July 2009
This last couple of months we have concentrated on getting things ready and right for the birth of our second child. In the build up Adam worked very hard doing call outs and clinics. But things haven’t worked out quite as we planned.
The main thing is, that Layla Rose was born happy and healthy, here on the yard in our foaling box, which is now known as the birthing room. Since our first baby, Marley, was born there in 2007, we kept it all decked out with beautiful throws, drapes and tea lights so with a quick tidy up, blowing up the birthing pool and setting up the music, all was ready. It was an amazing birth, so gentle and calm. Like nature intended it to be. It’s been wonderful, but it’s exponentially more difficult to get anything done.
However, the horses have been much more high-maintenance than we had hoped. Twice now, they have had raised pulses indicating the imminent onset of laminitis, which has meant bringing them in off the field for five days, feeding magnesium supplements, and feeding haylage. It seems ridiculous with all that grass in the field that we are using hay, but we hope it will keep the vet away.
The other main event has been the arrival of a new livery, Alfie, a big coloured cob who has been living in stables in London all his life. He’s such a lovely chap,but he has never been out with others so we gave him lots of time to meet the others over the stable door and put him out in a small paddock next to them overnight for several days. However, since he doesn’t understand herd dynamics, at all, he did get some unpleasant scrapes and bites. Luckily, since the herd is barefoot, there were no serious injuries.
There’s been a plus side to the laminitis, risk, however – not all of them had raised pulses, so ALfie has gone out with the smaller group who don’t, and has been getting on with them very well. It’s lovely to see a horse who is used to being in all the time enjoy himself in the field with some others. The flies have been a real nuisance, though, and they seem to find London blood very attractive, so he can’t be out as much as we would like.
In hindsight it would have been better for us all if he had come after the horsefly and birthing season is over!