Thorfinn has spent the winter without a rug for the first time in years. I made the decision not to use a rug as I read an article in a magazine (whilst browsing in a shop) which made me reflect on the way I manage my laminitis prone native pony. It basically said that we (horse owners) now over feed and over rug our horses, meaning that they come out of the winter well-covered (fat) so that when they get the first influx of fresh spring grass the sudden increase in sugars triggers laminitis. In the wild ponies and horses would come out of the winter on the thin side so the extra goodness in the grass goes to building them up, rather than mucking up their digestive and circulatory system.

This is a painful condition affecting the animal’s circulation which affects the feet. Inflamation occurs in the laminae (the structure that holds the outside of the hoof to the internal structures and pedal bone, equivalent to the very end bone in your middle finger), but as the horny structure of the outside of the foot can’t move out like our skin it gets really sore, exacerbated by the fact that the pony’s weight is on the feet. Think about when you badly stub your toe or trap your finger in a car door, then it swells with blood and off course your nail doesn’t stretch! Ouch!!!

If you catch it in time, like I managed to with Thorfinn four years ago or so there will be little internal damage. Leave it too long and the laminae start to separate and the pedal bone moves. Ponies will become reluctant to move. They may rock back and ’stand’ on their heels to relieve the pressure and pain. If you ever see this then the animal is in pain! Thorf never got to this stage, as I know him pretty well and realised something was wrong very early on. In very extreme circumstances, the hoof wall will separate from the inside of the foot and can slip off the foot kind of like you would slip a wellie boot off. Now, I repeat… this is in extreme circumstances.

Once a pony or horse has had laminitis, there will always be a risk of it developing again so at this time of year I cut back Ts grazing and he will spend time on the sand turnout area with hay. He has restricted grazing in the summer.

So, to this end, very very fat horses are as much a cause for concern than the very thin horse. If, at this time of year you see an equine in a field showing ribs, but the main joints (hips, shoulders, etc) aren’t protruding, then it may well be okay. It will soon put on weight with the spring grass, but if it is still thin a few weeks later and on a good grazing (or carefully controlled strip grazing), then maybe there is an ongoing medical condition (some old horses will always look thin). Don’t jump to conclusions about welfare! BUT, of course if there is NO grass or a weed strewn field, then maybe it isn’t being looked after.

So, as you can see, Thorfinn has survived an Orkney winter without a rug. Admittedly, he comes in at night with his wee shadow (Sigurd) joining him. I believe he has been a happier pony and his natural thick double layered winter coat has done a much better job than any modern rug. I am just now going to have to spend hours grooming it out and put up with white hairs all over my clothing!

Original Blog Posts

Christmas was spent quietly with parents visiting but we were ice bound for much of the time and I had a nasty cough. M & B managed to get out for a handful of walks, but not as many as they would have liked - and I had big plans to get out walking too.

Eventually I felt well enough to venture out properly and the four of us piled into the Trooper and hubby carefully drove us up to the wind turbine where we went for a short walk crunching through the icy crust on the snow. I had hoped to walk further into the hill track but the going was too tough and potentially soggy under the ice. M & B decided to walk home (about 2-3 miles) and I decided to join them. Hubby went off with the car to go to the shop. It was nice to be out and about after being confined to the house but boy it was cold! We stopped in briefly to visit Gem and her pal Murphy. I promptly managed to frighten her by taking a photo with a flash. It was a good walk, but I did hitch a lift the last half mile with hubby returning from the shops as I was puggled!

Parents safely got back to the West Coast and hubby and I plodded along doing very little expect eating leftovers. The road into ours and another four houses had only seen a gritter once. My wee car hasn’t moved for nearly two weeks now… but at least it is in the shed.

The ponies are doing incredibly well with very thick fluffy coats but with the frozen snow can’t get to much grass (not that there is much left on the field) so they get some hay ouside. They both, despite being natives like coming into the stable at night.

Today I was sitting idly browsing the net and being bored when I saw a gritter come up the road and back down again… yet again it didn’t come in by us. Doesn’t our council tax pay for this service? An angry Facebook comment later, and I found the OIC roads dept number and gave them a ring. I got an answer and whilst I was on the line the person at the other end radioed the gritter which only 5 mins before had missed us. Low and behold, it returned and did our road. Now that is service for you!

So, it is 2010 - it has a nice sound to it. What will it bring? I don’t know but I’ll just take it as it comes.

… one member of our menagerie spent most of the icy season asleep…

Out stretches a paw to give the newcomer a tentative blat, then shock and horror, it moves. Malfoy was very very unhappy as shown by his racoon like tail!

Well, you would throw a cat treat in here!!!

Gimmee gimmee gimmeeeeeeaow!

Good Frances went to fetch her ponies in on a cold and wintry evening. The snow lay roond aboot getting deep and even. Brightly shone the outside light and the frost was very cruel, when two hairy ponies came in sight desperate for their fo oooo oood!

Dressed in layers - 2 pairs of jodhpurs, 2 pairs gloves and socks, thermal layers, tee-shirt and fleece and padded jacket I mounted up (carefully - I hadn’t ridden for about 8 weeks) and we set off, with Sigurd trotting along side. Within a short time the horizontal hit, but luckily it was coming from behind us, as Thorf carefully picked his way down the road. No shoes on mean he has a little more grip in icy conditions, but even so, I mostly rode him on the verge. I have him trained to take teeny weeny slow steps if we do have to cross icy stretches. Nine households were visited, but we only lingered at a couple for any length of time one for a dram and the last one for a hot toddy which both Thorfinn and I enjoyed very much. I do wonder whether one can get done for being ‘drunk’ in charge of a horse, or could one argue that the horse knows his way home and was actually in charge! The ponies also partook of pan drops and carrots (spoilt or what?).

So, that’s the card deliveries done for this year and it is now time to get into the final preparations for the festive day itself.

So, where has all the time gone? Nobody warns you when you are kid, that as you get older the time scurries along at a rapid pace. Or is it just the fact we now live hectic, technology based lives which mean we need to have everything done yesterday? Have we had an October holiday or was that just my imagination? Is it really six weeks since we in the school choir have been rehearsing our carols for the school’s Christmas Carol Service? IS that really happening next Monday? Eeek! Have I really started letting the kids put up decorations in the library? Well, I had to as there are two weeks of term left despite my belief that my own tree in the house will not be going up until just before the day itself. HANG ON!!! It really can’t be Christmas two weeks on Friday! No way!

St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall around 4:30pm, Monday 7th December 2009

Merliln found sleeping in the plant pot 6:30am on 12th November

Malfoy in the newspaper recycling box on a high shelf

Perdi

A typical Merlin sleeping place - anywhere that he is too big for!

Looks cute, but Snitch is very aloof!

The latest venue for Merlin

Merlin lifts the lid to get in and hide

Glove and hat rack. Merlin somehow shifts the wood which is meant to stop him sleeping up there!

Malfoy likes bags

Malfoy also likes small places

I'm stilll not sure how Merl got into this one

Folders are fair game

Warm radiator (admittedly he had help :-))

Malf in another bag

An empty box is fair game

A young Malf

Both tabs on the shelf, not a common sight to see them together like this

Kitchen bin

Malf on Gem

Malf on radiator of his own accord

Merlin - not exactly cosy

Snitch & Merlin in a laundry basket. Snitch isn't too happy about sharing tho'.

I am surprised the cats continue to find the odd places to sleep. They surely must be getting fed up of having a camera (which I usually always have to hand) pointed at them.