After some gorgeous spring weather.....last week we had some April showers around here! Every morning when I wake up I look outside and see what the weather is doing and what my horses are doing. It is a secure feeling for me to see them both safely in their pasture.
On a particularly miserable cold and rainy morning (in fact, there was snow in the higher hill elevations just above us) I saw both my ponies snug inside their turnout shed. It is nice to know they DO use this from time to time, instead of standing in the rain tails to the wind like they typically do!
Here is the shot I saw out of our kitchen a few days ago.....my two ponies taking an early morning nap- rump to rump! Luna loves her naps and will lay flat out quite often. My Boy tends to be more "on guard" and rarely lies flat out, he'll typically just rest his head on his chin and close his eyes, as you see below.
Can you see how much Luna is roaning out? Right now she's really white/gray with red spots, almost Appy-like! This photo was taking during the week of spring-like weather, as you can tell by how dry the ground is!
Do most of you feed your horses on the ground? I do, it seems the most natural to "grazing." I usually make at least 3 piles of their flakes so they can wander around as they eat. I get a kick out of watching them move to each pile checking and see if one happens to be better than the other. What I hate about wet weather is it feels like such a waste to throw the hay on the ground as so much becomes muddy or trampled. Have you ever heard of a slow-grazer grazing box feeder? I saw the man who makes them at an equine event and thought it was a brilliant concept. Maybe some day I will invest in one or have Ranch Boy make me something like it. For two horses, it seems very doable and would also help them eat slower through-out the day which is also more natural. Somehow though, I feel like my crafty Mustang would find a way to get the screen out of there. Or, if she couldn't do that, she'd bang her hooves and legs on the box like she does on the water trough because she's trying to play in it (or just hungry or bored.)
Have a great rest of the week!!
Ranch Girl
10 comments:
I use slow feeder nets. We have big ones that go over the round bales, smaller ones that you can fit a whole square bale into and even smaller ones that you just put a few flakes in.
The two smaller ones I just tie securely and toss on the ground. They move them around as they pull their hay out and it really does help mimic grazing, slows down how fast they eat their hay and they also waste less :)
I have never used them, but most of the time my ponies are on grass or on a round bale, and so they eat whenever they want, seems to work well here so far. I love that you can see ponies out the window, I can only in the winter, in the summer the trees block the view unless they are real far away I can see them overtop.
I feed hay cubes simply because it is a waste of money to feed hay in Wyoming. It all blows away before they can eat it. Also even if you put it in something, it blows around so much they end up eating it off the ground which is nothing but sand, so they are at a high risk for sand colic.
With the haycubes I dump them into a big rubber feeder, on the ground, so that they are in a grazing position. Sometimes they do dump them, but the cubes are easier to pick up than little flakes so they still get less sand.
Excited to see pics of the new addition soon! As for the hay , have you seen Eco nets? they are a great alternative , these are made locally to me , but I am sure they ship or there may be a retailer of a similar product closer to you
I feed mine on the ground. As long as you don't have a sandy environment, it shouldn't hurt them and in fact may actually be better for them. When a horse puts their head to the ground to graze, their jaws shifts forward a little bit and as they chew it helps to keep their teeth even and prevent hooks from forming on the front and rear of their molars. It also elongates their trachea, which can be helpful if you horse is susceptible to heaves - it causes less dust/foreign material/bacteria from reaching the lungs...more settles out in the longer tube along the way.
So excited the baby is so close. :D
I usually feed off of the ground, but right now I don't have a choice. I can't afford for the hay to be wasted so I'm feeding out of a raised feeder. It is chest height though, not above their heads. My husband is going to make one of those slow hay feeder boxes for me soon though. :D
My horse can feel off the ground or from a hay rack. She eats depending on where she can chase other horses off and this makes her feel like she is king of the heap...which she is not! I love love love your photos. Those horses sure do have it good. And what they give back is pretty amazing too.
Hope your baby comes soon and he doesn't come in the world bucking like a bronc rider. May your delivery be fast and your baby small and slippery!
Waiting, waiting, waiting... must be SOME news by now!!
:-)
BB
Howdy, where are you from? I enjoy your blog. I live on a ranch in southeast Oklahoma and we also have horses which we of course love! Keep up the good work.
Howdy! I enjoy your blog. Where are you from? I live on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and we also have horses, who of course we love. Keep up the good work!
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