Have to share this - will try to get a pic if I can
There's a lovely big chestnut mare at our yard - very gentle nature - she is in a field with cows - and one of the cows had a blue calf on Monday. Cute, very cute.
What is amazing is that this mare has gone all gooey over the calf and is trying very hard to be its auntie. She stands over it all the time, and this morning she was washing it from head to foot! Cleanest calf I've ever seen!
She takes the calf to its real mum to get milk and then herds it off with her afterwards. It's just fascinating to watch. When the calf is sleeping, all the other mares stand around in a circle just staring at it!
All four going really well, its so nice to have 4 horses at home, all working hard and enjoying it! No cripples left in site. Bonus!
Max (ex-nav cripple) has a pair of renegades that we are breaking in ready for if we need them on Exmoor holiday, they've made no difference to him on roads or stones or grass, but have really helped him on uneven hard ground. And apparently he can gallop really fast in them...I wasn't intending on testing them quite so thoroughly on the second outing!! See blog for full details! _________________ http://magicsownlittleworld.blogspot.com/
Pretty good this month after June and July being really footy even though not on grass as such?? Ponies are now eating there way around track, having elec fence moved a bit each night. Both seem to have put on a bit of weight so I have cut hay down by a third ! Still being impressed with the Metabolyte on LGL pony - we have had no pulses since she has been on it and now her winter coat is coming through she has the most amazing chestnut dapples and looks really well. Little black devil pony seems to have a bite mark on one of his ears I found today - guess who that was from !!!
Feet are nearly free of ripples with tha last one stopping when I switched over to Fast Fibre from the Hi Fi Lite.
August almost gone, lets hope September is as sucessful, managed to compete almost every weekend with the gang all flying through, just arrived home from a very windy Shap!! Saqr was a little on his toes for his first night away from home and 32km in the wilderness at a very fast 13km for a novice, Abu nannyed all the way round, not bad for a desert horse 5 sucessfull rides all grade 3 and above, feet are the ugliest you have ever seen but work a bloody treat!!
August has been a busy month for my two. Lots of shows, hacks, galloping through stubble fields....(yay!)
Had a few days where they were both a bit footy - it was a period of rain-sun-rain-sun. Have reverted to keeping them stabled in the day & that soon cleared it up.
Trouble with them being stabled is that is soon makes the dreaded stink (thrush) re-appear, as we are on straw (included in cost of livery, would prefer wood pellets), so is back to the spraying with Boots-own milton. Seems to keep the nasties at bay. Tyler is growing out the last of some flared wall, so a few little splits, but they end at the ripple we have which signifies change of yard, better connection above this point. Concavity is also increasing. Boys' remain shallow but he is the more rock crunching of the two, just keeps stomping on!
September will be a month of fun rides, lots of mileage for Tyler. Poor Boy always disgraces himself on them so he will have to stay at home
Fingers crossed for that Indian summer!!!
x
Minimal spring+summer grass (cant manage zero as yet) for Jake is meaning his feet are less sensitive SO 1. he can do miles of bootless work without pain to build up the structures in the back of the foot such that they can deal with more challenging surfaces. Bootless seems to be building up Jake's heels hugely faster then booted wk. 2. as his heels develop, that shock absorbing system we've then created is not renderd useless by pain in the sole. What's the point of a great digital cushion if you cant even cope with slight pressure due to sole pain???
Grass limiting started early was crucial - Feb and so we avoided major disruption of laminitic connection.
From mid June he did have some grass during the day (prob less than 5% cos muddy thinnned paddock but grass is technically present) as the grass free zone is too small for 2 horses. Due to climate, this did not affect performance initially: it was so dry at that time this grass was grey and neither horse bothered with it. When the sun/rain arrived later in July and persisited through August, the grass continues to grow and so they eat more. Even this tiny increase affected his performance albeit slightly. In the last few weeks I have added 1 scoop daily of PROTEXIN to his diet (will add 2 scoops if high stress lsituation e.g. clinic, travel etc. ) to try and support his digestive tract from the damage done by sugar fluctuations. His hoof performance has definitely improved in response to the Protexin- not matching the June levels but not far off.
Jake managed about 31k with other barefoot horses yesterday bootless and some bits were very tough but he coped amazingly well. At one point he launched into canter on a rocky path without me even touching him to race to his chums - no stumbling of faltering. On tarmac my baby flies - flat out if I let him....
Clay - skin improving, he's filling out a bit more now, my friend said yesterday he used to look all leg and now he's looking a bit more in proportions. It would seem whilst we've been worrying hows he coping without shoes with his penguin flipper flat feet, he's been relaxing. Definitely looking less tense since he arrived. Now walking short distance (20 yards) unbooted to gate and back quite happily. time time time is needed for this fella and we got plenty of that. _________________ X
SueH with Jake and Clay
Tyler coped fab on todays fun ride. Had a couple of miles of roadwork added on after someone fell off & broke their leg and had to be attended by the air ambulance, meaning we all got diverted round a village rather than across a field!
There were some ouchy tracks but all he did was slow his place slightly. Muddy bits where shod companions slipped, he was fine, despite being clumsy baby. Here is near fore at end of ride...
Click to see full size image
..not the world's best hoof but also not the worst!
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