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

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

I imagine you are in bed now if you are aiming to be up for 5am.... Yikes! Hope you have a pleasant, cool, fly free ride in the morning.
Yes count me in for another lovely

today and Lauren and I have arrangements to go out again on Mon night, so we are on a roll! She is really coming on well with her riding and confidence and she is starting to think about how to stay in control and pre-empting Rebel's antics with lateral work to keep him focussed on her and what she is asking, but also allowing him his head and relaxing when he is more settled. We set ourselves little goals or obstacles when we are out hacking like backing the horses through the 90 degree fences at the old railway line barriers, where the walk way crosses a minor road etc and riding a square with the horse facing only in one direction, so you rein back, side pass right, walk forward and side pass left. It keeps the horses supple and responsive and makes us better at manoeuvring them. Our current challenge is getting them to remain in a slow jog on a very loose rein(buckle end).... on the way home. Since both lads are competitive and wind each other up, this challenge is going to take a bit of time to perfect!

The big news here is that Ian has bought another young horse! He is a 3 year old coloured trotter x and is already broken to ride and drive. We are going to pick him up Sunday morning but I have been through 3 times the past few days to see him, worm him and trim his feet, all of which he accepted without issue. He has had a nasty kick in the chest which split open the front of his "armpit" and is still a pretty huge wound a fortnight later, but it is on the mend and he looks to be sound. I will have to keep it clean and dressed and keep a close eye on it with these flies though. He is called Arthur which goes well with the other lads, so it is Archie, Ernie, Arthur and Zak and I am falling for him already although he has a long way to go before I want to take a photo of him... he is pretty small (about 14.3hh at the moment) and very lean and disgustingly filthy because he is currently stalled, but I think/hope he will grow and fill out and scrub up really well and he is clearly going to be a sweetheart. It sounds like he has had a tough start as he was bred by hawkers for road racing and then sold on when he wasn't fast enough. The dealer reckons those guys are pretty rough on their horses so he is very happy he is going to a home where he will be well cared for and loved. Ian bought both Ernie and Archie from him and he seems a really genuine guy and can't be making any money on the horse considering he has had vets bills and medication to pay for to treat this wound.

Sorry to hear you are dealing with red mites. I had an outbreak several weeks ago in my 3 coops at home and whilst it is much better, I'm seeing the odd one or two here and there so it looks like I will have to give them at least one more treatment.
Yes it is broody season!!!.... I think it is this hot dry weather encouraging them. Tasha started sitting just before I headed off to Tenerife but I waited until I got back to give her half a doz eggs.... just cross bred ones from my own flock, mostly marans and welsummer crosses. The day after I gave her them, my remaining leghorn cross that has been mounting half of the hens in the pen and my neighbour has christened Cruella, decided that she wants to be a Mama hen too, so she is co brooding with Tash in the favourite communal nest box and sharing Tasha's eggs! Having just broken one of my pekins of her broodiness, 2 more have now also gone broody and one of my welsummers is missing in action in the wilderness that is commonly referred to as my garden tonight, no doubt with a sneaky stash of fertile eggs...... I assumed they had eased off laying due to the hot dry weather but then I found one stash or 5 eggs and removed it. I hope I manage to find her before a fox does, but it will have to wait until daylight tomorrow as it was nearly dark when I got home to shut them in and realised I was one short.
Oh and with my usual luck it appears that 3 out of my 4 chicks are cockerels. Not sure the leghorns will make much other than broth but there should be a dinner in the buff Orp by the time he reaches adolescence. I suppose I should consider myself lucky I've got one leghorn pullet out of it. Tasha balances the odds and gives me more pullets than cockerels.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

