That cold blast we had for the last week or so was a good reminder its still winter! One day I had to jump (okay amble over very uncoordinatedly) both my gates to get to the stables as the locks were so frozen! I do have to say though it made for a pretty drive to the yard seeing the trees all frosty 😊 I have also found that I love my tap protector (just an insulated box that goes over the tap) but it made a major difference…aside from the one night I forgot to put it on and that happened to be the coldest night d’oh – so as a result had to ferry water in containers from the house instead That’ll teach me! Also my waterproof gloves have been a necessity – no more freezing fingers when soaking haynets – if you haven’t got any definitely have a look out for some they are so so so worth it!
The horses luckily weren’t affected – wrapped up in their rugs will lots of hay in the fields, the snow and frozen ground made a pleasant change from the wet mud – I could walk without fear of losing a welly (and the cat also had fun especially when it snowed!)! We had a flood again in the field before the cold snap as a mains section had burst out on the road next to us argh. Luckily it was sorted very quickly and drained fast (phew!) as the morning before it was fixed I seen two rivers running down the hill which caused me to panic.
Bob and Autumn have been very naughty again – Autumn taking to galloping at full speed around the field when its bringing in time, and Bob doing the same but also acting aggressively towards the mares (kicking out and chasing) as well as deciding to rear at my partner or me when we go to put his head collar on. Well he’s learnt that doesn’t work with me now as I ignore him and leave him in the field to calm down and until the mares are sorted, then when I do catch him he’s brought in and does some inhand or lunge work for 5-10mins before being sorted for his stable. He’s got a lot of energy he cant use up at the moment as sadly still no progress with our arena so I do understand it but want to ensure he doesn’t get too bolshy as he’s a big horse and he knows it. We have chased the builders again but are struggling to get a reply which is frustrating.
The change in weather again is making me keep an eye on the horses feed and hay to ensure they are getting all they need at the moment. I have them on a balancer and also have Bob on a small bit of calmer to try and help his outbursts. He was on a bit of oil/conditioning feed alongside the mares but I have now taken him off this as he is back to optimal weight so hoping this should help a bit with the energy as he’s back on his low sugar fibre! The mares are staying on the conditioning feed at the moment as I notice Aria has dropped off slightly, and also to keep Autumns weight up as she has always been a poor doer over winter. Its definitely worth regularly assessing the feed you are giving in relation to the grazing/conditions to ensure your horses are getting everything they require 😊
Has anyone noticed the change in light at the end of the day yet? I know I have especially on non-cloudy days! We can poopick in the light and are at the point where we almost don’t need the head torch – yay spring is not far away!
Hang on in there lighter days on the way!!
Once again I threw Arlo in at the deep end, affiliating him purely for the Arena UK second round show, and once again he pulled it out the bag. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful little horse? We haven’t really competed this year. I don’t really compete over the winter, and also my horsebox was away for repairs up until the beginning of June, so I had no transport even if I’d wanted to.
With the dry ground we don’t seem to be having much luck with shoes, as little madam managed to pull both her front shoes off within 12 hours the other day! We entered the arena with two shoes on for a schooling session and left it with one missing (took about an hour to find it). Then that afternoon, as I went to put some hoof ointment on, I looked down and had to double take, thinking I was looking at the wrong hoof. But, no, the other shoe was missing too.
After having a long wait and some lunch at the onsite café, it was time to get ready for the Joan Wolfe Overall Supreme Shetland Pony Championship. I got changed out of my usual showing outfit into black trousers and a maroon top with white spots, as you are expected to be a bit more “bling” in the evening.
We were all set to go for our next outing, and were super excited. That was until I heard the dreaded clunk of a loose shoe! I checked it over, praying it wasn’t too loose, but, nope, it was going to need a refit.