Well there's no let up in this cold weather which means we have to keep on top of watering and feeding the ponies.
As the grass is frozen the ponies aren't too keen plus if they do eat too much of it, it can cause stomach problems. That means having to feed hay, which is simply grass which has been allowed to grow tall, then cut by the farmers in the summer and baled.
My years of looking after ponies and horses gives me a rough idea of how much hay they need. My 5 small ponies munch through around 1 bale of hay a day, half during the day and half in their stables at night. Some of my big horses are eating nearly a bale a day each!
Equines are used to grazing ie moving around to find tasty pieces of grass. Generally hay is put out for them in piles, one for each horse which means that they not mooching around as much and can get bored. So as well as filling them up, the hay needs to keep them occupied during the day. Just as in children, boredom leads to allsorts of unwanted behaviours-escaping from fields, running round and injuring themselves etc.
My big horses also have a feed at night to give them additional nutrients. There is discussion over whether ponies should have a small feed to ensure they're receiving all their required nutrients, however, my ponies are all native breeds, used to foraging on mountains and moorland for their food and my current view is that whilst they're looking fat and healthy I don't consider anything other than grass and what other vegetation they find in the hedgerows etc is necessary.
How do I know if the ponies are healthy?
Coats, eyes fat and behaviour.
Ponies coats should be lovely and shiny. If they are dull it's usually a sign they're not feeling great. This is the same with their eyes which should be nice and bright.
All equines usually start the winter carrying some degree of fat (some more than others-note Jinny and Maisie!)That's how it's meant to be in nature. So we expect them to drop some weight through winter. You can tell if a horse is underweight-it's hip and shoulder bones will stick out just a bit more and you'll start to see it's ribs. (Just be aware that horses in top competition work will look extremely lean but they should have very good muscle definition. Also some horses, like humans, just really struggle to keep weight on).
A regular feel of a horse or pony's rib area will quickly tell you if it is too thin-if you can feel it's ribs it's probably too thin. You wouldn't even feel any ribs on most of our ponies!!! I do actually wonder if I'm feeding mine too much hay!
The more scientific way to monitor their weight is to use a measuring tape and measure their tummy about a big hand behind their front legs. Done regularly this will give you a good feel of what a horse's weight is doing and I think is a good idea at the moment as it's not normal for some horses and ponies to be just eating hay.
As with people, if the horses are behaving unusually they may be unwell, feeling hungry. This may show as them standing with their heads hung low-just looking unhappy, moving awkwardly or just being awkward. They're just trying to tell you-they just can't speak!
Water is the other real problem at the moment as pipes, taps and hosepipes are frozen so it's a case of ferrying buckets of water from the house to fill the stables water and provide sufficient water outside. Additionally, as they're eating dry hay their water requirement increases.
I spoke about telling whether or not a pony is warm in a previous post.
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