The 3 older boys were playing stallion games today - particularly Bobby and Dan. Bobby was trying to hamstring Dan (only playfighting!) which led to Dan sitting down like a dog before getting up and moving Bobby on. There was also lots of rearing up and squealing - similar behaviour to that shown in the April calendar photo. Every time I went out with the camera however, they just stood calmly looking at me, as though nothing had happened at all!
The Sathya Sai Sanctuary who have been such an amazing help for our live transport article have just published their Spring newsletter and they are doing such amazing work dealing with the seemingly never ending supply of abandoned animals in Southern Ireland. It's such good news that they and Hungry Horse Outside have secured funding from LUSH to give discounted gelding operations to try and stop the level of overbreeding. Thank goodness for Sue and Hilary and their amazing work. Here's a couple of my favourite photos from the Sathya Sai newsletter:
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| Look at those donkeys go!! |
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| Foals are soooo cute - but we really don't need any more baby animals at the moment (horses, ponies, donkeys, dogs, cats, rabbits...) at least Sue and Hilary's overbreeding scheme should help. Would be great if there was something like that happening more widely here too... |
We also need to say thank you to the wonderful ladies at Naturally Animals http://www.naturallyanimals.co.uk/ who have helped us this week and given us a discount on our purchases. Somehow or the other we seem to have acquired some sort of "super" lice that seem to have been immune to absolutely everything we have tried to get rid of them...including the wormer...and it's very disappointing that they have reached this level of resistance! Our trusty Neem ALWAYS used to get rid of any lice at the slightest hint of their arrival. This year, although we have beaten them back temporarily by using all sorts of different formulas and lotions, it's only a very short set-back before they return. Frodo did clear his by using a homeopathic remedy that Beate gave us...and Rocky seems to have mysteriously evaded them altogether (clever pony!). To finally get rid of the "little critters" the ladies at Naturally Animals recommended a recipe using food grade diatomaceous earth, which is very intriguing stuff. Although it's very soft and powdery for us to touch, it's fatal for insects. The diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms and they are made of a natural substance called silica. The silica is so sharp it can kill any bug with an exoskeleton easily, but is safe for any mammal to eat or touch (as long as it's food grade!). DE works under the shell of an insect and punctures the body, which dehydrates the insect and then it dies. There is no possibility of a buildup of chemical tolerance because the method of killing is mechanical. Apparently it gets rid of all sorts of unwanted insects - fleas, cockroaches for instance...I know it can be used for worming too. So far application has been fairly easy...so we'll let you know how it goes. Apparently lice are a big problem everywhere this year - on horse yards and on farms with cows...perhaps the lack of a cold winter gave them a boost?? The ponies are looking super healthy but I think their super thick warm coats are a very attractive environment for little critters.
On a more positive note, Carol emailed to give us an update on Basil...she says "Basil is a real little star- I love him to bits, he seems happy with his lot and seems to be with Chester and Herbert all the time...They have been seen playing with a stick - Basil would pick it up and tear off followed by Herbert and then they would change over!! The receptionist at our doctors told me what they were up to." They must have been such an entertainment for everyone in the doctor's surgery. Poor Carol has been out of action from an ankle injury so we hope she feels better very soon!
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