Nettles in My Paddock

Today we have been doing some much needed field maintenance, and what better place to start than the weeds, as you can see the paddock is full of weeds but lots of these weeds are stinging nettles, and so they don’t have to go to waste.

So here they are stinging nettles, horrible plants with seemingly little use to us, or at least when they are like this. But they can become a tasty treat, for your horse or pony but I wouldn’t recommend you try them like this.

Ok, so just cut the whole patch of nettles down, and then leave them to wilt, when we cut some of our stinging nettles they were ready for the horses and ponies to eat in the same day we cut them.

After the nettles have wilted your equines can dig in. So there you go a tasty treat for your equine, and they aren’t just a treat they are quite good for horses and ponies as they have a lot of iron in them.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Luckily all the horses and ponies are being very well behaved now, I guess it was just a one off, and I am not complaining just so long as they all stay well behaved. You are right Michelle I should really try lunging them more.

Hello and welcome to my blog C and C Antiques and Animals. Thank you I too like the fence just a shame it’s not post and rail.

Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was a very frustrating day. First of all I decided I would pick all the horses/ponies feet out, I started with Murphy who would not stop spinning around, after I finally finished Murphy’s feet I did Niko’s and Madeline’s they were both good about it. Then I tried to do Pip’s feet and he wouldn’t stop biting me, I finally got all their feet done and then it was time to ride.

Oh that didn’t go so well, any of you notice something different about Madeline’s bridle, I put the reins over her head and then just as normal I went to put the bridle on, and then she just took off dragging the bridle with her as she ran around the paddock, when she stopped there was a lot less bridle left to put on, she had torn off the brow band the nose band and the throat lash. But I did get her all tacked up in the end, she didn’t seem any different to when I was riding her with a intact bridle, so I guess that is a good thing.

Thanks for the comments on my last post.

Sherri, and Abby, yes I am sure it is just a lot of fun for them, they do love doing new stuff just as long as it isn’t scary, maybe I should buy them all some horse toys.

And Why Are You Doing That?

Don’t horses and ponies do some odd stuff? Here is a photo of Niko back at the old yard, now why is he chewing on that stick like a dog? He did not eat it, he just chewed it and then dropped it.

And here is a photo of Murphy, now surely that can’t be comfortable putting your head in that, and there is grass just behind him next to the fence, so why do that?

Wow now that is not a pretty face, at least I know why she was doing that, it was because Niko was going out to be ridden, still she does have some very nice white teeth.

If your horse or pony has done something odd or funny please feel free to post a comment about it.

Thank you all for the comments on my last post.

Kritter Keeper, I’ve had to give riding a miss today as well there is always so much going on.

Abby, I will have to check out the trees and see if they are any good, thanks for the idea

Sherri, it is lovely and green lets just hope it stays that way now the horses are here.

Back In the Saddle

First of all I hope you all had a very Happy Easter, now on with the blogging. I have finally got back in the saddle and it feels brilliant to be riding again. I rode Niko first and now I am back to riding Madeline as well, at the moment I’ve been riding in the field next to the one that the horses/ponies are grazing in, as they are getting upset if they can’t see one another.

There is also a track next to the field that is great fun to canter along, and all the other horses/ponies can see whoever is being ridden so they are all happy. We have a field that was going to be for riding in but at the moment it has lots of holes from where the trees were taken out, oh and it has all the trees that were taken out in a mound in the middle of it.

I am riding out of sight of the horses/ponies for a little bit every time I ride to try and get them used to not being able to see one a another, so far ever time I have gone out of sight one of horses/ponies has called to the one I am riding, but we will get there in the end, not sure how long it will take.

Oh and now we have moved I’ve got no jumps so that could be a problem if I want to practise my jumping, but we do have a log that could make a cross country jump, anyway I am just happy to be riding again.

Thank you all very much for all your comments on my blog, I have just recently hit 100 comments on my blog, so a very special thank you to all my commenters.

Abby, what is he dreaming of, I hate to say it but probably Madeline he seems to be feeling his feet, he has become a lot more coltish recently.

Sherri, yep we couldn’t be happier about moving the horses and pony.
Autmun Mist, yes Pip is adorable isn’t he, but he does have the habit of sneeking up on you and giving you a good nip, not so adorable.

Happy Horses

Just look at them they are all so happy here. Pip loves the company even if he can’t get to the other horses and pony, he has been sleeping by the fence next to the others. As you can see it’s very sweet, and when he is asleep he is not trying to bite me so that is a big plus.

Poor Niko the first time he tried to have a rest here he went down in a patch of stinging nettles and ended up with nettle rash all over his shoulder and a bit up his neck, he now walks around the nettle patches, but he too is very happy here and has leant to avoid nettles.

Murphy too has been lying down but I haven’t seen him fast asleep like Pip yet. Murphy is a funny little chap he will lie down and then he starts to graze while he’s down, he has also taken to following me around the paddock waiting to be groomed.

And of course Madeline is loving it here, she has been a lot less bossy toward Niko since she moved here. She has never been very bossy with Murphy. She is lying down as well catching that sun shine and having a great time of it all.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Sherri, yes let’s hope they don’t make a habit of biting me when they don’t want to work, as I am going to try doing a bit of riding tomorrow.

