Horse update: Dolly gives pony rides

[sand_piper]

My nieces and nephew came over with their grandparents to meet the horses.

Dolly gave them pony rides. First we just walked around near the pasture. Then we went down the road to the trail again. (There were no helmets involved because I only have one for my own head and it's way too big for their little heads... ugh.)

Comments

[penella22]

Yes, we had to break out the water heater too. It's that time of year!

Dolly looks like she's taking the job of Pony Ride Queen very seriously there and doing a good job. I know with Sage he's smart enough to know how little they are and how much he needs to take care of them.

You should measure Diamond lengthwise so you can shop for a cheap blanket for her online--I'm surprised she's shivering though that's not typical for a Curly. :/ Is she underweight or not used to such a cold climate?? Hmmm...

I know all horses are different...our thoroughbred certainly needed a blanket much of the time. But a Curly?? :/

Anyways, I got Sage's blanket on sale for $45! It's nice and sturdy too. Thea has the same one in fact. ;)

I'm having a lot of fun reading this book called "Go the Distance" about endurance riding with your horse. Lots of cool facts about horse's bodies and digestive systems etc. including how long it takes their hooves to harden in response to training over gravel roads (close to 2 years).

Farrier's verdict on Diamond's hooves

[sand_piper]

Diamond is 1/4 Thoroughbred, 1/4 Quarter horse, and 1/2 Curly.

She was a little underweight when we got her, and she just doesn't have a thick coat yet, either. She's putting weight on, but she could still use some more for the winter!

Wow, close to 2 years before their hooves harden in response to training over gravel?

$45 for a blanket! That sounds like a good price. I will try to measure Diamond later this evening.

Diamond is taller than Dolly but several hundred pounds less in weight (according to the measuring tapes).

The farrier came out today and we got Dolly's hooves trimmed. He looked at Diamond's, too, and was pleased to see a few callouses, but that her hooves are overall too small and we will have to make sure her hooves NEVER get too long because she will be very prone to navicular disease. :P

Re: Farrier's verdict on Diamond's hooves

[penella22]

If she's 1/4 TB and only 1/2 Curly, and a bit underweight, then I can see why she needs a blanket. Poor thing, she's got to grow some fur

Re: Farrier's verdict on Diamond's hooves

[sand_piper]

I measured her last night. I got that she needs a blanket approximately 60 - 64 inches from midchest to near tail.

She was shivering so badly last night (it was very windy out) that I ended up locking her in a stall and stuffing a bunch of hay in with her. She did much better then. :) It must not have been that "cold" because her water buckets didn't freeze over. But the windchill was making HER freezing cold.

Thanks for the links! I will look at them to compare prices today, because after work I'm going to go to a tack store (it's 1.2 hours drive from my house, but not too far from my workplace) and see if they have a nice blanket. But I'm sure it's WAY cheaper online! So if I find a good one online, maybe I should just buy that and keep her in the stall at night until it arrives.

[clwriter]

Oh my, what a challenge - frozen water!

You commented a blog I did a while back - yes, I LOVED my trip to Alaska last summer! I really want to come back again. I was there in July for 11 days. Now I want to come back sometime in September, since they tell me that it's a great time to view wildlife. And then I'll have to come again in the winter to see the northern lights... well, it's a big place! There's more than enough for frequent visits. :)