As soon as the Yuck stops coming out we can plug the hole with cotton wool soaked in Stockholm Tar and we will be good. In the meantime, her front feet are good....but she looks like a scarecrow from lack of muscle. Once she is fixed we can begin lots of pole-work and long-reining to build her top line up so I can ride.

Meanwhile someone has stolen Dora and replaced her with an identical pony that is all too willing to work! It must have been her teeth!  The last 2 weekends she has been on walk-outs with Nancy, without napping,spooking or biting. She has been an angel!!!  Just goes to show... If the pony is misbehaving check out its not in pain!

Teeth And Feet, Tricks And Worries

First Published 28 Sept 2019

OMG What a week its been!!! Daisy having been as sound as a pound, suddenly became hopping lame on her Off-side Hind.  We sent a video to the Vet, who thought it might be an abscess.  We poulticed it. Nothing. Judging by the way she was limping we feared it may be a pulled Suspensory Ligament. Not good,
as she would be putting a strain on her other hind. As she has lost a lot of muscle, due to her confinement, due to rotated Pedal Bones, due to her EMS, we feared the ligaments in her other hind would give out.  We were very doom and gloom. Jo and I love Daisy to the moon and back. She had a hard life before Jo bought her, and she is the most grateful and loving pony.

The Vet came out Wednesday to do Teeth rasping.  Having examined Daisy, she feared we may be right in our fears ....however being a good Vet, recommended an X-ray to be sure, just in case it was a abscess.  Charlie, Daisy, Lu and Lily were duly rasped. All were well behaved. In fact I would go as far to say that Charlie actually enjoyed it. Lily was sedated,as it was her first time away from WHW and they always sedate.  Lil spent a couple of hours in La-La Land! Mini and Dora however needed another visit with the Electric Rasp.

So the Vet came back today. I was actually away at a Funeral, but I spoke to Jo asap.  X-rays showed that Daisy has in fact a deep abscess. Boy was I relieved to hear that.  Its deep, and its a long shot, but we may be able to sort it!
Meanwhile both Mini and Dora were sedated and electronically rasped. Mini had a tooth abscess (ouch, we have all had them), and Dora has really odd teeth.

Dora in particular can be a little Shit.  We have now had her back checked, her saddle checked, put her in a Bitless Bridle and had her teeth done.  These are always the first things to check if a pony is mis-behaving. Teeth, back, tack....and Ulcers. We are fairly certain she doesn't have Ulcers, as she lives out and has a diet of Forage only.  So now we are sure she is not in pain, if shes still a little Shit, then so be it, thats what she is.  I love Dora.  She is feisty. She is a Wild Child.  Horses should be allowed to have a personality!! 

Meanwhile I have been continuing with the Trick Training. Lily is really interested. Videos are on YouTube of our progress.  Charlie who has been doing it longer, has just learnt to remove my hat! Check it out.

Feet And Fences, Rda Open Day and Tricks

First published 3 Sept, 2019

Wow.....Summer has just flown by.  Our trees are groaning with Sloes, Elderberries, and the odd Plum! The Ponies are fast losing their Summer coats. The nights are showing a slight chill, and after a scorching August Bank Holiday (my phone showed 30c at 11am), the days have dropped to the low 20s. Bliss!
The flies have been driving Charlie insane so hopefully they will die soon. I have washed my Winter Jacket, and am already eyeing up wood for the Tack Room wood burner. I LOVE AUTUMN.

Although working on a Semi Track System in the 3 Acre, because of the massive summer growth, we have loads of grass, so we are also having to Semi Strip graze, moving the fences back a little each day....which I swear takes longer than putting hay out in the Winter. This year though we are not moving the fences along behind us, so the Buggers still have a walk to get water (and we don't have to join a million pieces of hose together)

On Monday the Farrier came.  Trims all round.  And Lulu's vertical crack has finally grown out so she is barefoot again.  The Farrier is pleased with Daisy, who is now spending a couple of hours out with Charlie and Lu each day, before returning to her Pen for her soaked hay.  Despite the fact her Pen is just dust, Charlie and Lu are obsessed with getting into it.  While the Farrier was trimming the Minis, Lu broke all the fences, so Jo was kept busy repairing it all, while I ran ponies and coffee for the Farrier.  Daisy is so sound now, she has had her padding removed, although her shoes are still on back-to-front to take pressure off her toes.  We are getting there!

