Expect More Of The Same...

Well as much as July was a write off, August has been wetter yet. :-(

This is the state of my yards...

and this is the driest spot outside them! The yards themselves aren't quite so bad but OMG! just try getting to them!

So, it's just been the same, the boys have remained turned out in the paddock & get fed every night. They both politely queue at the gate at 5.30pm & they both call out excitedly as soon as they see me coming with their dinner. I stand, holding Whorl's bowl for him while Mojo sidles up to his own bowl & snatches mouthfuls of his feed, the whole time, hoping I'll ignore him.

Mojo has fallen in love with the only females on the property, Chloe, Frankie-Lynn & Moon (my sheep) & spends much of his time kissing them over the fence. Whorl doesn't like to be left out so all five of them do relays up & down the fenceline, taking turns to greet & 'kiss' each other. When they get bored with this, all five of them lay down for a nap. They've become GREAT friends!

Here they are today; the ONLY sunny day we've had in AGES! We only had one shower of rain. Hehehe. It was still wintery cold though in the wind. These five certainly know how to make the most of the sun!

As I got closer, I wondered how long it would be before they got up. I didn't think they'd be comfortable staying on the ground with me approaching with the camera in hand.

Oh...so this close is fine then...

Yes, I AM coming closer...try not to look ssooo scared you two! *cough, cough*

Oh yes of course, I COMPLETELY understand that an itchy fetlock is of WAY more importance than a predator approaching.

Good on you Whorl! Any self respecting 'wild' horse should be on high alert at all times & ready to flee to safety at a moment's notice. Just give him time to rub his eyes & haul his ample caboose out of bed, eh Mojo!

Crikey! All that yawning going on...there's high stress here today!

I'm sure the only real reason they bothered to get up was because Chloe came bounding over, bellowing at me in the hope of cuddles & sheep nuts. (Not necessarily in that order.)

The husband had a wee niggle the other day about me not doing anything with these two. He promptly changed his tune after wading through the quagmire that is the yards, to give Whorl his feed on his way hunting. I wish I'd had the camera then! Picture a guy in camo with a gun slung on his back, feeding a wild pony. Whorl REALLY doesn't care 'who' is attached to his bucket as long as it has food in it!

So meantime, while the weather has been hideous & I've been hibernating, I've had a breakthrough in treating my TB horse, Manny. His symptoms all fit those of a 'grass affected' horse according to Jenny Paterson of Calm, Healthy Horses so we're embarking on her diet regime in an effort to reduce his pain & improve his quality of life.

While going through the Healthy Horse Checklist, I noticed that some of my other horses also display symptoms of being 'grass affected', particularly my Kaimanawas! Everything about them screams 'insulin resistance' going by the symptoms for such on this list. It has certainly given me food for thought anyway! I urge all of you with Kaimanawa horses to have a thorough read of Jenny's website. I have also started another blog for me to document Manny's progress through his lifestyle change. Hopefully, this will help me identify times when he is most affected so I can be proactive in managing his condition. Feel free to peek at Manny's Diary to see how he's doing while you wait for my yards to dry out a little. ;-)

Don't forget too that Mojo & Whorl are both available by tender NOW! If you would like a Tender form for either of them, please email me. We've had a few enquiries already so hopefully, we'll find the PERFECT homes for these boys!

KWHWT Inc. also has these wee lovelies looking for homes...

See the website for more details if you'd like to adopt one of these young mares. They have been handled & are ready to go.

'The Ranger' is another older stallion like Mojo, who will be ready for adoption at a later date. If you're interested in offering 'The Ranger' a home, please either contact me or email Marilyn Jenks via the KWHWT website (link above).