Grass dramas
Remi looked amazing on the lunge on Thursday night. However,
he was increasingly footy to hack Friday and Saturday.
Early Saturday morning, I hacked Rem and drove to collect pole
basher and horse hay hutch. Just as well I did – see later!
hay hutch
I lunged and did raised poles Saturday afternoon (trying to do my homework) and he was
quite stiff, and whilst he improved, never looked as good as Thursday.
I was thinking the issue was the rain, the soft ground in field –
soft feet / sore frogs / thrush in his deep heel cracks / frog cracks etc.
Nic and others pointed out Saturday night, that we had had sunshine and
warm, and rain repeatedly and the grass was growing madly. My husband also
pointed out that our home lawn had grown massively. Hmmm thinks Pip.
Sunday morning, up early and Remi still footy and has a
faint heel pulse (worst in wonkiest foot). Faint but discernible. Nice other
livery (who had an EMS horse) shows me how to feel pulse and informs me that
even a very faint pulse is a sign of problems. Just as well she told me, I
would have thought a faint pulse is a sign of being alive! Yard owner gives me
permission to build an electric paddock in winter field.
I hacked Remi carefully, he was a bit footy on stones but okay on soft,
and I think movement helpful.
I left Remi in stable with haylage (til 6pm). Scramble emergency plans build
electric paddock. I fortunately picked up some posts and loads of second hand tape up from Chobham last weekend, bought from Ebay.
Rachel came to my rescue, and we spent the day, buying supplies, finding fence posts, and building fencing.
We paddocked across top of winter field finishing near water trough (so can tip buckets from it). I can also drive to top of field to bring hay and feed (no exit but can climb fence here).
I have only given them access initially to half the paddock
(dividing fence).
I have sorted tyres for feed buckets to sit in (minus the handles). So I can leave feeds with minerals added in field all day for them to slowly eat.
We set up my "new" horse hay
hutch with adlib hay for two to stay dry and out of reach for soiling on it.
We sorted two dustbins for water.
I bought a big leisure battery, and a fence tester.
Mac's ex-owner had kindly given me the energiser a while back.
We used fence tester and were thrilled when all of our fence showed to be live and working
A massively productive day, hugely grateful for Rachel’s help, and motivation. We achieved a lot in one day!
We also did most of the posts in the summer field (as other paddock needs to be up, so other horses can start eating it down for me once they are allowed in summer field).
Remi's pulses were down by time turned out at 6pm. But he did have faint pulse this morning when hacked. Very faint, and he was willing to hack, but still quite
footy. I am monitoring and crossing fingers. Hopefully will both horses will soon finish
grass in hill top paddock, and mostly be eating haylage, and larger feeds. I can
now leave feeds in field for them to pick over all day.
Remi seems happy with the paddock. Mac likes the haylage supply but
is less convinced by paddock. Fingers crossed we caught Remi's grass sugar sensitivity early and this setup will work. I lose my borrowed stable some point this week, and I worry that Remi seems to stops drinking when stabled. And I don’t really want Remi stabled. But we will have to see how he does over next few days
PS I have killed my I-Phone by leaving it in Mac's feed bucket (of soaked feed) so no current pictures of new set up.
