Category Archives: Icelandic horses and Shetland Ponies

Thinking Rugs

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A lovely sunrise this morning.  Everything looked very atmospheric and beautiful.

This is Iacs eating his breakfast.

Haakon was in the garden eating his.

I had my faithful little Pepperpot with me, always helping or waiting to help.

And here she is helping me get all the rugs out ready for the approaching bad weather.

It is going to be a week of vile weather and I can’t decide what to do so I thought I would be prepared and probably cave on Sunday and put rugs on everyone.  You know me…. hopeless.

I made four piles.

Fivla (left) and Vitamin’s purple pile.

All the 5′ 6″ – which is really all for Iacs.

And then there is a similar pile (5′ 9″) for the husband and wife team that is Haakon and Kolka on the opposite gate.

And my last pile is for Tiddles but he has a container he can stand in for shelter so I am hopefully not going to use them.

As Haakon and his friends didn’t appear this afternoon, I didn’t encourage them (ok, I crept around) and went and made the track a bit bigger for the Shetland ponies so they will have something to eat, rather than me putting out more hay which is not cheap.

So that’s the plan.  Basically I have no plan.

So Much Better

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Well, it’s been a week, I think, of running around after Haakon with buckets to soak his hoof in, injections, painkillers, food twice a day.  I am exhausted but at last I can say (still praying, though) that hopefully he is on the mend.

And because today was sunny, I took off Haakon’s rug and saw that all the tucked up’ness from the pain and misery had gone.  I have my old fat boy back.

The dragon of loathing and I-hate-everyone curmudgeon has returned too, as it should be.  So I am hugely relieved and the big injections (antibiotics) have come to an end. I am also reducing the painkillers and from tomorrow Haakon will be down to one bucket as all this running around after him is killing me and he doesn’t need it now.  I also don’t want him to become used to two meals a day, please.

Though some *** cough *** Monster *** cough *** have breakfast, a snack for Ted’s eye treatment,  a snack for the dog walk even if non-participating, tea, a snack, supper and lastly midnight feast because that’s the routine we’ve been trained to.  Now I write it down, it does sound rather a lot.

Anyway, the lovely day vanished later and the temperature lowered.

When I had finished packing veg at Turriefield, I went outside to go home and was confronted by this……

Snow!  Ugh.

I dashed home and got Haakon’s bucket ready.  He was waiting and I pushed him through the garden gate to eat by himself.

I gave the vultures some little carrots to shut them up.  They all have a very good covering (ribs? what ribs!) and this is why I let them get fat over the summer.  I need constant reminding not to go rug-mad.

Anyway, I am hugely relieved.  I think there is light at the end of this tunnel.

All Things Biotin

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Today, I made a quick trip into town to get all things biotin for Haakon’s hoof as well as get my hair cut.

I spent my morning at the feed merchants looking at labels on all the equine supplements and trying to make an educated guess as to what would be best for my poor old boy.

Feeling that I was getting into a huge muddle with this, I went and stood outside trying to find a halfway decent mobile signal in the drizzle while phoning NAF Equine for more information and some guidance.  They were very sympathetic to Haakon’s situation and I came home with biotin in liquid form (Pro Hoof), a General Purpose Supplement and some TurmerAid (Lambie and friends had finished my supply).

I also bought Haakon a big bag of his favourite veteran mix to add to his food as he knows when I put anything suspicious in, like boswellia, which he loathes and then refuses to eat.  Fussy bugger.

This is Haakon’s afternoon bucket – and he devoured it, complete with supplements and mix.

The smaller of the vultures were also circling.

They knew I had brought little carrots for afters.

Vitamin was fairly certain I would part with them early but I said no as I wanted Haakon to finish his bucket of drugs first.

  

Once the bucket was finished, I distributed fairly my carrots.

Fair’s fair.

And then I went to see the little ones.  All very well in that field. I think Tiddles is over his tummy troubles.

Kisses all round, and then I put everyone else to bed (hens, ducks and called the sheep home).

Do you know it is dark by 4 o’clock?

A Pony of Very Little Brain

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My heart lifted this morning when I saw Haakon waiting for me.  Hewas walking a little bit better.  Less agony and more strength of purpose.

So I led him up to the garden to soak his hoof (not sure it needs it but won’t do any harm) and give him his breakfast in peace and quiet.

I took this photo, trusting Haakon not to go a-rampaging, while I drew up a massive injection.

OH held the rope while I put the injection in Haakon’s bottom. He said the only reaction was Haakon stopped chewing for a second!

When I put Haakon back into the field, Iacs was very pleased to see his BFF (and cousin).

And the wife was happy too.

Then I walked back to the Shetland ponies who had been in their paddock for breakfast.  They had taken themselves back to the track…. all except Albie, who can’t work it out.  There is a new section open now and it seems to have muddled the pea-like brain.

It was a case of the have’s and the have-not’s.

I tried to get Albie to follow me and a carrot I had about my person but he said he didn’t really understand.

Like I said – a pea-like brain.

So I took the dog-lead off the big gate (that keeps the gate closed – belt and braces if the gate swings free) and told Albie it was a new kind of headcollar.  Luckily he believed me and walked nicely while I led him to the track.

He did say a polite thank you and then trotted off happy to be in the world of grass with his friends again.

He really is a pony of very little brain.

Only Problems

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I am trying to feed up Pepper and get some weight on her.

Due to her one day on/one day off meal regime, Pepper is losing weight and I don’t like that.  The problem is that she is always on the look out for a delicious-to-her rotting corpses and then she gets a tummy-ache and won’t eat for 24 hours while doing room-clearing farts.  Prepared for this regular outcome, I dose up with pre/pro biotics, kaolin (if required) and slippery elm to try and get her tummy working again. So I have decided to double Pepper’s food on the days she does eat, so she is not missing out.  I am also adding salmon oil for weight gain.  I can’t think of anything else to do that would help her.  All suggestions welcome.

The others are disgusted with Pepper and can only see total injustice in this set up.

Haakon is going along but I would not say anything is better.  He spent this morning lying down in the sunshine and I hope he got a good deep sleep.

I have deliberated to just about anyone who will listen whether to bring him inside or around the house but I have to consider the following:

The Pros:
He would be inside, warm and dry.

Cons:
He would be unhappy and stressed = potential colic.
He would need a stable companion.
Haakon doesn’t like hay much and struggles (old age/teeth) eating it and I really want to keep him eating.  He gets two feeds from me each day even in his field just to keep all things going along.
He is doing ok at the moment pottering where he feels he can, eating and drinking. I leave a strategically placed bucket of water for him close by.  I also scatter little carrots around his field so he can find nice surprises.  He only goes as far as feels he wants to.
His friends are close by and join him during the day.
If it gets colder then he can wear a heavier rug.

As it is going to rain overnight, I put a light rainsheet on.

And he is such a helpful old thing.

To town tomorrow to get Farriers Formula and biotin for feet and maybe some nummy food too.