Been a bit busy here over the past 4 - 5 weeks or so, lots been happening so thought I would do a little catch up for everyone! Firstly we thought we might bring all the colts back here from Cathy's place as she was looking to take last year's foals back to her farm to give them a little education. Big mistake! The 'colts' are aged between 2 and 5 and have always lived toether as a boy band, but they soon sensed that there were girls in the area and it cased a rift in the ranks! This resulted in a couple of more serious fights, as against the usual play fighting, and little Handbag (real name Hermes!) got himself a bit beaten up and had a nasty kick to his back leg. Apart from several 'scuff' marks, his hock joint blew up like a balloon from a cut on the inside and he couldn't stand on his leg poor boy. Bathed and administered to his bumps and bruises,but decided to give the vet a call regarding a long term anti-biotic injection as a precaution. Vet arrived and poked and prodded and said there might be a possibility that he had cracked a bone in his hock or higher up in the leg and before we knew what was happening, out came the portable x-ray machine and loads of pics were taken in the search for this cracked bone of which there was no sign. I didn't think there would be as I was sure the little fella was just very sore from the kicks he had received to the hock area and also to his gaskin and buttocks - muscle pain/damage was preventing him using his leg in my opinion? The vet that came was not one of our two usual ones (who jointly own the equine clinic) but a younger one in their employ. While we have met her before and she is a good vet, she does get carried away covering ALL possible options (except the obvious!) and by the time she left we were beginning to feel as if we were 'bad' owners as we turned down all her suggestions for treatment - having stated that he really shouldn't be subjected to transportation to the clinic, she then wanted to sedate him and to draw out fluid from his hock in case the swelling was blood pooling there, this suggestion was then followed by one about getting him to the clinic the following day and putting him out, to do surgery on the hock to see if there were any broken small bones/bits of bone that could then be removed! We must have told her a hundred times that we could not afford any treatment of that sort and that we would just be giving him time to see what improvements he made natually and would then re-evaluate things. But she still continued to tell us what we should be doing for him and we had to get really firm to stop her sedating him and doing the hock 'fluid' exploration there and then. Eventually we got the anti-biotic that we asked for, with the strict orders to keep him stabled for at least 4 days (which then turned into many months should we choose to have the hock operated on!), - had she listened to nothing that we had been saying? The little fella was quite happy hopping around on his three legs, guzzling the clover on our lawn while we were all deciding his future! But I'm sure the vet left thinking that we were the worst of bad owners!! (Got the bill several days later - a very expensive anti-biotic injection at £300 which of course included all those x-rays that she insisted on taking before we could call a halt!!) Of course the next day, feeling a lot more comfortable, little Handbag was using his leg happily to walk around on and by the next day - we turned him out for a couple of hours to let him gently exercise those seized/bruised muscles - he was fine, just a little lame when he started trotting around. Lameness all gone by the third day and hock swell gone down. As I said, all I wanted was an anti-b as a precaution!! Phew!!
The following day the rest of the boys were carted back to Cathy's where there are no girls in situ and normal behaviour resumed immediately!!
The cute Spotbum has been busy covering his three girls, two have held (Fleur and Muffin's Child) but Nell returned (as we expected as she is not easy to get in foal). As there was so much difference in height we couldn't let them run together so this time covering her we tried to 'replicate' free choice breeding - covering her in hand and then Cathy would wander around, Spotbum on his lead, with them grazing together (I would make coffee and keep her supplied), until SB felt like covering again. I would then return and move Nell to the place in the field where it was easy for SB to reach her. We did this twice a day, morning and late afternoon, and in between Cathy would walk him alongside the mare's field fence to keep a check on any 'reactions' from Fleur and Muffin's Child, also from Chapella and Poppy who have been covered by our friend Pat's stallion. But none of them have been interested so it looks as though we will have 4 to foal out next year, 5 if Nell holds this time. (we will not be covering Nell again if she hasn't taken as we dont want a late foal) We last covered Nell last Saturday so a few days later SB and Handbag (now completely recovered) have also returned home to Cathy's.
