PONY Magazine – June 2020

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SUMMER ROUTINE

20 WAYS TO HAVE MORE

PONY FUN

Piggy March

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Q&A

fly wear

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June 2020 £3.99 Issue 865

Your

happy times

This Esme shares her ponies’ summer routine

N

ow the days are longer and the sun’s shining, you might be thinking of making a few changes to your fave pony’s routine, so he can enjoy even more time outside. To help you decide what might work best for your pony, here’s how I look after Casper, Mickey and the donkeys at this time of year...

ESME’S DAILY ROUTINE donkeys!

6.20am Breakfast time for the ponies – and cool, especially if it’s ise Casper while it’s , as 7.30atom Exgeerc ght lunge Mickey, too t super-hot later. I mi going and fit. it helps keep him slim although he’s retired s put 9am Thforeepotheniey sgohabavecktheouirt,flany rug d I’ll apply

on be ’s nose because his suncream to Mickey quickly skip out the skin’s so sensitive. l’ll before grabbing stables and sweep up lf. some breakfast myse make one’s checked over to m Every 1.30pthe of nty ple ve y’re happy and ha sure I didn’t get time to water. I’ll poo-pick if . ng do it in the morni

be checked The ponies come in to 6pm gro ddle. They cu a en omed and giv over, t again. can then go back ou

’s OK,

k to make sure all ke a final night chec fewer 9pm I ma sks off now there are take the ponies’ fly ma and I’ll d. annoying bugs aroun

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PONY magazine

did you know?

The donkeys wear fly masks, too, but because their ears are so long, they only have ones that cover their eyes!

Top tip

If you’re planning to change your pony’s routine, do it gradually. Extend his turnout time by a few hours a day before leaving him out overnight.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Casper and Mickey’s summer routine is designed to give them both as much time out in the paddock as possible, but it’s still important they can go inside if they want to. This is so they can get away from the hot sun and flies. They have a large field shelter in their paddock, but I also keep the yard gate open so they can come into their stable if they feel like it.

Casper and Mickey can munch on grass pretty much anytime they want, but I keep a close eye on them to make sure they stay at a healthy weight.

If I need to, I can restrict their grazing by making their paddock smaller or bringing them in for a few hours a day.

I try to give the ponies lots of turnout in winter, too, but they usually prefer to stay in overnight, especially if it’s really cold or wet.

Top tip

Many ponies can live out 24/7, but they’ll need company. Ask your yard manager if there’s another friendly pony who can go out with yours.

PERFECT PADDOCKS

did you know?

In spring, ragwort looks like a rosette of leaves close to the ground, but in summer the plant grows tall with yellow flowers.

The ponies look forward to getting some fresh grazing in summer. But before they go out in a new paddock, I need to check it’s safe for them. I’ll walk around carefully to make sure the ground’s level and there are no holes that could trip them up.

I’ll also be on the lookout for any poisonous plants. Ragwort’s a common plant that grows in fields, and it’s super-important to remove it because it can cause liver disease if a pony eats it. If I spot any, I’ll dig it up, making sure I lift out all the roots. Ragwort should be disposed of correctly, well away from the ponies, because they actually prefer the taste of it when it’s dried.

Next, I’ll walk along the fence line to make sure it’s secure, and not loose or broken. Finally, I’ll clean out the automatic water tank and make sure it’s filling up properly.

Then, the paddock should be all ready for the ponies!

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