Big Dog!


Everyday for a week, we have had a visitor.  He's small, short legged, bright as a button and more importantly very hungry., and he has learnt very quickly just how to squeeze his stocky little frame through the hawthorn hedge from the over grazed pasture of the livery stables in order to fill his fat face with  the Ukranian Village pasture.
If his visits continue, I will have to say something as I have already had all of the bigger horses over for a whole day, where they churned up the grass and muddied the stream. Quite simply the horses need more haylage. When horses are stripping bark from the hedge trees, they are hungry

Yesterday Winnie met up with the visitor and her reaction proved to be interesting, as it was her very first up close meeting with a horse.
Snorting like a bull, she trotted up to the pony with a very worried expression on her face., she then St opped short around ten feet from it, then woofed half heartedly in a " what the fuck is this?" Kind of way!
She then looked at me
Then back at the horse
Then back at me
Then back at the horse, who then took a few assertive steps towards her.
Finally she gave me a long and incredibly worried look, then bolted for the gate like a baby hippo being chased by a crocodile
I could almost hear her muttering the words
" bigdogbigdogbigdogbigdogbigdogbigdog" 
As she thundered past!

60 comments:

  1. Poor babies... I HATE seeing animals go hungry when it isn't necessary; if they can't be fed then give them to someone who can care for them properly. GRRR.

    And poor Winnie, to be so traumatised. Oh, do you use any particular kind of treats for the pooches?

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    1. Their favourite treat is cheap chicken roll from Tescos
      Oh and miniature cocktail sausages from marks andspencers

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  2. I heard singing from that field yesterday ....as I got closer it suddenly stopped .....must have become a little horse

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    1. Hits drum kit cymbal with drum sticks

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    2. Then hits forehead with open palm :)

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  3. Thelwell would have liked that pony.

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    1. I can't believe how short his bloody legs are

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  4. Hate to think of animals going hungry especially when it's cold, damp and miserable outdoors.

    I can picture Winnie so well ... she's a big wuss. Suky would have gone right up to the 'big dog' stared it in the eyes and then shown she was no threat by eating grass with it. Exactly as she did the first time she met a fully grown heifer. She even made friends with the big Ram we had in the paddock earlier this year and would go and stand next to him as if it was her right, surveying the sheep in front of them. She is of the opinion that everyone in the world should love her and she will stare/stand them out until they do.

    I do hope it's not her downfall one day!!

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    1. I don't think they've been at all mistreated. I just think they need a little more hay, given the fact that there is a big temptation to eat my pasture which is much lusher than the livery stables grass

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  5. Winnie sounds like a comical dog to have around! Too funny!

    My George noticed a lighted nativity scene in someone's yard the other night (we walk our two after dark) and despite all the xmas lights he's been seeing, something about that display scared him. He barked and growled and bared his teeth at it. It would be MY dog trying to attack the holy family! LOL

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    1. It's funnywhat upsets them
      A bin bag blowing in the wind sends william into hysterics

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  6. Anonymous11:56 am

    You wonder how those short little legs can support that huge horse.

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  7. No matter how big and bad we are, there is always a bigger dog out there.

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  8. That's about the size of my two mini horses. We feed them well but they also graze a bit. We have neighbors down the road who's cow's are down to gnawing on tree bark and rocks....breaks your heart...we often find them out and eating in our yard.

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  9. Anonymous12:10 pm

    Maybe it would be a good idea to have a friendly word with the owners of the livery stables, and hope that does the trick. It is irresponsible and cruel to allow any animal in ones charge to be hungry. Do keep an eye on them John, if you can.

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    1. I will have a nice word..I just think they perhaps need a bit more haylage......

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  10. Laughing out loud at Winnie's reaction to the horse. I'm surprised she didn't stay to protect you, the love of her life.

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  11. I wish I had been there to see it!

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  12. Snort! what a hoot - I've been chuckling since I read it and still am grinning now! Poor old win - how funny!

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  13. She did her job and notified you of big dog as she went past.

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  14. As my friend Bill says, "Let the big dog eat."

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  15. You mean that when poor, famished Dobbin encountered Winnie it didn't even whinny?

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  16. So funny! Winnie is quite the fun companion.

    I used to raise miniature horses of show quality.

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  17. Good old Whinnie the wonder dog.

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  18. The horse's owner will be notified - by word of mouth... and your blog.
    Can imagine Winnie's reaction! :)

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  19. Probably did them both good. Little horses (like little men?) often have a bit of an inferiority complex, so good for the horse to see something scared of it.
    As for dear old Winnie - a bit of running is always good for the waistline.

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  20. He looks pretty stocky, that big dog. It irks me no end that people take on livestock and then don't feed them enough. I look on all my motley crew as dependents and I am responsible for them. In the end, it's easier than kids...your description of Winnie's reaction was wonderful!

