The ponies have grown their winter coats, long haired now and invariably covered in mud which helps to keep them warm. Their manes also are huge and take a long time to comb, the ponies don’t mind how they look, the tangles don’t bother them. They will keep this thick winter coat until the spring, when the weather turns warm again they will start to shed it. By May they will be sleek and shiny again. The birds will make good use of all the horse hair flying around and will line their nests with it.
The pony above is Daydream who is a sedate young lady, a quiet, loving and affectionate mini pony who is devoted to her mother, Ruby who also has a good temperament. The ponies say at the sanctuary for life and are grouped into herds. Try and split them up and there is a real ruckus!
One of the advantages of the mild autumn weather is that the grass is still growing and provides nutrition for these little ponies. This is only the case when there is enough room for them to roam about, ponies kept on small fenced paddocks need careful supplementation as a restricted grazing area is not natural and they cannot pick and choose what they eat. There is little food value when the frosts start and the grass dies back. They still graze but it is roughage only and even the smallest ponies need extra food. Thank you so much for bringing apples in – the ponies love them. Not only are they are a valuable treat but they are a good supplement to their winter rations.
If you’d like to adopt one of our ponies please get in touch – pony adoption makes a great gift. Many thanks. [donate]