On Sunday, Viv and I went to an Open Day at Woodbridge RDA. It was a great day out with displays and dog agility, bric-a-brac and food.  We had a lovely time catching up with old friends.  I was absolutely enchanted to bump into Amy, who I taught from about the age of 10 until 15.  She was my Star Rider in my Tuesday Evening Childrens Club, when I ran the Rda at Sutton. She used to ride my own pony Paddy and they had a special relationship.....even though he could be a bit sharp and wasn't exactly RDA material!!  I was delighted to find Amy is now a fully grown up grown up!  Now 25, she is a Teacher. 

Jo has had an exciting idea for the yard. At the moment its just an idea. A whisper....Lets face it...We are too old to keep taking on rescues and sorting them out. We are too old for starting youngsters.  We have enough ponies!!
But with this new idea in mind, I have decided to expand my Trick Training to the whole yard!! Charlie is doing really well with it.  For a pony with the attention span of a gnat, he is really interested in learning tricks, and can concentrate for a good 20 minutes.  So today, after a great session with him, we went all in with Lily, Dora and Mini.  It was chaos, but i think I will work them separately for a while until they get it.

There is a video on the East Suffolk Ponies facebook page, and tomorrow I will edit it for You Tube. I am planning a whole series of videos for You Tube, charting their progress (or Not).  Watch this space.

Amy aged 14 with Paddy

Pony Parties and The Back Man

First Posted 14 Aug 2019

Gosh its been a while.....I think the short (thankfully) Hot Spell got to me!! The Summer seems to be rushing by......Just noticed today that the ponies are starting to lose their summer coats.
So whats happened in the last month?

Well, Daisy seems sound and FULL of herself.  The Farrier came out and replaced her back-to-front shoes, with padding. He says she is getting there, but still no riding 😒.
Although we have moved the ponies to the 'Summer Paddock' (the 3 Acre), we sent Lu and Charlie in first to eat off a bare patch, so Daisy still has her own Pen, with soaked hay.
Thanks to a wet-ish summer, we still have loads of grass. A completely different picture to last year when we were "Burnt Grass Ranch".

We also had a 'Back Man' out to Dora. Although pinging round the fields, she doesn't look like a pony with back trouble, but she does have a penchant for biting children when she is tacked up.  She can be a bit of a madam so Jo bought her a bitless bridle and a new lightweight saddle.  The Back-man confirmed she has no issues, but gave her a thorough massage and a tweak.  She now has NO excuse to be a Biatch.

Somehow, our Other Lives seem to have got in the way this Summer, and what with the fencing, moving fields and day to day chores we seem to have been short of time to work the babies. Hopefully now they are all in one field, with the fencing done, we can start working them again.  With my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker, I need my riding muscles to be in good working order. I guess I will have to get them working.....by riding the babies. 

Meanwhile the little ponies (Dora and Mini) have been out doing Pony Parties at Snape Fun Day, and Benhall Flower Show. They even behaved themselves.

Scorchio......To Hose or Not????

First posted 24 July 19

Yup after having a fairly mild Summer, after a fairly mild Winter, we were hoping there would be no extreme temperatures this year!  But today the temperature hit 31c. Dare I say it?  ITS TOO HOT!  If I was off to lay on a beach somewhere 30c would be good, nay, expected.  But I,m not. I,m out bloody working in it!

Lesson learned last year....Stand under hose every 15 minutes. And wear very little clothing.  BHS peeps look away now. We are full on flip-flops and shorts, and in my case a bikini top, which means Jo has to watch my belly fat wobble away as I poo-pick. But at least its tanned belly fat! One good thing is that we are still in the Hill Field, which is....on a hill. Yes, the only hill in Suffolk, but at least we have a breeze. Daisy and the little ponies have a decent shade from the trees. But Lu and Charlie don't as their tree-line is so sheltered its like a sauna.  But at least they can get to the top of the hill for some air. Never the less, for the past few days we have brought them into the Barn during the hottest part of the day.

And so on to the Hosing Debate!  Every year when it gets hot, horsey people debate hosing their horses.  I don't understand what there is to debate.
But there is an old fashioned myth that hosing a hot horse, will cause it to get hotter!  I had even been told that a wet horse in sunlight will burn!!!!