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  21. At least your dog can recognise a real animal. We took our pup into a farm and country supplies store and there was a large artificial horse and rider. Our pup got very excited and ran up to them wagging her tail furiously, had a good sniff around then looked perplexed! Our rescue dog is much more suspicious. It took me several months to get her to walk along the road past a field of cows without her barking and trying to walk in the other direction. She was absolutely petrified.

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  22. OMG !
    Thank You for a much need laugh after a week of hell.
    That will continue to the end of the year. le sigh

    cheers, parsnip

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  23. I've been feeding a 27 year old very large horse that the neighbors have abandoned, for the past 3 years. She isn't even very friendly though I can pet her. She bites Gracie, the other horse I finally bought that I was also having to feed for neglect. It is very expensive and I am just about to call the neighbor to come and get her. I fear for her though; they won't feed her and will probably put her down. I don't know what to do...

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    1. Once you start helping , you can't stop eh?

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    2. Is there a rescue organization for horses? We have some in the U.S.

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  24. Oh gosh. Poor Winnie!
    And poor horses. You may need to report someone. Horses should not be forced into eating bark. Not good for them or the trees.
    Merry Christmas to you and Chris, John. ♥

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    1. I've said before..I just think that they have been tempted by my grass.its better than theirs

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  25. For Winnie, the very thought of having sex with a horse must have been extremely disconcerting. No wonder she ran for the gate. A living nightmare. It would be like me seeing a man-eating eight foot Viking Bjarnhildr in a night club.

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  26. Now you have me worried about the horses, oh dear :(

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I think you are ok....jlike I said above I think the grass is just always greener

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  27. I'm wondering how you guys manage to make hay in such a soggy country. Our hay in California dries perfectly in the sun and keeps well for a couple of years. California horses won't eat hay that was grown in the Northwest or the South, where there's too much moisture and a taste of mold on it. Even if they get plenty of hay, a horse just can't resist green grass, especially grass that no other horse has pooped on.

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    1. Thanks jan
      You just answered why he's arrived!

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  28. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. I hate to think of animals going hungry or cold or being mistreated (you've said you think they're okay but commenters have mentioned other cases, and I know it's out there, all over the world) ... but then you throw in Winnie's reaction and who can help but smile?

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  29. I commented on a post yesterday (a post about your extravagances), making the first comment, then the post disappeared. Was that to get rid of my comment or to get rid of the post?

    And re horses & ponies and sheep and cows I think it disgraceful they are left out in the cold bare fields in a country such as ours. In a natural landscape they would at least always have a thick cover of trees and bushes available to shelter under and beside. I hate seeing them standing the pouring rain and/or howling wind in a bare field. A bare field is not a natural landscape, is it? I do eat animals though, so I don't suppose I care about them that much.

    Oh... I'm writing a lot again - can't help myself - better stop before I get told to "shut up" again.

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    1. It was a boing post.....l posted it rather than drafted it.....
      I look forward to EVERYTHING you have to say andrew.,so keep on writing..........

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  30. Anonymous9:46 pm

    Looks kinda like an Em pony...

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  31. You have a talent for painting a great picture.

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  32. Well, if you ever need to put Winnie on an exercise regimen, you've got the solution then. You need to get handy with that video function on your camera; that's two missed opportunities in as many days! (ok, maybe it was 3 days, with the time difference or something)

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    1. She's lost 3 kilos since being with us!

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  33. Just what you need, John....a horse!

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    1. And one with six inch legs to boot jimbo

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  34. Was the pony looking at Winnie and thinking "small pony"?

    Or looking at the pair of you and thinking "two small ponies, but one a more silly looking breed than the other"?

    Or thinking "Am I a pony or a small horse?"

    Puzzling eh?

    But it was probably just thinking "More grass. More grass. I want more grass."

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    1. Whose that fat bitch?
      More like
      " and the dog's no better"

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  35. I hate to see hungry horses. We call the new forest ponies Big Dogs when Dillon looks at them; he can look but not play as they give a hearty kick !

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  36. P has a horse like this. Its name is Guts. The one here looks perfectly all right to me. i will put a picture of him on my blog one day.xxxxx

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  37. Poor little hungry guy! Look at those short legs! I bet the dog WAS a bit worried...Olga is perplexed by horses, too.

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  38. Problem is horses ( and ponies( which this is )) need to be seeking food for 16 hours out of every 24. ( Observe ) I use the word seeking and not eating. So if a farmer puts out a huge bale they will just gorge themselves and get fat. The skill is not letting them get really hungry so that they break down fences, so the feeding regime is difficult to manage for most people who choose to let equines live "out".
    it is also important to let equines get a little lean during the winter to ensure that the (don't know jargon but it is the diabetes thingy) gland know how to work properly. Lay down fat in summer and diet through the winter.
    Ps it is also okay to eat bark and woody branches

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