Did someone say "Hay"?

We're coming....

Cherry and Liz got their first hay of the winter today.  Love the silver highlights on Cherry!!!

Oh my god its cold!!!!!

Not really complaining but it really is cold here today, that is preferable to last winter where is was mild, wet and seriously grotty, at least this feels "clean."

All the retired horses are still out in the back field thanks to Andrew providing us with fabulous haylage this year and Chris lending us his tractor once a week to pop two bales out (the back field is beyond Layla the Leyland - she's a yard tractor!!!) 

All the old boys have rugs on now but unfortunately Hectors resembled a Tutu - and a squint one at that.  So quick splash out on Ebay and Hector is a much happier horse, cosy from his ears to his tail and just so his colour!!!  

Mule and Ellie are unrugged, mule to try and slim her down for the spring (Mule wonders of the ethics of this!!) and Ellie because the mare is just thriving... she's due in May - can we see a bump yet?

mule silliness

mule silliness 2

looking in foal?

Foals with the silliness...

foals hooning!

foals hooning part 2

Emails.....

I've managed to get suspended from runhorse again.  Did I learn from the last time it did this and back everything up?  No.  Did I change email providers?  No.  Am I up shit creek without a paddle?  Yes.

Hope it gets back in working order soon but if anyone has emailed me and not had an answer I am not deliberately ignoring you!!!!!

Necessity is the mother of invention!!!

Well for various reasons we haven't had the foals advertised (mostly paperwork, lesson learnt, be much more on the ball next year!!) and we decided with the credit crunch and the truly horrible weather we have had this year we would keep all the spotty foals over the winter (Monty having already moved to Perthshire!) and sell them ready to show in the spring.

So this raised various problems and questions - the big one being "shit where do we put the fur balls?"  So we stripped out the walker and sold it on Ebay, amazingly for a large profit.  Into the walkers' external cage went two bales of straw, one round bale of haylage, a large tub of water and a mineral lick.  Quickly transforming it from walker to "foal hole" of the 5* and quite perfect variety.  The foals weaned with no trouble at all and are so happy and settled in their new abode.  They are very low maintenance, cheap to keep and well, just damn cute!

Happiness is a good snooze on an afternoon....

Stela has Marco well under her hoof!

Blue skies and bunnies....

Blue sky, Blue sky, Blue sky, how exciting is that?!!!!! 

Mini tuf showing she is on holiday, shoes off and kicking back!

Running total on the rabbits...

Bunnies - Nil.

Mark - One.

All done!!!

Foals all weaned and safely installed in the "foal hole" (formally known as "the horse walker!!!") Touch wood everything went smoothly and the only slight nervous breakdown was from Nico who thought the Child Support Agency had caught up with him!!! Not the best of shots, more to follow soon when they are all brushed and tidy!