Harry horse & Charlie adventures! Horse chat & much more! Everyone welcome!

[Yorkshire Coop]

Oh.. bad boy! He's not tired enough to behave well.
Maybe Santa will bring you a hot walker this year... give that boy a work out!

It seemed not Wishing! We have a walker at the farm that we can use but knowing my luck he would bust it and I would be left with the repair bill! I’m more that sure with him being an ex racer he’s been on one but with my luck....
One of the other liveries horse’s has already been banned from it as he just stands there and lets the dividers in it go straight over him! They are not light either, metal and heavy rubber matting on the bottom... like this one

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

It’s a hard life......

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, I wouldn't mind coming back as a dog as long as it was in a loving home like yours!

Afraid I've had an eventful/stressful few days. Need to cut my tongue out regarding MeMe. She came in hopping lame again after I sent that last text, so they were all confined to barracks again and the haylage I got from the cattle shed at the farm wasn't best quality. Sunday morning was a rush to get everything done with my ggs and chickens before we needed to hit the road, so I just threw haylage in the stable and left them to it. Beach trip went well and we even got Zak trotting along through the water with us in the cart (mental note to Ian to get some mudguards!!) It was just a few inches deep and the waves were just gently lapping up the beach. He wasn't sure about it at first and he didn't like the sound of the bigger breakers but he did a lot better than my ggs the first and second time they saw the waves and would not go anywhere near them. The beach was soooo wide though and there was loads of space and it was cool but not cold, so perfect for the horses and we did about 8 miles from one end to the other and back. Zak pulled like stink the whole time and Ian's arms must have been 2 inches longer by the time we got back to the trailer. He offered for me to drive but I'm pleased I declined even if I was a critical "back seat" driver. I never made any attempt to snatch the reins though
The sun got out as we got back to the trailer, so Zak got a wash down and happily stood tied to the back of the trailer munching his haynet whilst we enjoyed fish and chips. I was shattered by the time we got home.... combination of stress, sea air and painkillers, so threw some more haylage at my ggs and headed off to bed. Was up very early yesterday and got to the stables at 5am to find Rascal sick. Head down, not interested in food..... he loves his food so it's a sure indication that he is dying when he won't eat. Very quiet bowel. It is almost exactly 2 years since I nearly lost Rebel and nearly a year since I lost Rainy, so I didn't waste any time ringing the vet. She was straight out and did full exam and couldn't find any obvious colic but he clearly was very unwell. Did sedative, pain killer and anti spasmodic and tubed him a bucketful of electrolytes and left me to walk/trot him out to try to stimulate his system. We did a couple of miles and when we got back his whole backend was shaking and twitching..... I started thinking ragwort or sycamore poisoning and was back on the phone to the vet and then my sister who kindly agreed to bring her trailer over so that we could take him to the veterinary clinic if necessary. Thankfully by the time she arrived he had stopped shaking and was looking a bit less sick, so we took him for another walk with MeMe who thankfully has come back sound again and he showed a little bit of interest in nibbling the verges whilst we were out. Vet said that was OK and to also give him sloppy molassed feeds. We spent the whole day walking and trying to tempt him to eat and by 7pm I was sufficiently confident to leave him and grab a few hrs kip before heading back up to the stables. Pleased to report that he is pretty much back to being his ebullient self today, but I found a poop in the yard with quite obvious and unusual stringy mucous type material in it which doesn't look like obvious worms but is definitely not right.... not sure if horses can shed intestinal lining like chickens or if it could be worms.... I just got his worm count back yesterday and there was no trace and I had him tested for tapes last Oct and he was negative. The only other option which might fit is lung worm because he has been coughing quite a bit recently and the vet had great difficulty getting the tube into his oesophagus and it kept entering his trachea and making him cough.... and this morning I find a poop with these stringy bits in it..... and I used to have a donkey that lived with them and donkeys can harbour lung worm and a faecal float would not show lung worm..... so I'm following that possibility up with my vet and Westgate Labs. Apparently it is very unusual for horses to host adult lung worm but not impossible. At least it is relatively easy to treat with ivermectin but of course, with having low/no trace worm egg counts I have not been using wormers much in recent years and haven't used Ivermectin for years. Apparently the lab can do a test for lung worm for £15. Not sure whether to go for that before I give him some Ivermectin, so that at least I have it confirmed that was the problem, or if it was the poor haylage and the stringy stuff is as a result of the tubing.

And to top it off, Reb managed to pull a shoe over the weekend on the bankside somewhere (doubt I will ever find it) and my Freelander failed it's MOT today and needs some welding. I still wouldn't swap you for your Keeper's vets bill though!

Would be happy for a bit of plain sailing at some point soon!

 

[TwoCrows]

It’s a hard life......

View attachment 1388857

What a cutie pie!!

 

[BreezyBre]

Lovely pictures I have a a couple of quirky ones myself lol they are the best ones !

 

[ShrekDawg]

It’s a hard life......

View attachment 1388857

Lol awww adorable

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Well what a poopy couple of days
First I candled the goose eggs and only 1/9 is developing. Very disappointed to say the least and I’m going to have to try find it a friend if it does hatch.

