Above is the road the field is on. I immediately decided to head to the Farm Shop to purchase a bale of hay and some emergency carrots. Luckily I currently have winter tyres on my car so I was able to quite easily get to the farm shop and back. The farm shop sells a variety of fruit and veg as well as hay, straw and horse feeds. It's only five minutes drive away so it is very handy to have, especially in emergencies! Once back at the field I shouted for the ponies. They were down at the bottom of the field instead of up at the top near the shelter!!! Common sense is not something our steeds seem to possess!!
Once I had shouted them they soon came up pretty quickly and headed straight for the hay and carrots I had placed out for them. I put three piles of hay out; one for Fella, one for Star and one for the miniatures to share. I also put a net up on the outside of the stable block. On top of each pile of hay I placed some carrots also. Fella was first to the hay. Being head of herd this was expected.
He was closely followed by Star and Betty, then Barbara. Barbara is always last bless her. It doesn't help she is the smallest, but it's almost as if she is still figuring things out. Sometimes we wonder if she even knows she is a pony! Betty on the other hand is the complete opposite. She is everywhere and into everything, and has absolutely no concept of personal space. She regularly gets shooed away by Star and Fella, and occasionally even Barbara!!
Once the ponies were fed my next task was to crack the ice on the water trough. Next followed a rug change for Fella to a thicker one, as after all he is a Thoroughbred and lets face it they were not designed for English winters! Once Fella was sorted I removed Star's fly rug. After they had finished off all the carrots and had a taste of hay the herd decided it was time to retreat away from the shelter and back to the bottom of the field. I left the field feeling satisfied the herd would be fine until Helen visited them again in the afternoon after she had finished work. Believe it or not by the time Helen did arrive at the field the weather had made a sudden improvement and all the snow had literally disappeared!!!
It was as if it was winter in the morning and then back to Autumn in the afternoon. I wonder if this is a sign of a harsh winter to come.........The next day Helen and I were both off work so we headed out for a nice afternoon hack. It was very cold but there was no wind and the sun was out, so it made for a very pleasant ride out. Once we returned we discovered the reason behind the herd's eagerness to return to the bottom of the field. It seems the herd from the field next door has returned from their summer away.
Our ponies, particularly Fella absolutely love to have 'Ned Natter' over the fence with them. It's quite nice actually to know they have company again over the winter. There are also a couple of new foals that have returned which are very cute to look at and a welcome distraction for Helen and I from the poo picking!
That was very forward thinking to have your winter tyres on so early. :)
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