Author Topic: Start of The winter. (Read 4027 times)

sabrina · « **on:** October 10, 2013, 11:02:51 am »

Weather yesterday was terrible with strong winds and rain that the ponies came inside which for me is now the start to the winter. Lots of mucking out etc. The 3 boys will be out but have a field shelter that I have bedded now so at least they have somewhere dry to lie down but again this will need mucking out. Although it has been a great summer for hay I was told to expect to pay £25 per round bale so lucky I still have last years. I was thinking of giving Toto haylage. Being young he would be fine with it and means I can keep the hay for the Shetlands. We put rubber mats in the stables last winter which does make things easier but nothing can be done about facing cold winds, snow and rain first thing in the morning. fingers crossed we get an early Spring. I did not go to the Shetland Pony sale at Thainstone on Monday and heard that colt foals were given away to save owner taking them home. heart breaking. Wish breeders would keep and geld them because there is a market for ridden Shetlands. This was the first time the sales at Thainstone and lerwick were done with I-bidder which seem to get quite a good result. In Lerwick more than the Aberdeen sale. Looks like the way to go for the future. Might be an idea for the Welsh Pony Society to look at as well.

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2013, 11:18:48 am »

That's right 2 very nice folds went for 10 pounds cost of feed bad time .problem wrong kind of persons get these cheap deals.

mowhaugh · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2013, 05:48:18 pm »

Do you have prices from the Lerwick and Thainstone sales? There were four ponies I really liked, would love to know how they got on! Also getting ready for winter here, but that means less work - all turned away, with just two in for handling.

sabrina · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2013, 07:18:55 pm »

Don't have the sale prices but they should appear on the Thainston web site.

mowhaugh · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2013, 08:25:42 pm »

Thanks, I keep looking, but they seem rather slow - the sheep and cattle ones go on at the end of each day, shame the pony one's don't.

ellied · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2013, 09:46:26 am »

Mine live out all year but I've had to start feeding a hay/straw mix several weeks ago. It didn't feel like winter until the last day or so when heavy rain started and the temps dropped so far I'm sitting chilled in the house and actually welcome the bag filling/dragging as a way of getting warm!

But we're starting to get mud now and once it's mud I find the bags get harder to lift and tip into the ringfeeders so I have to stand mid-herd and decant the top half without getting pushed.. Usually I give up and feed bales ad lib before long but that costs more and makes more mud with a tractor going across making ruts.. so I will keep going as long as I can bear it!

£25 a bale is pretty good, less than I paid this week to put 46 in my barn and I will have to get the oat straw weekly which I'm being quoted £18 for instead of £16 it was as bulk delivery but if I don't have a tractor coming weekly then I have to push bales off triple stacks and across fields myself which just isn't an option!

sabrina · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2013, 08:24:25 pm »

I don't have enough land to leave mine out over the winter. I like to rest two paddocks over the winter so that I have them ready for the spring. Although its a lot of mucking out with 9 ponies its a lot easier than struggling through mud with hay. the boys get mucked out with the tractor at weekends so I just pick up their droppings through the week. With rubber mats in the stables it does help quite a bit. Also I find I do not need to feed so much as being inside they are not having to cope with the weather.