Of course none of this is scientific....or even logical!!!  The other myth is that the water must be scraped off. Again Not Logical!  The only time we use scrapers is if we have bathed (the ponies) in Spring and its a bit cold. 

So think about it.  Its a hot day (like today). You jump into a pool or under a hose to cool off. For a while you feel cooler. Then the sun dries you off. And thats bare skin. Can you feel that water boiling up? Do you burn? Of course not. In the wild, horses get hot, cold, wet, muddy.  They survive. 

In Horse-racing, Polo and Endurance, horses get hosed down and walked around, then hosed some more!  Buckets of icy water are liberally poured over the horse. Ok that water may feel warm after a few minutes. Thats because the heat is passing from the horse to the water, and is doing its job cooling the horse.  The longer the water stays on the horse the cooler it stays.

Ours are not worked in this heat. They are not competition horses, so theres no need.  But they still love a good hose down.  As soon as we start filling the water bins with the hose, they will appear and ask for a shower. Particularly Lu, Charlie and Lil.  Sometimes it takes ages to fill the bins....They just won't go away.

Today I decided to bring Lu and Charlie into the round pen before turning them out for a good hose down. Even in the Barn, Charlie was starting to sweat,as was I.  We all had a thorough soaking.  I always put my finger over the hose end so the water comes out in a spray, like rain.  Dripping wet I went to get my phone for a video, and the Clicker and some treats because Charlie is still wary of coming too close. Up until last Summer, if I picked up the hose near him, he would rear up and leg it. Since last Summers heatwave he has realized its nice, but still stood at a distance.

Within minutes of clicker training, he was standing next to me and the hose while we both got drenched.  Cue Big Wet Hug. Sadly my phone had fell off its perch and switched itself off, having died of heatstroke.  The only video is this...

A Good Day Bed and A Marauding Shetland

Posted 5/7/19

Oh, and BTW......Daisy has started her homeopathic treatment and is off the Bute. She is out in a dirt pen about 16ft x 12ft with 2 soaked haynets, and comes into the Round Pen daily, for breakfast, and a mooch about picking the Hedgerow, as she needs a little greenery in her diet. She is looking sleek and fit!!!
And at the moment she is sound.  The Farrier is due Monday, so we await his verdict.  It would be great if I could start gently riding again, if only I knew 'Horse' for "Please don't jog everywhere".

So last Sunday, Mini turned into a marauding Viking type Shetland.  She has been so well behaved since she lost Sweet-Pea (her partner-in-crime), that we have been slack and only put up 2 strands of electric wire.
So on Sunday, Daisy was in the Round Pen.  Nancy decided to ride Dora, so I thought I would have a wander down the lane with them, and bring Charlie.
That left Mini and Lily in one paddock, and Lu in the other.  Its all the same field, just sectioned into paddocks.

Lu was a little vocal about Charlie leaving, but they all had new grass to munch as we had just moved the fences back.  So we set off.  Once Nancy was up, I casually wandered over to the mounting block with Charlie.  I had a bridle on him, but no saddle. He stopped, i hopped up-ish. He backed and span, leaving me hanging in mid-air (again). I landed on my feet, but wrenched my thigh in the process!!

Later I was telling my partner (Mark The Mechanic and Part-time Horse Whisperer) about this. "Did you tell him what you were going to do?", he asked.
Errrr....No. He has a theory. When I get on from the ground, Charlie knows what to expect, as I haul myself up.  When I get on from the mounting block, I just sort of appear on his back. By Jove I think he's right!! Mark asked me why I needed a mounting block. To save his back obvs!  "Your not exactly heavy (a compliment!!!), and you get up easily, so I don't see the problem", he commented.  But I can't jump up bareback from the ground. I'm too old!  I haven't been that agile for years and years!!!
"Why the hell would you want to ride a half blind, half broken pony bareback" he shot back.   Errrrrrr...coz its too hot for a saddle???

So I set off on foot.  Good job as it turned out.  As we rounded the corner we saw that Mini had ducked under the Electric Fence (it was on), and was merrily cavorting in grass taller than her.  Dora was good, Charlie like a cat on hot bricks.   When we got back we realized with some surprise that Mini had ducked another fence, and got in with Lu, who appeared to be trying to catch her.  Mini then ducked back out and galloped up the hill beside us, causing Dora to spook, and Charlie to puff up and prance.  I'm going to have to ask the Vets to write to him direct, and explain he IS NOT A STALLION.

