Blown away
There's a very strong wind blowing, but the rain hadn't arrived by ten this morning and Jazz and I didn't see why we should let the weather confine us to quarters for another day. We went out for a short, brisk and very enjoyable hack. He spun once, at the sight of a gate flapping in the wind. But on the way back past it he let me ride him up to it, grab it, and put the string back on it to keep it shut and keep the sheep in. We both felt like we had won some kind of battle against the elements by the time we got home, and very satisfeid too!
I schooled Zippy and he was much better than on Saturday. I managed to keep him calm so he didn't buck, and he actually tried to do some canter for me. A big improvement which encourages me a lot. He's a sweet boy really, he just gets over-boisterous from time to time!
They ate the most impossible amount of haylage last night! I had filled the racks thinking that they would be in all day and night because of the weather yesterday. In the end they wouldn't come in before lunch and so got left out all day in the freezing wind. But they still managed to eat a double whack of haylage.
And talking of people eating haylage, I have had a mouse in my haylage bale stack and it has eaten holes in four neighbouring wrappers. One bale is ruined. The second this morning is usable and I will find out about the other two in the next few days. VERY annoying - the cats have been dozing in front of the fire while the mice played in my horse food - do your duty people or I won't open another tin!!!
C
posted by cptrayes @ 3:25 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
oh dear. they would say you've been letting them sleep on the job LOL ... I would offer you our simba, who's an excellent mouser (and everything else'er) but we like him too much here...
I was worried that if I got some haylage here I might run into that problem, so now you have confirmed it. I would not have any way of protecting my hay from critters that might rip the wrappings.
My boys have been eating lots of hay. It keeps them warm.
Good for Jazz, again. Now he has helped you save the sheep! Quite an accomplishment.
And Zip at least tries to cooperate. I should think the cold weather and 'iffy' outdoor riding conditions are not making him joyful about work.
PS: My kitties are excellent mousers, but I couldn't let them outside to hunt. They'd be run over by cars--it's happened too many times--so they stay indoors and hunt mice in the basement.
This is the first year I've had a problem with mice eating wrappers in about ten years of using it. I don't know what's different this year, apart from the fact that I am using very small bale. I can't see why that should make a difference.
We had one killed by a car when we lived in an area with a lot of housing. Now ours are afraid of cars, and each new kitten that we get is taught by the others to run away from them.
Claire I would say they have been sleeping and not doing the job at all - too many hot stoves that are far more attractive than minus temperatures.
C
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