The other afternoon Sam had a treat in that a pony was going to be in the paddock next to him for the next 24hrs. He is by himself with no horses around him - I don't like it but not much I can do. Anyway I thought I would but his hay halfway up the paddock so he would be able to see the pony while he ate. He followed me up the paddock and our conversation went something like this -
Me: Come on Sam
Sam: Just drop the hay mum, mum just drop the hay I'm starving here!!!!!!
I drop the hay and start to walk back down the paddock to the gate. Sam sniffs his hay and starts walking after me at a very fast pace
Sam: MUM!!!!!!!!! (whinny)
Me: Just eat your hay Sam and I will see you in the morning
Sam: MUM!!!!!!!! (whinny)
I stop and he stands in front of me just looking at me intensely
Me: Good night Sam slept tight don't let the bedbugs bite!!!!!!
Sam: No Mum you don't understand I can't eat my hay (whinny)
I start walking back down to the feed shed
Sam: MUM, MUM, MUM!!!!!!!!!! (whinny x3)
Me: OK good night Sam, I'm sorry but I have to go and eat my dinner now.
Sam: BUT MUM THE HAY IS YUCK!!!!!!! (long, strong, loud whinny)
while I am walking to my car I hear
Sam: MUM, MUM, MUM!!!!!!! (whinny x3)
When I went out the next morning to feed him most of the hay was still there. Very strange. Sam seemed fine, warm, noisy gut sounds, happy to graze when I let him out, normal amount of poos. When I gave him his morning hay I stood and watched him and he kept sniffing it, pushing it around and then he walked away again. I went back opened another bale and took up some more hay. This he tucked into straight away. I took the other hay away and threw on the manure pile there was obvious something wrong with it. So the night before he was trying to tell me!!!!! I felt so bad!!!!! If only he could say - Mum the hay is off! I will defiently listen more closely next time he tries to tell me something!
3 comments:
Hay test - if it's darker or heavier than normal, or if when you break it apart "dust" (mold spores) flies up or it smells anything other than fresh, you've got moldly hay. Most horses won't touch it and those that do can get sick. Sam's smart not to have eaten it.
Smart Sam! At least now you know what he's talking about.
The thing is I smelt the hay, broke it apart searched through it and nothing! What I was worried about was that something had died in it. I found part of a sheep in one bale a while back. Wouldn't let Sam eat that!!!!!! I will never know but he is a smart pony!!!!
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