We’re so lucky at our livery not only to have separate winter and summer turnout but also ‘relief’ turnout to give our own paddocks a break when the grass is running low. It’s such a good system and one that I thoroughly appreciate, the owner of our livery keeps numbers down, when really they could double the amount of horses and limit the grazing, like many other places do, but I love the fact that happy horses come before making money.
I love doing the little bits of work in the field, making sure the hedges are kept back, cleaning the troughs, just generally making sure whichever field I pop my horses is we’ve done our best to make it safe and comfortable. It’s always so nice watching them enjoy some fresh grass, although Qantas is getting a bit on the chubby side so we’ve altered his feed to compensate. If we ever change feed type, rates etc then we do it slowly over a number of days. I also change the amount i feed depending on the workload that day. So they have a baseline feed amount and then they have moderate and hard work feed amounts.
Dan’s riding is really coming along and it is so nice to be able to go on quiet hacks with him. I’m not sure what he’ll think of open trotting and cantering, and I’m not sure Tissy is the best pony to show him the ropes, she has two gears…..slow walk and fast everything else. Due to her size and exuberance she’s also quite a bumpy ride compared to a smoother moving larger horse. Nevertheless I can’t wait for the day we can go for a hack in the mountains of my home in Wales, canter through the forests and enjoy the ride!
Beth Endurance 