Final calculation of feeding Merlin this winter (1st October to 31st March), since he won't be needing any more hay once this bale is finished:
3 bags of speedibeet c.£12 each
1 bag of greengold @ £12
2 lots of magic barefoot powder ;o) @ £46 each
45 bales of hay @ £3 each
16 bales of Horsehage @ £7.50 each
Total £395 or £65.83 a month or £2.16 a day. Not bad at all. Won't bother with the Horsehage next year, he would have been fine on just hay.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Walking out
Ooooh, I'm not popular this morning! I did the usual Sunday morning weigh-in (on the border between 470kg and 478kg - now on 2 handfuls of Speedibeet, 1 handful of Greengold and 1 thin slice of hay twice a day), then groomed him, pulled a bit of mane, took two barrows of manure off the fields (should be caught up by the end of the week I hope), started re-shaping the muck heap and then decided it was too nice a day not to take him for a walk.
I've been thinking that it would be an idea to do some in-hand schooling to help build his back muscles up before getting a saddle fitted again, so after we'd walked down to the surgery end of the village, I tightened up the noseband on his headcollar, moved the lead rope to the left hand side and passed a lunge rein over his back to clip to the right side. He was completely confused to start with because he's so used to following me around when he's being led that having me standing at his shoulder Did Not Compute, but with a bit of encouragement he took a step forwards, got lots of praise for it and after 30 seconds of hesitant walk with lots of glances back at me to make sure this was really what I wanted him to do, he decided that this was quite a fun game after all and walked out beautifully.
And the reason I'm not popular? I walked him up to the road through two fields of beautiful fresh spring grass and wouldn't let him graze it ;o) (Next door's sheep will be lambing on it in about 10 days' time!)
In other news, he nearly got a friend this week after I went to try a Highland pony. She was everything I was looking for; a real confidence giver, but sadly someone else had deeper pockets. It's a long time since I've felt that happy in the saddle though.
I've been thinking that it would be an idea to do some in-hand schooling to help build his back muscles up before getting a saddle fitted again, so after we'd walked down to the surgery end of the village, I tightened up the noseband on his headcollar, moved the lead rope to the left hand side and passed a lunge rein over his back to clip to the right side. He was completely confused to start with because he's so used to following me around when he's being led that having me standing at his shoulder Did Not Compute, but with a bit of encouragement he took a step forwards, got lots of praise for it and after 30 seconds of hesitant walk with lots of glances back at me to make sure this was really what I wanted him to do, he decided that this was quite a fun game after all and walked out beautifully.
And the reason I'm not popular? I walked him up to the road through two fields of beautiful fresh spring grass and wouldn't let him graze it ;o) (Next door's sheep will be lambing on it in about 10 days' time!)
In other news, he nearly got a friend this week after I went to try a Highland pony. She was everything I was looking for; a real confidence giver, but sadly someone else had deeper pockets. It's a long time since I've felt that happy in the saddle though.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Going back down again
Hay is now down to 2 sections morning and evening, no horsehage and only 100g (unsoaked weight) of beet each feed. Weight back down into the 478kg band. It's been really windy here for the past few days, but he doesn't seem bothered - every time I've checked on him from the road as I've been driving to and from the post office, he's been in the bottom field grazing happily.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Spring is springing
Three signs that spring is definitely on its way:
1) he's putting on weight (firmly back into the 484 band after dipping onto the bottom of the 478 one)
2) he's occasionally leaving some of his morning hay
3) he's started moulting
Good thing I've just bought a Miele Cat & Dog hoover, the hair over the next 4-6 weeks is going to be horrible!
1) he's putting on weight (firmly back into the 484 band after dipping onto the bottom of the 478 one)
2) he's occasionally leaving some of his morning hay
3) he's started moulting
Good thing I've just bought a Miele Cat & Dog hoover, the hair over the next 4-6 weeks is going to be horrible!
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Onwards and downwards
Horse has lost 6kg - now on the line between 484kg and 478kg - and I've finally lost 1lb after 4-5 weeks stuck at the same weight.
A very kind neighbour has offered me the use of her treeless saddle until I can afford a new one, so I may take her up on that when the weather dries up a bit.
A very kind neighbour has offered me the use of her treeless saddle until I can afford a new one, so I may take her up on that when the weather dries up a bit.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Same old, same old
Nothing much to report here. Merlin has been on the line between 490 and 498 for the past fortnight, so since the grass is starting to come through (unlike the rest of the UK we're in glorious sunshine and temperatures of 6-8C in the daytime) he's getting 50g less beet in his morning bucket and I'll probably take 50g out of the evening bucket from next weekend.
The farrier came on Friday. In the vague hope of being able to present him with a clean horse, I groomed Merlin on Thursday night and got all the mud out. Went down to feed him on Friday morning and was presented with a swamp donkey. He'd PLASTERED himself in it and it was still wet. Never mind, the farrier wasn't due until 2, so plenty of time for him to dry off and I could tie him up by the top gate about 1.30 and keep an eye out for the van. It was a beautiful plan until the farrier turned up half an hour ahead of schedule!
Still, he's had his pedicure (very little needed doing, just a little bit of shaping with the rasp), he didn't nibble the farrier's bottom and on the whole he seems pretty happy with life at the moment.
The farrier came on Friday. In the vague hope of being able to present him with a clean horse, I groomed Merlin on Thursday night and got all the mud out. Went down to feed him on Friday morning and was presented with a swamp donkey. He'd PLASTERED himself in it and it was still wet. Never mind, the farrier wasn't due until 2, so plenty of time for him to dry off and I could tie him up by the top gate about 1.30 and keep an eye out for the van. It was a beautiful plan until the farrier turned up half an hour ahead of schedule!
Still, he's had his pedicure (very little needed doing, just a little bit of shaping with the rasp), he didn't nibble the farrier's bottom and on the whole he seems pretty happy with life at the moment.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Hmmmmmmm
I went to the local tack shop today to pick up a couple more bales of shavings. The owner was in and we had a chat. She had the saddle fitter visiting yesterday (missed her AGAIN! Back in March, so not long to wait.) and took a thumping fall off her Welsh D, to which she casually added that Merlin chucked her off into a cement mixer once and he'd had her in the ditch often enough. Now, she's one of the better riders in the county at sticking on horses that want to get you off them, so if she was having problems hacking him out I'm not entirely certain I'm ever going to be able to do it.
On the plus side, he's a dope on a rope if I'm leading him (apart from when we meet a strange gelding) and does seem to love being out and about, so if I do ever get a ploddy native or cob to amble around the moors on, it's possible I'll be able to ride and lead and he can expand his world a bit that way. I did clean his bridle yesterday, so that's a step closer to getting back on him ;o)
Weight today smack on the marker between the 498kg and 490kg bands. He's got a coat like a yak, is plastered in mud like a swamp donkey and seems very content with his life at the moment.
On the plus side, he's a dope on a rope if I'm leading him (apart from when we meet a strange gelding) and does seem to love being out and about, so if I do ever get a ploddy native or cob to amble around the moors on, it's possible I'll be able to ride and lead and he can expand his world a bit that way. I did clean his bridle yesterday, so that's a step closer to getting back on him ;o)
Weight today smack on the marker between the 498kg and 490kg bands. He's got a coat like a yak, is plastered in mud like a swamp donkey and seems very content with his life at the moment.
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