Sid's diary

Another nice hack today, this time in company. Sid was great.

His mane is a couple of inches long now and I notice that the new growth is silky soft. His old mane was harsh like wire. I wonder if this means it would grow out better?

I am planning a final clip in February, taking everything off. Perhaps I'll do a last hog then, we'll see.
 
See how it's growing by then, if it stays softer then maybe you'll want to keep it. I wonder if he gets a better diet with you and that's finally showing in things like mane growth?
 
The balancer would certainly make a difference and combined with the improvement in the rest of his diet he has the means to grow good coat and feet as well as build muscle
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Sid has lost more weight. His girth is on the 5th hole and the 5th hole, so far up that I need a shorter one (fortunately I have several, they shrink when I wash them).

I was so proud of taking a decent picture to show his saddle fit but in fact the background is messy and makes it hard to see. Sorry. Anyway, with the fat pads on his shoulders a bit smaller the saddle sits more comfortably over his wither

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He still looks as if he has a lot of belly but it's just grass I think.

Closer up I think the saddle seat looks reasonably flat compared to how it was before. I can't really put it any further back because his back is so short. By the end of the ride it may have slipped back by an inch, no more. His forward girth groove seems to keep it in place.

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He doesn't object at all to being girthed now, he only turns his head to me if I catch some fur in the cords by mistake. He even lets me stop him and tighten the girth while we were out - he used to kick up a fuss if I tried.

He could probably still lose a few more kilos though.

It always amazes me that the saddle looks like a cherry on an ice cream on him, but he's only an inch or two taller than Ziggy was. The saddle came more than half way down Ziggy's sides. Sid must just be big around.
 
Mass breakouts in the field today, instigated by a certain cob. Steve went over to give hay first thing and found Sid on the track (where he should not be) and Bella having conniptions. He put Sid back where he belonged, but alas, failed to check the electric fence.

I got home after work and found Bella on the track (where she should not be) and Sid in what is left of the winter grazing aka the long grass, where he ABSOLUTELY should not be. I found the cob-caused break in the fence, fixed it, electrified it, and put the horses back where they belonged.

Just after 6pm Uta texts me to say that she saw Sid break through the fence at the bottom gate (the only one not yet electrified) and lead Bella off , trashing another fence as he went, to enjoy the grass on the track.

I went and fixed the fencing, but did not move the horses. I opened the gate and let them stay on the track for the night. Tomorrow morning I will electrify the bottom gate.

I think he goes around testing fences with his whiskers and then bulling through them if they are off.

Perhaps I should trim his whiskers....
 
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An hour's exercise in futility this morning.

Very unusually, I have to go to London today for a bit of consulting. Of course it had to be the day my trimmer is coming. I asked him if he could catch Sid if I left him in the school with hay, and he said no problem.

I went over, got the horses, fixed the fencing, moved the spare energiser and put Sid and Bella in the school with hay. I went to do the poo. Sid broke out. THROUGH THE ELECTRIFIED FENCE! Bloody cob. I put him back and moved the energiser to the spot where he broke.. He galloped from corner to corner in a ferocious temper, broke a fence but didn't go through. I fixed it. He did it again and then jumped over the bloody fence, leaving Bella in the school having conniptions.

I let him out. Better he misses a trim, if Trevor doesn't have the time to catch him, than he or Bella injure themselves doing something stupid.

Now I have to get dressed up and go to work!
 
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That sounds like a stressful morning @Jane&Ziggy they always seem to have the best timing!

Reminded me of Ale the other day, I shut him onto his slabs which is where he stays happily munching hay anyway. I purely shut it to discourage him from following me into the field while I poo picked to keep his legs dry. Anyway he figured if I shut it I must be doing something very interesting in the field that he was missing out on (although I was in full view and he could see I was just poo picking) so he managed to squeeze between two posts and under the two strands of tape and took off across the field. Once he realised he was really missing nothing he walked back to where the tape was and waited for me to let him back in to his hay!! 🤣
 
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He's looking great and it's lovely catching up on this, sounds like you are really enjoying him and I think he's lucky to have found you!
 