Guess what? Yes, another

for me last night. Unfortunately it was a little more eventful than I would like as Rebel bucked Lauren off and she skinned her knee really badly. I didn't realise how bad until we got back and I got the horses First Aid kit out to clean her up. She had an inch square area of skin missing and a lot of dirt and grit still in the wound and a deeper hole in the centre of it. I cleaned it with Hibiscrub and put some Germolene and a dressing with vet wrap to hold it in place and she went to the walk in centre later and got it thoroughly irrigated and dressed again and they gave her antibiotics, but she is going to be very sore for a few days and it has knocked her confidence even though she got right back on and never let on that she was hurt. In the end I swapped her onto Rascal because I felt that Rebel needed some firm handling and Rasc was being good..... not often I can say that about Rasc! She was apprehensive about riding him because she knows what he can be like but I let her set the pace and keep it steady and she managed him well. Really disappointed in Rebel dropping her but probably my fault as we had maybe been pushing our luck a little. We will be restricted to walk and trot again for a while now!
Hope you are OK and not too busy. Harry's rug looks very snazzy and I love your little quail eggs. They are so pretty!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Well done you Barbara! So pleased to see you have got another flag out! Unfortunate that it had to be with drama though! Hope Lauren will be ok and that it hasn’t knocked her confidence too much. Good though that she was able to get back on board and she sounds a trooper with not letting on that she was hurt. Excellent nursing skills there with the vet wrap! Wonder what they thought when she went to the drop in centre with it

Me I’m still letting the side down on the riding front I was all set to go on Saturday but... I couldn’t get out the yard! The big heavy duty electric gate is broken at the moment. Because I was early no one else was there to open it by hand for me and close it after. Or to let me back in! No way could I manage it with two horse to control and we can’t leave it open as folk are in & robbing you! It’s hard enough to control & pull across on foot so sat on Harry with Bran at the side would be a no go. I really do need to kick myself up the backside though and get on!

Still no rain here My field is balding even more so goodness knows what is going to happen if we don’t get some soon. I’ve still got them in during the day just to try and save it as best I can. I’m about out of straw now too and the farmer hasn’t got his small bales in yet as they had only just starting cutting on Monday. Hope they get it soon or I might have to just go bag some up straight out the field!

Thanks on the rug It seems to be working well as it’s a much better fit. Poor old Harry had been eaten alive, thin thoroughbred skin was not helping with the biters that seem to have come out with a vengeance! Thinking of getting myself one as I seem to be a magnet at the moment. Folk must think I’ve got fleas or something as I go around scratching

Busy at the mo but not too bad as I knocked some days back on the deliveries. It’s totally stressful working for Hermes and I just thought to myself is it really worth the donkey work & stress! Weighing things up, no! Plus I’ve sold my van and got a Vitara. Apparently I can’t park it, Scott the cheeky bark sent me this pic the other day, even marking in red how far away I was!!! It’s war now with him on his faults with photo evidence!

I am thinking of jacking the delivery job in all together now and just concentrating on the business we already have. That’s quite busy at the mo so it’s keeping me on my toes and if I pushed on a bit more with it I won’t miss the delivery money. Pros & cons to it all but I just want a quiet life.

Think that’s about it for now, oh it’s still warm if not too hot some days! 29c on Sunday!! I considered sitting the car with the air con on!

Have a good day Barbara

 

[rebrascora]

Can't believe you still haven't had rain. We had a heavy downpour on Monday night which filled up all my empty water butts and meant that I had a day off from watering the garden yesterday but back to that duty today and scratching in the soil it is still bone dry an inch below the surface. Just enough for the horses to manage to get dirty though, especially as my field is like yours with bare patches and even where the grass is, it is getting very thin.
That is a shame about the gate stopping you from getting out to ride. Maybe you need a tie ring and mounting block outside the gate.
Lauren said the hospital staff were quite impressed with my first aid skills and particularly that I had washed it with Hibiscrub. If they had horses they would know that it is an essential part of a stable first aid kit with them being so prone to wounds. Talking of which, we are struggling to keep the flies off Arthur's wound. He is enjoying being out and the exercise is doing him good but he does like to have a good hooley every now and then which means that any wound salve or spray doesn't stay in place very long and is usually oozing down his leg. I'm not overly concerned as the wound itself is healing and he is fully sound and it is great to see him enjoying himself, because I very much doubt he has ever had so much freedom and grass. I think he may have been stalled for much of the last year at least. It is just a bad place to keep covered and is going to take time and attention to keep it clean and treated so that it can fully heal.

I think you do right to jack in the delivery job. I would guess that you can always go back to it if you need to, but you are working yourself to death with all your jobs and if your own business is doing well at the moment, it makes sense to build on that momentum. I bet you could do without having to muck out through the summer. Mine are in the stable nearly more in the summer than in the winter, but I have this every year because they come in out of the flies. I have failed to bottom my muck heap the past few years. I must get some spread on the land.