Meanwhile Mini was having a ball. You know when dogs bounce through tall grass? Well that was Mini. I swear she was wagging her tail!!  So we have been forced to put in a third strand of wire.  Thats pissed on her strawberries! Never, ever trust a Shetland!!!

And so its been getting hotter and hotter.  Having cleaned the stables out on Wednesday, washing them out with Jeyes Fluid, and letting them dry, we decided to bring Charlie and Lu in during the hottest part of the day. Now you all know I hate stabling horses, but Charlie and Lu are at the bottom of the Hill Field and its very muggy down there.  

So we bedded down the day beds. Now people have different ideas about day beds.  BUT, its still the same stable.  Doesn't matter if its day or night. Remember horses only sleep in short bursts. They may well have a daytime snooze, or a longer sleep flat out during the day. 
We have rubber matting, but that doesn't mean no bedding!  Urine on rubber matting will become slippery, so the horse is unlikely to lay down and get the rest he needs.  Easily solved by a nice thick straw bed!  So please, if you bring your horse in at night, or just for an hour during the day, give him a nice thick bed. 

Lu and Charlie were more than happy to chill out in the barn today, cool and shady from the unrelenting sun. They had thick beds, hay and water. But they were ready to go out again by 4pm.

At first we hung up haynets.....but look at the angle Charlie is standing while eating.  Wouldn't take long to pull a neck or back muscle.

So we shook the hay out on the floor.....Much better for the pony!

Herbs, Homeopathy and Reiki For Horse

Updated: Jun 26

I need to write this down before the effect wears off.....So please excuse the rambling nature of this post!!!!

Actually, maybe I should start at the beginning. I have always been into Herbs for Horses (and humans too as it happens). Herbs are Natures medicine cabinet. Most chemical drugs (cures, tablets, remedies etc) are derived from herbs and plants. Maybe because the big Pharma companies would find it expensive to go out and pick the ingredients, they manufacture them synthetically. However, these chemical substitutes often have side effects, which need to be countered with another synthetic drug! Good for the business side of things in a Pharmaceutical Company. Not so good for the patient. In the Western World we are used to this. Doc/Vet says.....Use this drug, and this drug blah blah. We do just that because we know no different.

Oddly with our animals, we are more likely to try Herbal Remedies. Particularly with horses, so a huge business has sprung up. Most people feed some sort of herb to their horses. And why not? In the wild, a horse will self medicate. Most of our paddocks are lacking in variety of plants, and sometimes lacking in vital minerals, so its fine to feed herbal supplements. When I was a kid, I had my very own gypsy mare to ride whenever I liked. She was tethered on a disused playing field. Fairly plain grass. So the owner told me, whenever I was riding down a lane, to let her graze the verges so she could pick out what she needed. Sound advice.

At our Farm we have very ancient grassland, and are lucky in its diversity. There are many different grasses, wildflowers and "weeds". The ponies thrive on it, and show this in their shiny coats. And they pick their favourites (they are very good at eating what they need). Lu is partial to thistle heads, while Charlie loves Goosegrass, Dandelions and some very spiky plants. The little ponies left the clover in their field, so we swapped the fields round.....Charlie and Lu devoured the clover!

Still we have a vast range of herbs bought in for medicinal purposes. These can be expensive. So to cut costs, we have been doing a little harvesting of our own. Nettles!! Good for the blood, and for laminitics as it helps prevent sugar spikes. Nettles also contain an antihistamine which reduce inflammation. Even horses prefer the Nettles dried. These can be bought for around £7 per 500g. Hmmmmm.....Who doesn't have Nettles at this time a year?????

So get out there and cut them down. We have been harvesting, drying and storing Nettles, while we have a large supply, so we have enough for the Winter months.

Nettles and Mint drying in the sun


We also have a rampaging Mint plant so we have started drying that for the Winter as well.
Mint also costs around £7 per 500g. But believe me when I tell you growing a Mint plant is easy!! Mint is great for the digestion, and is an ideal stimulant for fussy feeders. We don't have fussy feeders, but Lu is prone to gas colic, so having Mint on tap to soothe her gut is perfect. My next mission is to try and grow Chamomile. At the moment we buy it, but it can't be that hard to grow??? Can It? After all, it grows wild in Britain. Chamomile is good for lowering blood sugar (laminitis), reducing inflammation, and calming.

