Tomorrow sees the arrival of a new pony that will be staying with me forever, bringing me up to a grand total of ten equines. Three riding horses (one on permanent loan), four ponies living on the Forest, a couple of ornaments and one to make a decision about - is he going to be an in, or an out? More details about him tomorrow once he is home.
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| The grass is always greener: the eternal optimists |
With the Opening Meet of the New Forest hunt on tomorrow I had to make some short term decisions - to turn the Forest ponies out that I'd brought in to avoid the next drift, and to move the riding horses/ornamental horses into the downhill fields - so that they don't gallop around and completely wreck their fields as seems to happen all too often when the hunt are around. Hopefully new pony will settle in the side paddock which is set back off the Forest too.
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| Very short grass in here but no-one is thin |
In the long term I have now got a couple of bits of land to use on a temporary basis in addition to the fields I rent, as I need to bring Nelly in for the winter along with Juma if I am going to keep him with her for as long as possible. If I work this right I may never have to wean him at all. He is going to need some gentle handling in the next few months so that he is ready when he needs to be microchipped, gelded, and branded.
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| Don't be fooled by the round tummy, her neck and hindquarters are losing weight. |
However, looking after Nelly and Juma does mean that I have to 'wean' both of them from their normal herd and take them away from their area so that the two Blues and Nanny don't just hang around outside getting thin. My Blue does not need to come in for the winter and the other Blue and Nanny are not mine to make decisions about.
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| It's all about the boy? |
While I am tidying up the field I play different scenarios over in my mind to decide who needs to go where and with whom. It might seem ridiculous trying to cater for all of their emotional needs but I get so much pleasure out of seeing them all together, interacting as a family, and I am sure that this has provided a solid upbringing for Juma.
