With Jill coming over to join us on our walk in the glorious spring sunshine, I opted to do something that we had first planned about a year ago, just before the first lockdown. We would visit the local pub halfway round our usual route.
The lovely weather brought out plenty of walkers, some of whom were bemused by the sight of a Shetland pony going for a stroll. They all commented on how they initially thought she was a very big dog until they got close enough to see her properly.
When we got to the village of South Luffenham, and more importantly, arrived at The Boot Inn, the three of us made our way to the seating area near the car park. I ordered the drinks and explained I had a pony with me, which caused much amusement. I explained we would keep well out of the way of everyone, however, our decision to sit on the sleepers at the boundary of the seating area came unstuck when we realised we were blocking the entrance to the car park. We then moved to the first of the picnic benches with Diva standing quietly next to me.
Our drinks arrived and the lovely landlady came out and exclaimed that they were already a dog friendly pub and now could say they were pony friendly too! Diva enjoyed the attention of the staff and was impeccably behaved as we enjoyed our cold drinks. I was rather pleased that she didn’t leave a present behind, although the landlady said it could go on their compost heap if she did.
Diva was such a good girl that we might include a sandwich for us next time and see if there could be an apple or carrot on the menu for her. This might become a regular occurrence.
There are some fantastic horse associations to be found in the UK, all with their own unique cause, protecting and promoting the interests of horses and their owners. As someone who’s interested in horses, having an awareness of these associations is absolutely crucial, as you don’t know when you might need to lean on their support and expertise.
The weather recently has been providing perfect conditions for an increased risk of laminitis to horses and ponies, with cold frosty nights and sunny days increasing the sugars in the grass. The next week or so sees warmer overnight temperatures and some rain, so the grass will be growing rapidly. Laminitis is such a horrifically painful condition and leads to the death of many horses and ponies each year.
What do you need to know about taking care of a pregnant mare? How should you stable her, feed her, and exercise her? And how can horse insurance help you keep her healthy throughout that long gestation period? Read on for our guide.
We’ve finally had some of the wet stuff from the sky hurray! Hoping the grass will now shoot up as I was reverting to using a sprinkler on the grass seed (although as sad as I am I did find it fun especially when trying to soak my partner if he got close to it)!