Anna's Girls - Updated news.

[AnnaC]

And just for good luck a couple of pics of old Heidi (26) bringing herself in from her morning graze for her lunch. She lives in at night but has to come to and fro during the day so that I can get enough feed into her. Although her front teeth are ok for her to bite grass with, the back ones are worn flat so she cannot 'chew' properly. I feed her Spillers High Fibre pellets (which are pre-digested and disolve instantly on contact with saliva/water, and are 20% fibre) plus her full quoter of Gro and Win balancer - she gets through the recommended amount of the Spillers for a 12.2hh pony per day and is the 'cause' of my having to do another feed at midnight, bless her! She has her grazing and her hay eating (soft leafy stuff left for her all night) down to a fine art - she bites it, then chews/gums it around gettng the juices out, then spits it out before taking another bite! Never chokes, clever girl!!



Then to finsh with a couple of my special boy Mootie - I dont know what the 'anti grass for minis' folks would think about my grass, Moots grazes on some 10 acres of the stuff for 4-5 hours a day!!



That's all for now folks!

 

WONDERFUL PICTURES ANNA!!!

Thank you for finding those of Anselmo. I'm very excited, and will be working on the showing page for Falabellas in the Show Ring, and with your permission will be adding Ansel to the FIPA website.

One of my FIPA members has been showing her Falabellas quite successfully in AMHR shows. In one show she won 26 ribbons and a trophy with many awards -- and showed 4 pure Falabellas that day. A historical moment and a record winner in AMHR for Falabellas. And we're very proud of her!

 

[AnnaC]

Of course you are welcome to use any of the pics Diane - but hang fire as I think Cathy has a closer one of the distant jump, will check with her today. Also there are a couple of Ansel on my website if they are any use to you?

 

[countrymini]

Beautiful photos Anna.

 

[Wings]

Love catching up on your thread Anna, although I do end up suffering paddock envy!

 

[lexischase]

Magical photos Anna! Love the way those special horses get to live

 

[Eagle]

Anna your post are always so fun and the thought of you running ahead of the girls made me giggle, what a wonderful day you and Cathy must have had

And this is just one of the best shots I have seen in ages

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FANTASTIC!

 

[AnnaC]

Hi all! Cant believe how long since I did an update on here re the pregnant girls and other news! For those of you new to my rambling thread, you might like to read back over the past 2 or 3 pages to get some idea of the whacky life the minis, daughter and I lead up here in our forest hideaway in Wales, UK.

But first to the preggy girls - as my pics are always snapped with my mobile phone, no horse is ever 'posed' plus I can rarely get close enough to them for a suitable shot without them turning and coming to me, so 'angles' are also difficult - all pics are therefore pot luck!! Pics are all taken in the past week and as we have had nothing but rain and more rain this winter, all horses are soaking wet! Foals expected between mid May - mid June.

First is Nell - pretty sure she is NOT in foal - certain in fact but would love to be proved wrong.



Then comes Chapella (22 years this year IN FOAL to a friend's stallion for her last foal)



Now Muffin's Child (7 year old maiden mare IN FOAL to Spotbum)





Then two mares belonging to another friend on loan for breeding Fleur and Poppy (Fleur IN FOAL to Spotbum and Poppy IN FOAL to same stallion as Chapella - both had foals before)



More general pics next post!

 

[AnnaC]

All the girls (39 of them) have been living out on their 25acres of winter pasture for the past two months - loads of grass out there when they were first moved, less now but still plenty left. Lots of shelter belts between the field areas plus a heavily wooded dell of some 4 acres so plenty of places to get out of the rain and wind that we have been having non stop since last December (so much of the UK is badly flooded at the moment due to the rains, trains not running, houses and farms under water and evacuated, the 'water table' under the earth is now so high, water is bubbling up through the road surfaces as it has nowhere else to go, it is a national disaster! Luckily, being high up we dont flood and the ground water does soak away very quickly, but the storm force winds have not been funny I can tell you - I hate the wind!!

Tramping around those 25 acres on a daily basis can prove interesting as the minis are very good at hiding themselves - the entrance gate from another field is central so do you walk to the right or to the left to go search them out!! I could of course call, shout and/or clap my hands, which would bring them all running and save me the walk, but I like to spy on them, to watch them without them seeing me, simply to check on what they are doing, grazing, resting, laying down etc, chiefly to spot any unusual behaviour, before I go and actually visit them individually. Anyway walking is good for body and soul (especially in the pouring rain) LOL!!