Abby, yep now he knows that he is not being left behind he is quite happy just to graze, no more running around like a loon for that little pony.

Kritter Keeper, I ride English style, and as to what happened to my finger Madeline bit it when I tried to stop her eating goat feed and has done quite a bit of damage.

All Horse Stuff, glad to hear you are getting better, and no I was not really ill, I was bitten by Madeline which stopped me riding, but it has almost healed.

The Big One

The largest section of the paddock is now fenced and the electric is running, so on went Niko, Madeline and Murphy, Pip’s section still has lots of grass luckily, so he is still in the same part of the paddock.

But when Pip saw the others leaving to go in the big part of the paddock he must have thought they were leaving him, and so he made a quick decision to run around like a loon, till he realized they weren’t leaving and then he calmed down.

Anyway they are all happy and calm now, and I have just today finished my antibiotic course, so hopefully I will be riding again soon, I am sure that they have all enjoyed their time off at least, and it gives them time to settle into their new home.

Thanks for all the comments on my last post.

Abby, poor Spotty’s bottom, our fence isn’t very strong which is a good job too because I had to test the new part of paddock, and the quickest way of doing this is? Touch it of course, it was working.

Kritter Keeper, funny how siblings always seem to have it in for one another and then they are best buddies the next second.

Michelle, yes the horses and pones are all very content I have got some nice photos of the pones lying down, I’ll have to put them in a post some time.

Settling in

Now that all the horses are in the same place they can start to settle down, and Pip can meet Niko, Madeline and Murphy. Pip seems to like all the newcomers but for now he’s got to go in a different section of the field because of his lice problem which we are still trying to treat.

We had some trees left in the paddock, Niko looks like he approves, he has been very sleepy today probably all the excitement of the move and all that grass.

Murphy also likes the trees or at least he likes the grass that is growing near them, Murphy is settling in very well, I think he is really enjoying having some real grass to eat.

Madeline is very interested in Pip she loves little equines. Once at the yard we have just left a Miniature Donkey got in to the same field as Madeline, and she wouldn’t let Niko anywhere near it, in the end she scared the donkey away by being too friendly.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Abby, yes the fence is working very well, my Mother and I have both accidentally touched it, and that is not a recommended way of testing if the fence is working.

Sherri, I too am happy they have finally moved, no more smoky stables.

Kritter Keeper, hello and welcome to my blog, I would have liked to have post and rail but electric fencing was so much cheaper and Niko is less likely to break it by cribbing on it.

It’s Time to Go!

We have finally got all the electric fencing up, we had to go with three cords because of Murphy being so small and the others being so big. We haven’t got all the land fenced yet but we have two of three paddocks fenced off, still got the biggest paddock to do.

Then obviously we had to get it electrified which was harder then I thought it would be, as we did not really know what we where doing and the instructions had no writing just lots of pictures, and the crocodile clips didn’t fit so they had to be cut so they could open wider.

But we finally got it ready to have Pip in it, poor Pip learnt not to touch the fence the hard way, but I don’t think he will be doing that again, still he knows now, and then it was time to go get the others.

Murphy went first then Madeline and finally Niko, and as you can see they are enjoying having some grass, for now anyway I can’t see it lasting them but at least we will be able to move them into a different paddock when it runs out, which we could not do at the yard we have just left.

Anyway I am really talking too much, so I’m very happy that we’ve moved. And thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Abby, let me know what you think of Seabiscuit some time.

Sherri, my finger seems to be on the mend I have nearly finished my antibiotic course.

Seabiscuit the Movie

I have only just watched Seabiscuit, and I’ve got to say if you have not all ready seen it you should really go and watch it, it’s got to be my favourite movie, it is absolutely brilliant.

I can’t say a lot as I don’t want to give any thing away, the actors all play their parts great, horse and human. Here is a little bit more about it; Seabiscuit is set in the 1930s, the story revolves around three men who turned a seemingly untamable horse into a champion. It takes a bit to get started as the stories of all three men come together, the movie really starts when Seabiscuit turns up.

Jeff Bridges is Charles Howard, a thriving entrepreneur that gives horses racing a go when some things happen, this is me trying not to give any thing away, obviously a lot more than some thing happened. And Chris Cooper plays Tom Smith, a horse trainer who sees the potential of Seabiscuit, Tobey Maguire is Red Pollard, the jockey that rides Seabiscuit. Anyway there is a lot more to it then that but I think that will do.

If you have seen Seabiscuit and have an opinion on it feel free to post it. Thanks for all your comments on my last post.

Abby, if you want to check out the Elim-a-Net website here is a link, Parell Product.

The Elim-a-Net

I bought these haynets when we were having fatty problems, as the horses had gone on to haylage and it can be quite fatty compared to hay, I wanted the horses to be able to munch away but just not munch it away so fast, so I bought the Elim-a-Net.

The Elim-a-Net comes in three different sizes pony, cob, and horse, I bought pony sized ones. I know Niko and Madeline are horses but pony size is surprisingly big. We still feed from the floor if they are just having a quick meal, and for their night time feed they also have a bit on the floor.

