Recent content by Nudibranch

Herdwicks! I also have some Suffolk mules that I put to my Herdy tup, and they reliably produce compact but spotty fleeced babies 😄

And she's just messaged me on the selling site, asking if I've had a think about her offer. Blocked.

Ah rare breed turkeys and chickens - don't get me started! For years I sold hatching eggs on Fleabay. Always great feedback, repeat customers, and was able to buy great quality eggs myself to add to bloodlines. Then maybe 4 years ago or so, it seemed to be overrun by scammers and chancers. So I...

At home. As a child I kept my 2 small ponies up the road. In my 20s I was the sole livery on a local yard. In my 30s we rented the field next door. Now I am lucky enough to have my own land and stables at home. I only have 1 horse and 1 pony on 10 acres so there would be room for liveries. But I...

This is actually about sheep but I'm sure some of it will apply equally to horse buyers. I breed pedigree sheep. Some I keep back, some are sold to other breeders, some go to a tiny family run Welsh abbatoir for meat boxes. Some also go as pets/lawnmowers/holiday lets as they're an attractive...

Just to say, my greedy thug of a Fell once smashed her way into a metal creep feeder and demolished an almost totally full 20kg sheep tub, pretty much pure molasses. She's borderline EMS so I was convinced there would be a huge laminitis episode. Nothing. Not a peep. Not even slight footiness...

Farrier thinks it's more recent than the abscess. Heels are still good, its hard to explain, just a more upright confo yet no visible heel changes. He thinks we'd have seen it before 2 years. Although it is a coincidence...

I have a horrible here we go again feeling (previous horse was pts aged 8 due to multiple issues)... 10yo Dales mare. Owned since 3 and backed and brought on myself. Diagnosed with PPID aged 9. Well controlled; only issues have been skin and coat quality, some puffiness above the eyes and low...

That made me feel a lot better! Normally my sheep/lamb sales cover all the animal costs and a bit more but definitely not this year. But as you say it comes and goes. Here's to better grass next year.

Not struggling yet but may do. I have hay, as much as I could get my hands on; enough for the horses and goats for a "normal" winter. However the summer drought hammered my grass so badly that even with the autumn regrowth it's been eaten down very quickly. It's so poor now that even the sheep...

I find we are always quoted ridiculous amounts...even NFU admitted theirs was ott. No idea why; perhaps smallholding/small farm insurance pays out a lot round here although I don't see why. It's quiet, rural Welsh hills. Anyway I have BHS gold for horse third party. The tractor isn't road legal...

Sabre although when I looked recently I couldn't find a comfort headpiece, only the traditional style with the noseband running underneath. In the end the only option that met my requirements - decent headpiece, flat noseband, nice leather and mix and match - was the Shires Velcociti. I was a...

Personally I would go the in hand option as that's how I start youngsters. The earlier comment about riding being the only way isn't true and is rather old fashioned. I work in hand and then long rein (only if you are confident) as some of mine go on to drive. Long reining in particular gives...

Fwiw I do like the Flexee. I've used the pre gullet and now adjustable gullet version but you do need a proper shim pad with them. And the recommended Nuumed one is no longer manufactured (I think). I find them comfortable, horse goes nicely, certainly don't feel perched. BUT customer service...

Definitely sheep. I've cross grazed for many, many years and the only time we've ever had anything in worm counts was when we moved house. Previous owners didn't divide the grazing, cross graze or poo pick ever so it was 10 acres of long grass plus a lot of worms. My sheep and goats, plus...