Last week we actually had one sunny day and I grabbed a few pics as I searched.







More next post!

 

[AnnaC]

They were well spread out across the fields so mostly distant shots!









Ooooop's where did she come from??? LOL!!

Boy pics next thread.

 

[AnnaC]

The boys came back here from Cathy's farm a couple of months ago, which meant that she could be here everyday to give me a hand through the winter months. They have their own fields well away from the girls!

Mixed batch of Spotbum, Handbag, Mamoote, Billy and Ferret sharing their hay down in their bracken shelter area, they have approx 3 acres of grazing further up the field.



The three bigger boys are in another field (8 acres) Michael, Goliath and Nancy (dont ask!!) And one of Billy and Ferret up in a corner of an old barn waiting for a foot trim - please excuse dirty bedding, we dont use this space normally and they were only in for half an hour - since been mucked out in case needed again!!



And finally one of my precious Nutty (24 this year) who again has been forced to spend the winter living out (things will change next year Nuts, I promise!) but has survived and is looking great.

Then the two golden oldies little Heidi (26) and old Bess (30) making their way up to their barn stables via a field and the house garden. Never bother to lead them, they spend several hours each day (unless rain is very bad) out on the fields with the herd, but are always waiting for me, ready to come back in around 4pm each day. They both get two feeds before they go out and then a tea and late night feed once stabled. If in all day they get a 5th feed in the middle of the others - they cost me a fortune - Heidi is only 29" and Bess 36" but they eat the equivilant of a 12.2" and a 13.2" pony in feed per day, plus grass and hay!! Still they both deserve it, bless them.

That's all folks!

 

They all look so wonderful Anna! And your little pillow warmer looks quite comfortable, too! I just love all your pictures!! And can't wait to see what Spotbum has given "us" this year!!

 

[MountainWoman]

Oh, Anna, I LOVE your photos of your minis. Makes my heart glad to see them have so much space. You and I house our minis in the same way so I feel a special connection to your horses. Just beautiful and thanks so much for sharing!!! P.S. - you have green and we have snow so I'm very envious!!!

 

[chandab]

Anna, I just love your pictures and hearing all about your horses and acreage.

I'm guessing the boy named Nancy got his name much like my husband's gelding got his name... Peach. Peach is a 16+H red dun gelding of mixed decent that was purchased at an auction (I wasn't there, but Shayne said a short, squatty gal rode him through the sale), I'm sure there is some draft horses back there somewhere; he looks more like a Moose than a Peach.

 

[FirstTimeMiniMom]

Theyre lovely, and obviously loved. Its wonderful that the Seniors are so pampered, youre right, they deserve it .

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Anna I love the pictures, your children are just beautiful. Very well loved and as they should be

 

[AnnaC]

OK folks - time for a quick upate, and some scruffy pics!! In order - Poppy (covered from 30th June) - Fleur (covered from 18th June) - Muffin's Child (covered from 26th June) - Chapella (covered from 25th June)









All looking good I think - Chapella often goes a month early but no movement in her udder yet to show she might do something end of April thank goodness!

More fun pics next post.

 

[AnnaC]

Have run out of grass on the girls 25 acres of winter pasture - too many little mouths chomping away! So decided I would have to move them - on my own! Trouble was that I needed them to come to a little used gateway into their new field and not to try to use the normal exit gate. First I had to find them!! Luckily they were all together, but in a far field. Clapped my hands shouted "Moving now" and set off for my chosen gate. They slowly caught on and started to appear, one ot two turned left towards the normal gate but soon fell in line.



The first ones reached me - others slowly coming.



Took the chance that they would all arrive in the end and opened the gate - away they went!



Two late arrivals - oooop's moving a bit fast for my mobile phone!!



Forgot to count them through (33??) so had a ciggy and waited - good job too as the final two arrived!



Couple more next post.

 

[AnnaC]

Freya being made use of while we took a break from foot trimming last week! (foot trimming gear is on her bottom!)



And one of old Bess popping out of her hiding place in case it was time to come in for yet another feed!!



That's all folks!

 

The girls look GREAT!! Right on schedule for how they should look at this point. I'm very excited to see what they will show us!

LOVE the 'traveling' pictures! Each one a story! And lovely old Bess!