It seems that about every other blog post I write, the temperatures are scorching. I’ve previously mentioned several tips on how I look after my horses in the heat, but here are a few more!
One thing I haven’t mentioned previously: I always ensure the horses in the field have a big chunk of rock salt on the ground near the water trough. For weeks, it has been untouched. However I noticed the other day that there are definite lick marks on it. I am pleased about this as Diva and Mabel are currently living out with no supplementary feeding, and it’s nice to know they are using the lick.
One money-saving tip is to buy chips of rock salt in a sack from your local feed/farm supplier as these generally are about £5 whereas the ones with holes bored through and rope for tying them up are more like £5 each! I put chunks of salt in their mangers when in the stable so they have free access to salt at all times.
Another thing I have to watch out for is Mabel getting sunburnt where she is hogged. A fly sheet with neck would prevent the skin on her newly hogged neck from burning, but as she currently is roughed off without a fly sheet, I just make sure that I hog her only when the weather is likely to be cloudy or rainy for several days. Subsequently, due to the current heatwave she is sporting a rather long and untidy hog!
We have also had several thunderstorms in the past few days, some with accompanying torrential rain. My girls seem completely unfazed by the thunder and lightning, however, Treat isn’t quite so keen and is happy to be indoors.
Poo picking is essential and I do it daily in the summer, especially when they are out all the time. Nothing is more satisfying that seeing the paddock clear of droppings. Diva pony often inspects my work, as the photo shows. She never helps though!
Do any of your horses ‘help with stable tasks’? I would love to hear from you and see photographs.
Diva enjoying a leg stretch
Do any of your horses help out in the field?
I find this one of the toughest topics in the horse world, as everyone does something different. There are thousands of products on the market – all claiming they can cure everything – and nutritionists are often affiliated with a feed company, making any advice potentially biased.
I can say I’ve been able to tick something off my bucket list now: I managed to mount and ride a camel – a brilliant experience. I had great fun grooming my one, named Baxter, and I think the people running it were happy they had people that were used to dealing with big animals and weren’t afraid to get stuck in.
I thought in this first blog post I ought to tell you a little bit about my horses and me, and give you an insight into what you might see from us going forwards. Firstly, my name is Emma. I’m 29 years old and I’ve been riding for as long as I can even remember.
I am currently lightly backing my three-year-old American Quarter Horse before turning him away for the winter. In my previous post, I explained the setbacks this year, and frustratingly I had to start the process much later in the year than I’d anticipated. But things were going well, too well…