The worst blogger ever in the winter

Well, I must be the worst blogger ever. One post and then almost four months until the next one.

Quite honestly, there really hasn't been much to blog about. Winter is a quieter time of year for pony activities, and it's been a cold season, although we haven't gotten nearly as much snow as other places.

P and AP have been staying warm by eating lots of hay. P can still eat soft hay and also gets some chopped hay. She also has a very thick winter coat, but as she gets older, I do wonder if I'll have to start blanketing her. There are countless brands of blankets with a countless number of options, so I'll have to start looking into that.

P and AP have also continued to get plenty of turnout, even during the winter. I think it's important for P to be out, as it keeps her from getting so stiff. She especially tends to get stiff in her hips/sacroiliac area. I suspect that she may have had some past trauma, although she is also just getting older. Unfortunately, we don't have access to an indoor arena, so any real exercise can't be done until spring. I'm okay with the time off, as the weather is often too miserable to ride anyway, but sometimes it would be nice to have an indoor.

I'll try not to take four months to blog again!

Hello and welcome!

Hello, bloggers! I've lurked around this site for years and have followed many wonderful blogs, but I've never really had the motivation to start my own blog until now. I have nowhere near the photo/video/blogging experience that so many of you do, but I'm hoping to join what seems like a great equestrian community and also keep a record of my aging Pony.

P is a large pony who has been with me for many years now and has started having some age-related health problems. We started out in a very bad barn where the owner was, quite frankly, crazy. P was very stressed out and lost a lot of weight and I worry that some of her physical and emotional problems may stem from this time in her life. Luckily that's in the past, and she now lives at a good barn with Another Pony (AP). I'm fully responsible for her care, they have lots of turnout, and they're the best of friends who will receive the best care possible for the rest of their lives.

However, sometimes it's not easy. P has had some nutritional deficiencies and also has some bad teeth, so she has trouble eating sometimes. She can still eat some hay and grass, and she eats chopped hay, although she isn't a huge fan of Dengie. She also gets a small amount of soaked senior grain, and I've played around with various vitamin/mineral supplements for her in the past. I don't like going crazy with supplements, but I do believe that they have their place and can help out a lot.

P is actually still rideable, although I don't ride her very much anymore. No more serious riding, mostly just a short hack around the ring. This has also been difficult lately due to some soreness issues that could be arthritis-related or nutrition-related or could be something else entirely. Don't worry - our vet and farrier are definitely involved with P's care; however, sometimes there are things they just can't fix.

I hope to keep up with this blog, although I'm sure life will get in the way sometimes. I really admire all of the bloggers who are able to keep up with work or school, riding, horse care, and blogging. I also hope to keep up with reading your blogs, sharing horsekeeping ideas, and perhaps riding vicariously through all of you! So hello and welcome!