...more about tracks...

One of the things about having tracks is that they need regular TLC!  On a daily basis of course you have to muck out, but because of our high rainfall the pea gravel tends to move about and over time it needs to be topped up. 

So last week, we had a visit from a 16 tonne lorry and a new batch of gravel was dumped on the yard - its hard to recall that all our gravel was that amazing shade of pink once! 

 Its because it comes from south Devon, where the soil is that unmistakeable shade  - the stone is pinkish too, but not quite so shocking once it washes out :-)

Felix and Angel found it most entertaining to fling the gravel here and there...

and of course it is perfect stuff to roll in...

There is no doubt that the horses - even the ones who have no need of it for hoof rehab purposes - absolutely love the stuff, whether for walking on, rolling in or simply standing in while they eat their haylage. 

Autumn hunting...a recap before it starts raining...

We've been hunting 2 months now...

...and the horses are fit and know what its all about...

 Hazy light across Exmoor, a beautiful morning.

Felix and Richard on a mission through the bracken...

Bailey, the big grey bottom in the middle...with Andy, of course...

[The photos are small, so click on any of them to enlarge :-)]

Tracks

Someone asked me about our track system, and I promised a post which didn't appear last week - apologies!  I've pinched an illustration from "Feet First" (I'm allowed to because we have the copyright!) and the tracks are round the outside, forming a border in this picture. 

The tracks are essential to the rehab here, because they encourage movement, keep horses comfortable, and allow them to hang out together, play, groom each other and just watch the world go by.  From an aerial view it looks like this...but on the ground its a bit more interesting...

There are lots of ups and downs, twists and turns...

...and of course lots of haylage. 

Despite that, its not a big area, and its been carved out of waste land which was no good for anything else.  We've spent a lot of time and effort improving drainage and surfaces...

...and over the years we've tried shillet, pea gravel and woodchip...

and they all have their uses, but for the rehab horses, there is no question that pea gravel is the most effective and the most comfortable. 

Our own horses aren't really bothered, of course...

...as long as they can still discuss things amongst themselves.

Although they look idyllic in summer, the tracks can be quite a challenge if we have a heavy snowfall,

but even then the horses seem to prefer being able to move around and find things out for themselves - and of course without shoes, the snow is no problem.

...but the minute the weather is really unpleasant, they all make for the barn, rugs or no rugs!

Hard to believe that a few months later it can change from the Arctic to archetypal English countryside...

The other massive benefit of our tracks is that they give me somewhere to turn out during the day which is much safer than lush green fields during the Spring and Summer.  The horses on the track have ad lib forage, but its haylage not grass.  There are also hedges, which they like to browse. 

Despite them thinking that the grass is greener, I don't think they have it too bad...

Puppy dogs 2010...

...or to be precise, Echo, Ermine and Eyelash :-)

Echo, wondering if Ermine has noticed the ambush...

Eyelash with all 4 paws on the floor, unusually...!

Echo winning the "Who has the widest ears" competition

Ermine - at the back, Eyelash contemplating...

...maybe she could be a truck dog...?!

But Charlie says:
"Please can we swap these little ones for some bigger ones that can go hunting now?"

Rockley horses do anatomy

One of the areas the students were concentrating on last week was improving their knowledge of whole horse anatomy and biomechanics. Its much more effective to do this on a horse than just with textbooks, not least because there is a vast difference between a 2 dimensional picture and a 3 dimensional horse.  That may be why the ribs have gone a bit random...(!) though the distal limb is fantastic - phew, what a relief...    ;-)

Fortunately, both Charlie and Felix positively enjoy this sort of thing, especially on a lovely sunny day, so they were only too pleased to be models for the day. They were both going hunting the next day, so the only worry was how tricky it would be to get the paint off, but I can endorse Tesco's own brand kid's paints as being very, very washable!

What a difference!

Along with the great photos Cristina sent about Frankie last week, she also sent me some updated hoof pics. Its now 7 months since Frankie came down to Rockley and he has been back home since June.

All credit to Cristina and his farrier that his feet look so absolutely gorgeous now - what a difference from the under-run heels and wizened little frogs he had when he arrived.

What I particularly like is that Frankie is still with his old farrier - so you can see that it certainly wasn't his fault that the feet were so compromised before.

It also goes to show two things about Thoroughbreds...
- firstly their poor feet CAN change - its not just about genetics; and

- secondly of course, they CAN go barefoot - even the ones who started with thin soles, underrun heels, flat feet... :-)

Out and about!

Bailey W was out and about on Tuesday when his owner came up to take him out again. We had a fun ride in the sunshine, and the weather was so good I took the headcam out with me for the first time in ages. Filming with the headcam is always a bit shaky, so apologies for the poor definition, but you get the idea :-)

Bailey W is still in the throes of growing a much better hoof, so at the moment he still prefers good going, like the fields, but he is improving all the time. Considering that he used to go lame even when turned out, he now makes a pretty good job of tackling our steep hills!

If the footage isn't that clear on the blog, you can also see it here: http://www.vimeo.com/15170276