Another plant we buy is Chasteberry. Not only does it calm hormones (stroppy mares, riggy geldings), it is also used in treatment for EMS and Cushings. While we do not grow Chasteberry (yet!!!), it is cheaper to buy it whole and grind it into a powder with a coffee grinder (TOP TIP ALERT).

And so onto Homeopathy and Reiki. Jo knows a lot about Homeopathy anyway and so we also have a basic supply. However, the Vets suggested putting Daisy onto a chemical drug to help with her EMS. Not only would it cost an arm and a leg, neither of us are comfortable with Pharma drugs. So we called out a Homeopathic Healer and Reiki lady. She actually does humans.....BUT....she also does animals and has owned horses. We happen to know a lady with a serious lung problem, who she has helped enormously. We will call her Amy and she came to see Daisy on Monday.

Now, anyone that knows me, will know that I am very sceptical of anyone waving a crystal, physics and faith healers. (Despite my belief in Herbs and Food for cures which is based in scientific knowledge). So what I am about to tell you has totally blown me away! Please have an open mind. I wouldn't have believed this......But now I do.

So Amy came over Monday to test Daisy with all the supplements we are giving her, with a view to finding a homeopathic alternative. I sat and watched to start with. First Jo had her Chakras balanced (yes that's what I thought too!!). Then each supplement was put in a jar. Jo had to hold the jar with her other arm out straight, thumb pointing down. Amy pushed on Jo's arm, Jo pushed back. Then Jo put the jar on Daisys neck and the process was repeated. When we came to the turmeric, Amy was able to push Jo's arm down. Jo confessed she hates Turmeric. I love it. So it was my turn. First Amy "balanced my Chakra", holding my pulse with one hand, and a Rose Quartz with the other. At this point my sceptical side was thinking "Yeah Right!!" My arm remained solid, so the Turmeric was held against Daisy, who stood quietly. Jo took over again. When we came to No-Metsin which is a very expensive equine concoction for EMS, Daisy tried to move away from the jar. Jos arm was weak. Daisy would have legged it if she could. I started to pay attention!! The next thing Daisy objected to was the Nettles. She actually flinched as if the Nettles had stung her!!

And so Amy made up a concoction of Homeopathic pills into a jar. Jo had a negative reaction to this jar, so the substitute stepped in. I was good with the jar so had to hold it against Daisys neck, while Amy did a little back, foot and thumb massage on me. Then we started the Reiki.....

Amy put her hands on Daisys withers and rump. I held the jar against Daisys neck. We would do this until Daisy moved away. Daisy relaxed, her eyes closed, her bottom lip and head drooped. I relaxed. I was almost in a trance at this point. I was aware that my breathing was very calm and quiet. At one point Daisy yawned a few times, then reached her nose round to my arm. We were all monged out!. I had become aware of the strangest sensation in my back. It felt like warm hands were resting on the back of my neck and the bottom of my spine. I kid you NOT!

Now here's the really weird part...... You may or may not know that I have a rare lung condition. The drugs that keep me alive also give me crappy side effects. Most afternoons I am done in and feeling like I have Flu for 3ish hours. I have crap sleeping patterns... the drugs make me dream at least 30% of my sleep and I pay for that in lack of Deep Sleep (yes I am a FitBit Nerd). Yesterday, after Amy had gone, I felt refreshed, clear, motivated, energetic. I went home and started working on my hobby/pocket money business ( https://www.sea-witch-crafts.com/ ). About 6pm I realised I had had no side effects!!

I fell asleep at around 11pm and slept solidly for 10 hours!! I slept through my alarms. I don't remember waking constantly to vivid dreams......I checked the Fitbit ( as every Fitbit Nerd would). My sleep had been amazing. Only 17% REM and lots of deep sleep. I awoke refreshed, full of energy and buzzing. I woke my partner with loud music and dancing. He couldn't believe the difference. I am normally comatose until I have had at least 3 coffees!!

So sorry about the ramble!!! I'm not sure if there is a moral to this story. Or a lesson to be learned? Maybe keep an open mind????