While the cat's away the ponies will play

So, like everyone else it seems, I have been struggling with a VERY nasty cold over the last 3 weeks which has made me feel sans umph which is most unlike me. (Don't really get the opportunity with 4 ponies, 3 horses, cat dog hubby and 2 children!).
I'm afraid I've let me normal pony regime slip somewhat ie they've been allowed to stay out 24/7 rather than being under enforced stable curfew at night! This simply meant I didn't have to muck out all the stables!
What a bad idea-one particularly clever pony is able to get into my heavily guarded hay shed and either spends all day in there muching and mess-making OR her latest trick is to pull a bale of hay (weighing around 25KGs) through the barricade and into the field where she can munch outdoors.
Well, you may think that this is a help to me. NO NO NO. All it means is that the little monsters eat far too much hay than is good for them!
Well I'm almost back to what is normal for me! and ready to tackle those munchers. That's their belated Christmas over indulgence done for the year, now time to return to their diet regime!
Watch out ponies, I'm back!!

Pony care in winter part 2

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.

Pony care in Winter

Ok so you might think the ponies get cold in winter-those of you who have visited us will know that they grow a thick coat in winter which plumps up when it's cold so MOST of the time they're warm enough.
How do we know if they're warm enough? We feel their ears and behind their front legs-if those 2 places are warm the ponies are warm enough-if not they're probably a little cold.
Jinny, our black Shetland pony has been seen with a white frost coating so she's obviously been happy to remain outside in very chilly conditions!
The weather that does makes them cold is heavy rain with a strong wind as the wind drives the rain into the coat and down to the skin. Occassionally they will then be found shivering from ear to tail so it's a quick fit of a rug and preferably a move to a stable for a while.
Having said all that our 2 Welsh Mountain ponies do tend to need rugs on when it's cold-just like humans some feel the cold more than others! Very occassionally Poppy also needs a coat. Our big horses all have coats on, sometimes 2 in the winter as they're not bred to live out and so don't grow such thick coats.
We are very kind to our ponies as they can all go into stables at night for some respite from the weather.
Hard frozen ground also causes problems-firstly they struggle to walk on it so there's a risk of damaging one of their delicate legs and secondly they really aren't keen on frozen grass! That means that we have to put out hay for them to eat which can get rather costly!
Cold also causes their water to freeze over and usually our taps. EVERY day we have to break the ice for them to be able to access drinking water-it's a horrid job as you have to take your gloves off to get the ice out. If taps have frozen we have to carry water from the house to wherever the ponies are.
Ice on the ground is extremely dangerous for horses, as, just like humans, they can slip on it and break a leg, however if horses break a leg they usually have to be put down. If it's essential for them to cross ice we have put hay over it which gives the ponies some grip but often people keep their horses in the stables if there is ice on the ground-last year some horses didn't go out at all for 3 weeks! Wherever possible it is far better for them to go and stretch their legs, even if just for a short while, otherwise they're like cooped up children-they go mad inside and then are completely mad when you let them out-with the possibility of another leg injury! You can't win sometimes!
Snow is another problem- again they need extra hay to eat as there's no grass but also the snow compacts in their hooves and for the ponies it's like walking on 4 balls-or for us teetering on extremely high stilleto heels! We've tried allsorts but haven't found any way of really resolving the hooves issue-we just hope they don't run around and hurt themselves!
If you'd like to learn more, or have just bought or are thinking of buying a pony and would like to attend one of our practical pony care courses specially for new owners please get in touch.