Think that is all my news. Hoping to ride out again Friday morning if Lauren is fit and game for it She is such a lovely young lady. I really have a lot of time for her.... she is sensible and kind and considerate and caring and she has really bloomed into a beauty these last couple of years although she seems very unaware of it. She has decided to do her last year of university locally instead of returning to Sheffield for it, so we might perhaps manage to do some riding during the winter this year. I am trying to psych myself up to riding out alone and maybe even riding and leading. It is just a worry with my lads being unpredictable and there is always the possibility they will kick each other being held in close proximity. Rascal asks for it because he will deliberately nip at Rebel as soon as he gets close enough. I can't blame Reb for getting chewed off after a while and popping him one. They get along fine in the field and share a stable no problem at all but as soon as we go out, Rascal has to try to wind him up. He is like a naughty child!

Don't let Scott wind you up about your parking or at least give as good as you get. Not sure why he is making such an issue of it. There is obviously plenty of room in that street so it's not like you needed to keep it tight. If he has enough time to point out such minor faults he is obviously not working as hard as you who doesn't have time to waste it parking perfectly! The Vitara looks very smart. How do you like it?

Must crack on now. Hope you get some rain soon but it will turn those paddock beaches into mud baths, you do realise that!

Lots of love

Barbara

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Shock horror Barbara, I’m getting a flag out!

Went at 6.30 this morning with my friend before she headed off to work. Nice and quiet ride with no traumatic events! I do love Harry as I’ve not ridden him for 3 weeks and he was just like not bothered. He is good for not being ridden and not being a lunatic when I do get on. Feel so much better now I’ve made the effort and got on. Early doors is the way to go! Will have to be next week with what is forecast! Mid 30’s
Gave him a good muck out too and the new barley straw has made a lovely bed but he started eating it! It’s gone up to £2 per small bale now from £1.20 which is a big jump.

How’s Arthur getting on? Hope you are managing to keep those flies away and that he is making some progress on healing.

All good fun with Scott and my parking He knows he will get some poop back in the end! But seen as how I managed to bump my last 2 vans I’m not surprised with his pic! I do have to let him out the office occasionally and if he wants to waste his time taking pics of my parking that’s his look out
The Vitarra is going well thanks. After having a van for nearly 10 years it’s pretty weird having a clean proper car!
It has back seats & a boot! The first time I went to the supermarket it was odd putting it in a boot I feel spoiled too as it has AC and even Bluetooth so my phone auto connects as soon as I get in. Never had such luxury!! Oh and I can fit my tack in the boot and a couple bags of feed.
It’s like a Tardis!

Still no rain here Things are getting desperate now and there does not seem to be any on the horizon soon. There was about 3 spits yesterday and that was it. The field looks terrible at the moment!

Bees Barbara bees! Think I have a nest under my straw pallet. Should I just leave them? Not sure if they are honey bees or bumble? I can hear them and it sounds a lot! There is a big one that looks like a bumble often flying about and if get straw from the pallet smaller ones come out but then go back in. If they are not harming anyone do you think they will be ok to just stay there?

Catch you soon

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

Congrats on the flag! Harry is so good. You are really lucky. Maybe when mine get another couple of years under their belts they will be better. Rascal is definitely improving although the fact that we don't really set them off for a hooley anymore helps keep him calmer. With my sister's help I have been working on calm and steady with him over the past couple of years and the fact that I was able to put Lauren on him the other day is testament to his improvement. Sadly Lauren wasn't up for riding yesterday. Her leg is still very stiff and sore and the antibiotics are making her feel yuk. Pretty bad timing as her birthday is on Tues, but I think she may just be finished them and hopefully be able to celebrate, although she is not one for going silly with drink. Unfortunately I've aggravated my knee again, just when it was getting better, so I will need to give it a few days to settle down, before I get back in the saddle anyway.

