I must say that the horses and ponies are surviving remarkably well in this winter weather. Their little faces are always very happy to see me and my buckets in the morning. There are no signs of shivering or misery from anyone, which is very good and a relief. You know me, I do like to worry.
Outsde is cold – it snows, rains, sleets and hails possibly all at the same time and mostly when I am outside poo-picking. I tried silk liners in my gloves but it made no difference really to my poor fingers. I gave up poo-picking when it turned into a blizzard. There are limits.
While the horses/ponies were eating I examined Kolka’s coat and noticed that their winter coats are doing their job – the guard hairs are working.
And then at the side all the fur goes into points.
While the inner coat is completely dry and it is the same for everyone. One very good reason why I don’t bathe my horses and ponies – the grease in their coats is keeping them warm and dry.
Little Pepper is not dissimilar. She never feels the cold or gets actually wet through. Everything just bounces off her apart from disgusting things she can roll in.
Ted, on the other paw, is made of very cheap nylon. So today, before the dog walk, I put on his coat. What a diffference that made.
Ted went running off enjoying every minute of the walk, even when the weather turned very nasty. He didn’t even turn tail and run for home like he usually does.
Lambie just went back to bed.
And here is Ted looking very smart in his padded coat and no, we don’t think he looks like a chav (though we do).
Share this:
Discover more from My Shetland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Frances, just a suggestion—have you tried heated gloves ?
I have rechargeable heated gloves which are really great on cold days.
No because it would be for picking up by hand horse poo and they might not like that.
Ted looks very smart (ignoring the chav-ness!) I would not go out without a coat at present and I don’t blame him for wanting one.
Have you tried your silk liners inside mittens? Mitts are definitely much, much warmer then gloves.
Tried silk liners today. I need fingers more than mitten-hands.
I wonder if the horse poo would tolerate being grabbed by a litter picker. Another thought is a long handled broom and a long handled dustpan.
I do have a poo-picking thing (fork and long handled collector) but prefer to use my hands (rubber gloves) as it gets the field cleaner. But in snow, I might resort to doing it differently.
That is so fascinating about the hair on the horses/ponies. Nature is just so amazing. Pepper & the gang look great. Ted is quite stylish. Stay warm & dry as you can.
I agree. Nature is amazing.
Dear Little Ted, he is such a sweetie and looking so smart in his tartan jacket. Animals do like dressing up, especially when it keeps them warm as well. I used to have some rubber gloves with fleece lining
and they were really good. Can’t think who used to make them…….will try and remember !
Thank you.
I have a pair of what’s called glove liners. They are rechargeable and heat not just the palm but the fingers also. They are made to be worn under another glove/mitten. I wear them under a pair of leather work gloves and they are wonderful. If I need to open clasps or gate hardware I can peel off the outer glove and they are flexible enough to let me do it. They are pricey but worth every single penny! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VJLFTXM?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1
Thank you. I will investigate
Pepper definitely does not look happy in the last photo. Maybe she would give in to a coat the next time out?