The sod! Is he rugged up @Jane&Ziggy ? If so could you sew a couple of strands of electric tape onto the outside of the chest of his rug and fold it over and stitch into the inside in contact with his skin? I know it sounds mean but it would mean he got a decent shock if he pushed through the tape rather than having his rug reduce it. Not sure what you can do about the jumping except make the fences higher and hope they don't blow down in the wind!

Effing cobs! it's always cobs and Shetlands that need fencing like a high security prison.
 
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An hour's exercise in futility this morning.

Very unusually, I have to go to London today for a bit of consulting. Of course it had to be the day my trimmer is coming. I asked him if he could catch Sid if I left him in the school with hay, and he said no problem.

I went over, got the horses, fixed the fencing, moved the spare energiser and put Sid and Bella in the school with hay. I went to do the poo. Sid broke out. THROUGH THE ELECTRIFIED FENCE! Bloody cob. I put him back and moved the energiser to the spot where he broke.. He galloped from corner to corner in a ferocious temper, broke a fence but didn't go through. I fixed it. He did it again and then jumped over the bloody fence, leaving Bella in the school having conniptions.

I let him out. Better he misses a trim, if Trevor doesn't have the time to catch him, than he or Bella injure themselves doing something stupid.

Now I have to get dressed up and go to work!
Another cob with a temper!
 
I really wanted to ride today but instead I spent the whole of the sunny part of the day rearranging fencing, putting down mats in gateways, checking legs for fence damage and picking up poo from the long grass.

I have now reset and reenergised the fencing, but I have also given much more grass so I don't get Sid in a temper again.

Oh, and he has a piece of electric ribbon tape wrapped round the front of his rug to transfer the zap. He walked down out of the long grass as quiet as a lamb and looked as if butter wouldn't melt when I put the electric tape on.
 
Oh and just to add, he walked up to Trevor my trimmer all by himself, quietly polishing his halo, and got the best score that Trevor has given any horse this season - 7.3 out of 8 in winter is just excellent. How beautiful are his feet.
 
A whole day without a breakout! The horses are totally fed up with the weather, though. It must be miserable standing out in it all the time. I have been over twice today to hang up a huge haynet so they have the opportunity to stand in the dry for a bit.
 
I know some horses dislike it, but my mob have the choice of 4 shelters and not a single one of them has been inside, even through all the rain yesterday, they apparently couldn’t care less.
 
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I know some horses dislike it, but my mob have the choice of 4 shelters and not a single one of them has been inside, even through all the rain yesterday, they apparently couldn’t care less.
Storm will stand out happily in a force ten. Zi hides in his box at midges piddling. They are all so different aren't they!
 
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I let mine in a bit early today. I don't think they would mind the weather so much if there was any grass to eat but it's more or less bare in their paddock now. They have hay, but they have hay in their stables too and they vote with their feet. I just open the gate between yard and field. Baby horse charges towards the gate, I yell 'Waaaalk!' and he puts the brakes on and carefully walks onto the concrete - not because I've told him to, but because my urgent yell reminded him that he once slipped and nearly fell in his rush to get in. Raf crabs in with his head twisted to the side because the rain is hitting his face and it's unbearable.

I used to envy you your shelter @Jane&Ziggy Did you manage to resurrect it?
 
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I let mine in a bit early today. I don't think they would mind the weather so much if there was any grass to eat but it's more or less bare in their paddock now. They have hay, but they have hay in their stables too and they vote with their feet. I just open the gate between yard and field. Baby horse charges towards the gate, I yell 'Waaaalk!' and he puts the brakes on and carefully walks onto the concrete - not because I've told him to, but because my urgent yell reminded him that he once slipped and nearly fell in his rush to get in. Raf crabs in with his head twisted to the side because the rain is hitting his face and it's unbearable.

I used to envy you your shelter @Jane&Ziggy Did you manage to resurrect it?
Hahaha I know the head twisted / crab movement, Zi does it, lol and it doesn't have to be that hard rain for it either! When ours used to free range, if I could see them charging up the field to the yard I would say "and w a l k" like I would to bring Storm back to walk on the lunge. Sometimes it actually worked and she wouldn't charge quite so badly.
 
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