From the Hoof

 My heart goes out to all the people whose homes got flooded. Some dear friends of ours did indeed have devastating results to their homes from the flood. We think of them and everybody else each day. When we lived in the England, our home got flooded but not from rain. In England our water supply to the bathrooms are held in water tanks in the attic. Whilst we were on holiday the pipes froze, burst and water dripped down the walls, leaving the rooms flooded. Our bedroom ceiling collapsed, too.  Everything was ruined clothes, furniture and we were immediately homeless. We stayed with neighbors until we could find a temporary house to rent. We couldn't just move anywhere as I rented the paddock at the back of the house and Milly, my horse lived there. Fortunately, we managed to rent locally and it was hard work going between two homes, dealing with insurance companies and working. We did move back in to the flooded house once it was right again.  It was certainly an unpleasant experience.

 Hay . . . most of us by now who own horses, have had their hay supply delivered, put by or supplied yourself.  Me, I have hay delivered and usually stacked as I am a small person and I do need help with my hay as I don't have a lot of storage space. For a long time I had just one hay supplier but he retired and now I have a couple. The other day it occurred to me the difference in hay. The size of the bales, how tight the bales are, the types of grasses and even the shape of hay. I don't favor round bales, for me they are hard to manage and the horses would just stand in one spot to eat which is not natural for them.  Rectangle bales are easier and can be spread around a field or paddock encouraging the horse to walk to each pile and thus creating a more natural environment for him. I asked a farmer why some bales are smaller than others. He told me it depended on the baler and how it was set to bale. As far as I can remember in England our bales were a good size and were pretty much the same size not large or small which made it easier to stack them.  Stacking the hay, in England we stacked the bales alternately where as over here you seem to have an usual way of stacking. Once I had hay stacked it was like the game Jenga, and just like that game I pulled a bale and my whole stack came crashing down!! 

 Hay comes in different types.  Racehorse hay is very fine and contains a lot of alfalfa which gives the horse more energy. Most regular hay has a mixture of grasses and Timothy. Hay needs to be stored in a dry place, if it gets damp it will go musty and moldy and should not be fed to your horse otherwise he will develop mold spores in his lungs and a cough. If the hay is dusty then damp it down with water and feed immediately. I like to use a haynet for this so that the water can drain a little before I put the wet hay in the stable as I don't want to make the bedding wet as well. My horses like the coarser hay and since we have little grass are fed hay all year round. If you have a horse or pony prone to laminitis then soak the hay overnight as this will reduce the sugar content of the hay. Every year people say hay is in short supply but if you look hard enough you'll find some available.  Hay making is hard work and I appreciate all you farmers that produce hay for all the horses and other animals. Thank you.