So Christmas is upon us, and the
ex-racers at the farm are not happy. For their humans it's a time of
frantic activity, trying to make get all prepared for the
festivities, as well as fitting in work and all the rest of their
busy lives. It means that sometimes the horses are fed a little later
than usual, or are brought in from the paddocks earlier (and since
the grass is still growing in this unusually mild December, the
horses want to stay out eating it!) And, sensitive souls that they
are, the ex-racehorses quickly pick up on their stressed-out carers'
irritability and tiredness, and respond by being as awkward as
possible.
I always think that November and
December are the hardest months for anyone involved in keeping
livestock – in the UK, at least.. The weather may not be quite as
severe as in January, but the ever-shortening days mean there is
never enough daylight to do all that needs to be done. Add in days of
persistent rain and occasional fog, and horses can end up spending
too long standing in stables and not nearly enough doing exercise. So
– especially if they are ex-racehorses used to regular hard work
and discipline – they can easily end up bored, unfit – and
naughty! Their 'Whoopee, playtime!' mindset quickly kicks in.
But – hey! - it's Christmas! It only
lasts a few days, and soon enough the festive decorations will come
down for another year and life will return to normal. If you are
struggling to tend your ex-racehorse as devotedly as you would like,
my advice is to cut yourself some slack, relax, stop struggling to be
the perfect horse-keeper, and just enjoy the holiday. The horses,
ex-racers or not, will come to no harm for having a bit of down-time
themselves whilst humans over-indulge in food and drink for a few
days. They will enjoy having longer turnout on Christmas Day – or
even for the whole holiday. You will soon catch up with exercise, and
discipline, afterwards. As long as the horses have good shelter, or
rugs, to keep they warm and dry, and plenty of grass or hay to keep
they occupied, they'll be happy as larry. Christmas carrots and polo
mints optional, but always welcome.
Happy Christmas!