The haynets get damaged quickly but as of yet we have not had one completely destroyed, and as you can see the horses are happy despite the new hay nets, so I think they are pretty good, but if you aren’t having fat problems I would say stick to feeding from the floor. Thank you for your comments on my last post,

Abby, yep luckily I am right handed so it’s not all bad, you really start to notice how much you use your index finger when you can’t use it with out it hurting.

Michelle, am doing pretty good at keeping it clean, I was told that I would need to go back to A and E so maybe they will re dress it I don’t know.

Where Did My Finger Go?

She looks so nice doesn’t she and she is, but her teeth are stronger than I realized much stronger than I knew, and today was the day I learned just how strong they are. So here is what happened; Madeline went out first as always, my Mother turned her out. Meanwhile I was getting Niko ready to go out, as I was turning Niko out my Mother opened the gate to let Niko and I into the paddock, just as we went in my Mother saw a bucket, Madeline was eating from it.

We stopped her eating it which is a good job too, it was goat feed. Anyway my Mother went to get something to clean up the rest of the goat feed, meanwhile I lead Madeline around to stop her eating any more goat feed, and then one little nip.

And I ended up with this stylish finger warmer, yep that’s right she wentt straight through my finger nail and took a bit off the side too. Oh well that is just what I get for not paying attention, I guess she did not want to be taken away from her goat feed. Madeline is all right despite the goat feed and I’m sure my finger will heal up, I love Madeline no less and I am sure she meant no harm or not a lot.

Thanks for your comments on my last post.

Abby yes I am schooling Madeline for my Mother so yes I was riding her, not sure if I will be able to ride with my finger how it is we will see.

Back to Work

Here is Niko just after work, I am having a great time working Niko at the moment as he is really trying he’s hardest for me. Back at one of the livery yards we used to keep our horses at Niko would always tank off with me when I asked him to canter, but now he is being calm and collected he’s even going on the bit for me while cantering.

Ah yes Madeline she is also trying really hard, but she is very easily distracted, still she is getting better and better at focusing on her work, she also does not spook as easily as Niko and when she does she is a lot easier to control.

Little Murphy has had his tail washed I think it looks very nice, now all I have to do is get the rest of him washed, I only washed he’s tail because we had not taken any towels to dry him with and I did not want him getting dirty again, so I blow dried his tail by working him.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Abby, yes well when she stepped on my foot she didn’t put a lot of pressure on, after I took the photo she put her full weight on, I had a hoof imprint on boot for the rest of the day.

Taking The Day Off

Ah time for a well earned day off, not for me for the horse of course, all the horses have had the day off. They all get their days off but normally I try to alternate, so Madeline has the day off while Niko works and vice versa, obviously there are days when they both work.

I really don’t know why but Madeline felt it necessary to spend her time licking me while I tried to take photos of her, pretty odd but sort of sweet, after licking my hands she had a go at my riding hat too, but she didn’t seem to like the hat.

And suddenly BAM! You never see it coming. I have to say a horse that big hurts when it steps on you, luckily just give any of our horse a little push on the shoulder and they quickly realize what they have done, and are happy to step off of your foot.

Here is Madeline and her best buddy Indie, Madeline likes all the really bossy mares and Indie is a bossy mare indeed, sadly this means that the yard owners think she is dangerous, she isn’t they are just being stupid.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post.

Sherri and Michelle, I think a neck strap it will have to be then, if I should try and take photos on horse back again.

Happy Hacking

Hacking can be a lot of fun, that said it can be a lot of trouble. I think it is normally trouble for me as Niko is not really a happy hacker, he will spook at the smallest thing such as wood pigeon, gardeners, or a magpie that he doesn’t like the look of, but when it comes to cars, tractors, and lorries he is good as gold which is just as well because all my hacking is road work.

Anyway the photos I have taken are pretty poor, I find it very hard to ride and use a camera at the same time. I did not take many photos as I was worried about dropping the camera, I should probably get a camera that has a neck strap if that is what it’s called so that if I let go of the camera it doesn’t mater.

Thanks for the comments on my last post, Abby, it is quite easy to do, I use Photoshop which when you get the hang of it it’s easy to use the basic stuff which is all I have done.

allhorsestuff, I am probably being quite stupid, but what does (makes waver) mean? Oh and you commented on my post “Muddy Horses”, you said about a pressure mark. The mark you saw is on Niko my gelding, he has two white freeze mark stripes on his withers, they were there when we bought him.

Horse Portraits

I have been trying some new stuff with my horse photos, these are not paintings they have just been edited on a computer, this one was the hardest as there are so many different shades.

Here is one of Pip it is a lot darker then the others but I think it looks quite good, and isn’t he sweet?

This one is just made to look old but doesn’t Niko look good? I took this when I pulled his mane.

And this one is a Suffolk Punch made too look like he has been painted by numbers, that is all I’ve got for now I might do some more,

Thanks for the comments on my last post, Sherri, I took a look at the blog you told me about thanks very much they are some great photographs.