Finally, the brutal winter has released its death grip on the Highveld, and abundant summer begins to return in verdant green.
We have a while to go before the browns and grays finally give way to deep green pastures, but there is food out there for the horses now, which is a breath of relief for all involved. Especially old Skye - the toothless old lady came through the winter really well this year, but she's grateful to have all the soft, easy-to-chew grass she wants instead of her regular soupy meals of Speedi-Beet and senior meal.
Those meals served her well this year, though. She was on 3.2kg of Spurwing Senior, plus about 1kg of Speedi-Beet mixed with another 1kg of Capstone Cool Time. I hung soaked slow-feeder teff nets for her, but she only managed to eat about half a net per day. Still, it was enough for the old girl to come through the winter looking just fine for a thirty-three-year-old horse with no functioning molars.
The broodmares came in for the breeding season. I had to kick Ladybug and Magic out into the fields, and move Thunder and Lancey to the barn so that the ladies could have their foaling boxes back. Arwen is still sleeping out, only being due around Christmas, but Faith and Rene are inside at night now.
At 325 days, Faith is taunting me. She has a massive edema, poor girl, but no udder to speak of yet (sorry for the mare udder shots!). She also had this weird stuff on her teats??? Like I've foaled down plenty of mares and I really don't even know. It was only for a day, and it's definitely not wax. Maidens always have something new to show me, I swear.
At 329 days, Rene has every sign of imminent foaling except that I can't seem to express any milk from her udder at all. It looks pretty full and tight, but she just won't give me a drop to test the pH. So I'm hoping for wax as she's an older girl and has had a few babies before. Honestly, it could be any minute now or only in another two or three weeks' time. At least the mares look good - at dreadful expense. Still, it's better (not to mention cheaper) to keep a fat broodmare fat than to try to make a thin broodmare fatter.
Two happy faces greeting me every morning. I thought they might be a bit feral - I don't think these two girls have slept in a stable in their lives - but they seem to be enjoying their new digs.
Faith being way too gorgeous (and standing with splayed legs and a hanging tummy, lol).
Her mane is so perfect!
Arwen is very happy to still be sleeping outside. She's a bit of a monster in a stable, to be honest, but she'll have to move inside when she approaches her due date (precisely so that BabyDragon can learn to be a good baby in a stable from day one). As usual, she's handling her pregnancy with great aplomb - no edema, no discomfort, and a steadily growing udder. I felt BabyDragon kicking the other day, which was pretty special until OriginalDragon also thought she might get in on the kicking action (I can only assume things were getting a little uncomfortable).
In general, she's been her usual snuggly self, and seems relieved to be in a field with the other two ladies instead of having to command the herd as her belly grows.
I think Sir Flash, one of my two adorable school ponies, might have had a touch of ulcers at the end of the winter. It was a hard winter for everyone in the bitter cold and with absolutely no grass, and I couldn't find any of the coarser hay with lower nutritional value that works on these chunky little buggers. Instead I had to feed beautiful hay out of slow feeders, and Flashy's weight stayed perfect, but he was a little cranky towards the end. I put him on some zeolites and that began to help, but the tide really turned when I threw him out into the pastures. He's back to his friendly little self now.
He was his usual tolerant and versatile self last week, doing everything from working riding,
to helping me give a young horse a lead over his first few little logs,
to jumping all clear rounds with one of his smaller kiddos at a training show. I am so grateful for the amazing people who make up my little yard. We really don't have "barn drama" and it's thanks to them 💜
No schoolie appreciation post would be complete without mentioning my precious little Stardust, of course. I think every kid in the yard learned to ride on her.
Sleeping out seems to suit both Magic and Ladybug, who are now best friends. It's such a relief to have Magic outside and feeding himself on nice soft green grass instead of having to do his regimented feeding schedule and worrying about ulcers and impactions and all the rest. He still needs a little weight after his miracle recovery, and he did get picked on a bit during his first week out with the herd, but he's beginning to thrive again now. I'm just so grateful to kiss that soft little grey nose every morning.
The spring grass gave even the old retirees a little extra bounce.
This old man is a 25-year-old OTTB who, believe it or not, played Trenton's Pride in Racing Stripes. There were two Trenton's Prides, one in America and one in South Africa. This old chap is the one in all the scenes with the zebra. He is not villainous at all and can be rather a sweet old fellow when he wants to be.
The grazing isn't great just yet, but looking back on this shot from nearly two weeks ago, they've put on a lot of weight already. I'll have to keep a good eye on the Nooities, although it's a relief to have Arwen's body occupied with cooking a baby instead of just getting fatter and fatter.
The beloved fixed all the summer fences for me, of course. And helped me move all the horses in the scorching heat.
Here's to summer. God is so good.
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