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Post by lucyspin on Oct 13, 2014 9:34:44 GMT
With this wonderful weather we're having what are your winter essentials for your horse
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Post by nici on Oct 13, 2014 10:22:09 GMT
We're still enjoying beautiful autumn weather on the whole. Another glorious day's hunting yesterday - started a little foggy but finished very warm and sunny. My daughter was glad she decided to stick with her lightweight tweed! Ground is still great for riding, a little muddy patch by the gate in one field where the ponies congregate briefly when we arrive. Ridden ponies still in lightweights, non riddens naked. Long may this weather last My winter essential is to finish installing solar lights in our stables. We have 240v lights of the generator but that's too much hassle to run for a few minutes. Just been too busy recently to put the new lights up. We do now have solar lights in the tackroom and they've made a huge difference. Other than that, all rugs have been/are being cleaned/repaired/reproofed and the hardest working ponies have had bib clips - even my daughter's hunting pony is doing ok with just that.
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Post by chalky284 on Oct 13, 2014 11:03:35 GMT
What solar lights are you using nici?? Just trying to prepare for my own little place and on my list are buying in enough hay and bedding, sorting lights, gateways. But my winter essentials have got to be doing a weeks worth of nets, regular pig oil and a headlight!!!
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Oct 13, 2014 12:06:20 GMT
Hay, as far as I'm concerned, nothing else! Although I still have so much grass here that it will be some time before they need hay.
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Post by fanfarefan on Oct 13, 2014 12:46:44 GMT
Hay , straw , and kettle for hot feeds and a cuppa
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Post by nici on Oct 13, 2014 13:44:02 GMT
What solar lights are you using nici?? Just trying to prepare for my own little place and on my list are buying in enough hay and bedding, sorting lights, gateways. But my winter essentials have got to be doing a weeks worth of nets, regular pig oil and a headlight!!! I have 2 of these in my very large tackroom: www.amazon.co.uk/Urban-Solar-Powered-Security-Light/dp/B00L8B7UY4One is positioned half way into the tackroom and faces the door so comes on as soon as we go in, and points at the feeding area. The other is again half way in but points backwards, lighting up the cabinets at the back. Very very bright lights and responsive PIRs. For the stables I have bought solar powered downlighters, one for each stable. They're not as bright, but should give enough ambient light for a quick skip out. They are operated via remote controls, not PIR obviously as I wouldn't want the ponies draining the batteries when they're in. No idea yet how effective they are, as I haven't yet got round to installing them. Too many busy Saturdays recently, and every Sunday taken up with hunting. Must get them done before the clocks go back. As the 240v lighting system was in place I did try running the lights from a 12v battery with inverter, but found they drained the battery too quickly. I do top up my 12v batteries via a solar panel, but it wasn't powerful enough to keep up with the demand, as well as keeping fence batteries charged up. In terms of supplies for the ponies, I don't have storage for more than about 30 small bales of hay, but can buy that very reasonably from a local farmer, so don't have to stock pile. We also still have plenty of grass, so I'm hoping not to be feeding hay in the field for a few months yet. The ponies all live out, so we only go through a small amount of hay when they come in for any reason. I bought 20 bales of hay about 6 weeks ago, and still have about half left! I will start making up haynets at weekends soon though, especially when I have some child labour to help. It's a job that's so much easier with extra helping hands. And we will also fill all our water containers to store in the tack room, in case we get a cold spell and the tap freezes. Didn't need them at all last year, as it was so mild, but the previous year we used them a lot. I can store 2-3 days worth of water, and it's rare that the tap stays frozen for longer than that without defrosting by the afternoons.
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Post by heidi1 on Oct 14, 2014 6:36:22 GMT
Not for horse, but for me - Blister plasters!!!
My hands have gone soft over the summer and after ponies coming in for past 2 nights by the time I got to the 3rd stable this morning blisters had appeared and burst!
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Post by Philippa on Oct 14, 2014 6:43:26 GMT
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Post by heidi1 on Oct 14, 2014 7:03:59 GMT
Lol, but Phillipa you've missed a stage. Before he needs a producer he needs a counsellor to help him recognise all his thwarted ambitions to gain qualification!!
(Sorry, also couldn't resist)
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