Then today I found 2 of the quail dead A blasted rat had got them and chewed their heads off. It had dug a big hole under the side of the run from the decking that it’s up against. When Scott made the run he made a trench and he bashed the wood right down in to the ground well below the decking level so as to stop anything digging but obviously it was not far enough. Had to make some changes today but how many feet can you realistically dig down to stop rats??? The rat hole was straight down! Have baited under the decking and also put down some cheese with those sedative tablets for the dog in it! I hope it or more likely they eat that and permanently zonk out! I’m so mad with myself!

On a better note I have got 3 quail eggs in the last 3 days but knowing my luck those 2 dead ones will have been females!

@rebrascora
Hi Barbara! I almost dare not ask if the beasties are all ok?
What a stressful time for you with them. I do hope things are a bit more plain sailing right now

Did you decide worm anyway or get the test done? Stomach’s & intestine’s sure are a nightmare when they hit a blip!

Was the MOT failure a big one? My engine fault light keeps coming on in the van but I’m loathed to take it in to the garage as the warranty has just run out. It’s only a 64 plate so will more than likely be something computer/major knowing my luck! It does do a lot of stopping & starting when I’m delivering so that might be a factor

Good to hear Zak enjoyed the beach! Sounds like that was a good option not to take the reins if he was pulling! I bet if you had Ian would not have been trying to snatch them back from you

 

[TwoCrows]

Sorry about your quail Kim. Quail are one of those creatures that any predator can smell for miles off. Seriously. EVERYTHING eats quail. If you have access to railroad ties...what I do when building quail avaries is dig a wide deep trench all around the perimeter. Set one railroad tie in this trench even to the ground and then another tie on top of the sunken tie. They are secured together and then the pen/aviary is built on top on the top tie and attatched. The trench is completely filled in, you can even use cement. Pack it heavily. If you have access to rocks, boulders, even gravel or pea stone, then a heavy layer all around the ties.

Predators use their sense of smell, sensing air movement even through dirt to see if its feasible to start digging. They dont waste their time and energy randomly digging. So by digging down 12 inches, burying some sort of lumber or ties, packing in dirt and then covering that with stone, there wont be moving air from underneath and they wont dig.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

So sorry to hear about your goose eggs and losing the quail to rats. It really makes me shudder to think of them being eaten alive. I lost some ducklings like that to rats many years ago. It is horrific.
Pleased to report that I still have 4 ggs. Rascal is still not quite right but he is eating and enjoying all the TLC that is currently directed towards him. I got his poop sample after 2 days of chasing his bot for "outfall" and then wormed him afterwards with Ivermectin in case it has been lung worm. I really want to know his roundworm/red worm status in case that has been the issue, but he has always had low readings so I doubt it. I rang the lady at Westgate Labs and she was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. The general consensus from the vet and Westgate Labs and myself is that the stringy mucous stuff was shed intestinal lining perhaps as a result of an impaction. Apparently, lungworm are not thought to be able to complete their life cycle in a horse, so there will be no eggs in the horse's poop and you have to test the donkey that lives with them to see if it is harbouring them. Since my donkey has been dead for about 10 years, it is highly unlikely that Rascal could have lung worm. I am hoping to have his result back tomorrow.... I buy prepaid sampling kits for the year, so it made sense to send it off anyway before I administered the ivermectin.
My wonderful farrier came yesterday and put a shoe back on Rebel and had another look at MeMe's hoof because she was hopping lame again and had a bit more dig and this time it erupted . I'm back to hot poulticing but feeling more confident that we have cracked it this time. Again, he would not accept any payment so I sent him off with half a dozen eggs.....he is my hero!

Ian let me drive Zak out last night. We were checking a new route that we are going to do on Sunday when we host a meet of the driving club. There were a couple of off road bits that were a bit hairy as rain water had washed great ruts into the track and we have reluctantly decided to bypass them because there is a risk of a cart getting tipped over but the rest of the route will be a pleasant change for many people as it is quiet country lanes and private estate drives. Zak was obviously feeling a bit stiff and sore from his trip to the beach the other day because he was light as a feather for me to drive, even coming home!

Is your van diesel? Engine warning light can sometimes be something as simple as a fuel filter change (diesel engines like to have the filter changed quite often), which you could do yourself and they are just a few £s to buy. Mine failed on rotten sills but there is a local man who is very good at welding who will fix it next week. He had just done the same repair on another Freelander the day before I went to see him, so he should be well practiced. At 20 years old, I'm actually very relieved that it just failed on that as it should not be expensive to fix.

I was going to say that is all my news, but I suppose I should confess to having set 10 hatching eggs under a broody. I went to Durham hens and got 6 Exchequer Leghorns, 2 RIR and 2 Buff Orps. I have a Light Sussex setting them. She has been wanting to be a broody mother for so many years, both with my neighbour and then with me the past 2 years, so I have finally relented. I set them last Sat night. Hoping I have more success than you did with your hatching eggs from them, but at least I was able to go and collect them so no postal scrambling and fertility should be at it's height at this time of year. Not sure if I will candle them or just let nature run it's course.

Anyway, I am off up to the stables now for a final check on ggs before bed. Hope you have a lovely weekend..... the weather is set to be glorious!

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[alexa009]

Is Harry a thoroughbred? He is BEAUTIFUL!!