Anyway, when the naughty colts came back here for their unsuccessful visit, Cathy took last year's babies back to hers for a little 'education' - Ferret, Wizz, Shiv, and Chloe (Fleur's daughter from last year), plus she also took little Boo (Chapella's daughter from the year before). We have actually sold Boo and Shiv together to a wonderful home - the new owner, Francis, is one who would fit in extremely well here (need I say more??) - and they are going to be loved and spoiled for the rest of their lives as part of her menagerie, and we shall be keeping in touch and making visits etc. In our usual relaxed fashion (LOL!!) none of these youngsters had been haltered, including Boo, but to be fair we have just slung a headcollar on her to trim her feet, totally pointless as she just wont leave you alone and is one of those annoying minis who has to roll on you anytime you want to do anything with her!!
Having given them all a day to settle into their 'new' home over at Cathy's, she (in her usual fashion) just popped a headcollar on one of the 'babies' and walked out of the barn with it - the others all following loose - across the driveway, into the first field and across it until they reached the field they were going to be using. Following her lead they all just plodded along, no trouble. In the evening she haltered another one and led them all back to the barn. The second day she did the same thing with the other two girls and in the evening phoned me to say that they were all halter 'broke'. LOL!! Over the next couple of days she moved each one to and fro as individuals, so they did the trip without their companions, rotating the order so a different one got left alone in the barn or in the field and they soon settled to this as well, bless them.
Having got the girls all happily organised she turned her hand to Ferret, who was obviously being kept separate from the girls and had been allowed to simply walk loose out of the barn into the 'barn field', no need to lead him anywhere. Ferret of course proved a different prospect to the well behaved girls LOL!! No problem with popping the headcollar on, but as for being led, well this was not on his agenda and he had a huge hissy fit!! Luckily he was in the middle of the barn, plenty of space and a lovely dirty, soft floor to fall over on when he stood up and lost his balance! This of course made him stop and think as Cathy was still just standing there holding the end of his rope, totally unconcerned at his antics. G/daughter DD was up for a couple of days so she went to catch Ansel and bought him forward to provide a lead horse. Oooo said Ferret, I could just go jump on him!! But Ansel was already walking out of the barn and into the field so before he knew what he was doing, Ferret was walking after him. Ansel was allowed to stop, once on the grass, for a quick 'hello' and then told to eat the grass. Ferret thought he would go have a second sniff, but Ansel laid his ears back and gave his tail a swish and Ferret jumped back!! Ansel is such a good boy with the 'babies'. So Ferret started grazing too and after a little while, dutifully lead back into the barn following Ansel. This was repeated later in the day and again the next morning, but in the afternoon Ferret lead happily out of the barn by himself, had a short graze in hand, then Cathy took the headcollar off and let him loose. At tea time she called him up, re-headcollared him in the field and led him back to his stall in the barn. The following day, when the girls were in, he was led the same journey as the girls, across the drive, up the first field and into the second with no problem except Cathy says that he walks like a steam train (a good trait I feel!). Ansel was then turned out into the first field, so Ferret could have the company of his new friend next door.
So all the babies now haltered and led LOL!! A week later when Cathy took the naughty boys back to her place, she loaded up the 4 girls and bought them back here. They have been back a week and have been brilliantly easy to catch, lead and move around as we have done some field juggling with the mares, and they are now out in their own little group of 4 on the 9 acres of grass that the mares had just moved from. This evening I was walking the dogs in the other fields hoping to spy on the 4, just for a quick check (I like to watch animals when they are doing their own thing - much easier to spot any behaviour problems as against walking amongst them and have them come running to see you!) But they spotted me as I tried to creep past!!
Shiv, Boo, Wizz, Chloe.
All for now folks - more news and lots of pics to come, but will never post this if I dont do it now!
