The Not-So-Secret Diary of Diva the Shetland Pony - Winter Routine

The wet weather seems to be a fixture at the moment and so, as mentioned last time, Diva (Melland Queen of Scots) and Mabel have been moved up to the winter field. This means I am saving on feeding hay again as when I requested my next delivery, the weather had been fine and the grass was still growing.

Although it will mean that my bank balance takes a hit, there is nothing nicer in the winter than to have a big store of hay ready for use. The girls have moved into a different barn at the yard this winter and are now sharing a large stable.

I was a little unsure about doing this to start with, because Diva can be a bossy little madam and Mabel is so placid, she could easily be bullied by the pint-sized pony. However, the doors are too high for Diva to look out of, so I thought being with Mabel would be nicer than being alone and not able to see anyone.

The stable also has a top door at the back which I keep open so the stable is nice and airy for the both of them and Mabel can look out at both sides.

I always ensure there is plenty of water for them and I have hung up two Himalayan rock salt blocks. Diva tends to be the one I see licking them rather than Mabel. In an ideal world I would feed the hay from the ground, but to prevent as much waste as possible I do put it in hay nets. I use the ones designed for haylage as they have smaller holes and make the hay last longer for them.

Despite my concerns, Diva does share nicely with her ‘granny’ and it is much nicer for her to have the company. Thankfully, both are lovely and clean in the stable, so having two in one large stable isn’t any worse to muck out than one in each of two smaller stables.