Yes I believe straw and hay may be in short supply next year. I get large bales for both and it is so much cheaper than small. There are benefits and drawbacks. I used to pay £2 a bale for hay (10+ years ago) and have to go and seek it and store it and I would go through 2 bales a day for 5 horses, so that is £28 for a week. Large bale of haylage at the time cost me £20 and lasted me 10 days and were delivered when I wanted one and could be stored outside under a tarp. I'm not sure of the current price of small bales of hay but I would imagine at least £3.50 a shot, so that would be £49 a week if I was still feeding 5 and I am only paying £25 for a large bale. Even if that goes up to £30 or £35 I am still well into pocket. Straw I pay £20 now but they are huge 5 ft bales. The downside is that small bales are easier to handle, but I have a system with my large bales now that works pretty well, stripping off and bagging up each day's requirements and then recovering the bale.... I don't feed ad lib.... I dread to think what they would go through and look like if I did.
I often feed mine barley straw and have always wondered why people get so concerned about their horses eating it. The times I have had colic issues have been with grass or occasionally new hay but never straw.

Arthur is loving having his freedom and always pleased to see us even though we only go to treat his wound twice a day which he is not overly keen on.... I'm a firm believer in bribery when it comes to that sort of thing, or perhaps I should say, rewarding good behaviour. I think it is important to make it as positive an experience as possible, so he gets a mint or two or nuggets when he stands nicely and lets me clean and dress his wound. Some days it looks a lot better and seems to have a nice firm scab on it and other days it looks scarily large and open and wet. I don't know if perhaps when he is hooleying in the field or rolling on those days and he is pulling it open. I'm not overly concerned about infection at the moment because it is getting cleaned every other day with Hibiscrub and greased up with pink ointment and or antibiotic spray in between but I would like to see more progress with the healing process.
He is already showing signs of putting some muscle on his back end because there is good grass in the field and the exercise is obviously helping with that. He really needs to put some beef on as he was very lean and we want him to grow and make up as much as possible for the poor start he had, so it is rewarding to see it happening so quickly, even if he still has a long way to go. I think worming has probably helped with that too. There were quite a lot of both red worms and acsarids that came out. He is not bothering the sheep he is in with which is a relief (Zak is terrible for chasing sheep) and he is coping very well with being on his own as regards equine company. He is already getting spoilt by the people who live next to the field, which I don't mind too much as it keeps him people friendly.

As regards your bees, they will be bumble bees and if you can possibly leave them alone, the nest will be abandoned in the autumn. Disturbing them now will not only kill them but future generations as they produce new young queens at this time of year that go off to hibernate and they found the new colonies next year. They are unlikely to return to the same site next year. They are probably at their peak of activity right now, so if you can manage to work around them that would be great. Empty mouse nests are their favourite place for making a nest, so farms and stables are prime real estate sites for them.

Think that is all my news. So pleased you are enjoying your new car. It sounds ideal for your needs and with some luxuries too.... wow air con! I'm still pretty enamoured just with electric windows!! I wish the radio/cassette player worked though.... I will probably move into the 21st century eventually. Maybe by the time I am 90!

Think that is all my news. We are taking Zak up to the Border Union Show in Kelso next weekend to compete in the driving. I am nervous about it already as it is a big step up from the local shows we did last year and it is a full day away, with everything to do with my own animals before we set off and when we get back, so I will be shattered and then there is a club drive on the Sunday, so that will be another day that I get 0 done. Ian has entered into several classes including the cone driving, which he has never done before so he is off out to buy some plastic planters from the Pound shop to use as practice cones. He was trying to encourage me to enter the long reining class but I have no idea what it would involve and the anxiety of it would unfortunately cause me too much stress. I wish I didn't get so uptight about such things... Arrghh!

Think that is all my news. Hope you have a lovely weekend with maybe another flag tomorrow??

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I’ve had enough today and so has H & Bran! And my birds, dogs and cat! It’s just too hot! When is it going to end or even let up for a while Might be a shower tomorrow and I highlight the word might! Weather app is changing by the minute This is just not normal for the UK!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@Pork Pie Ken Are you still over here Chris?

 

[Pork Pie]

@Pork Pie Ken Are you still over here Chris?

Indeed I am and sweating like a trooper

ETA - I’m not sure Yorkies, for starters this evening helped matters

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Crikey Chris they are bit heavy for such a hot day!
Bet you didn’t have raspberry vinegar with them