	Dooby
	Charlie
	Holly
	Rosie
	The Blue Cross

Mouse's Diary

Looking after a horse or pony can be hard work and a lot of money. Sometimes owners can no longer keep their animals and sign them over to us to be looked after. This diary is about one of these ponies, Mouse.

mouseApril09

April
I had my weekly weigh in the other day and I am now 242kg. That means I have lost 37kg. It has been hard work but defiantly worth it. Carrying that extra weight made me more tired, put more pressure on my body and left me at risk from getting weight related problems such as laminitis (see www.allaboutpets.org.uk). Its not easy trying to loose weight I have to be managed just right in order for me to stay healthy and maintain a good weight.

The Blue Cross has launched a new campaign to help horse keepers with managing their horse’s right weight, you can get more information from www.fathorseslim.org.uk, it’s really interesting. Now I am at a good weight I have started more exercise. I have had a new saddle fitted to me. When I was overweight I could never have worn a saddle it would have been to tight and caused me pain. But now it feels great. I have a bridle with a nice bit in my mouth, which is used to control me. To start with, I was quite excited to have tack on and wanted to go out on a hack, but I was lunged on a big circle to get me used to exercise again and help get me fitter. I have built up to being lunged for about 10-15 minutes now in walk, trot and canter. It has taken some time but is great fun. Towards the end of April I started to be ridden. I have been out for walks round the fields and even done a little in the school over poles. This is all in preparation for when I am ready to look for a new home and family to care for me. I don’t think it will be long now!

mouseMarch09

March
Hello, I have had some great fun this month. The centre had a big open day so it was really busy with lots of people. Groups came around and had a tour of the yard and fields; it was nice to see lots of different people. The staff talked to them about why horses end up with The Blue Cross and about how they manage certain ponies at the centre, like me. Apparently there are lots of fun activities planned for this year so make sure you keep an eye on the list of events on the website. My exercise has been increased now. I’m feeling a lot fitter and I have lost some weight so am enjoying it a lot. I go on the horse walker for 15 minutes clockwise and 15 minutes anti-clockwise to make sure I have the same amount of exercise in both directions. To add a bit of variety to my exercise program I also sometimes go for walks in hand. This gives me more to look at and means I don’t get bored. I’m still looking forward to when I can be ridden though, I love riding round the fields going for a good canter. Maybe I will be doing that next month?

mouseFeb09

February

I am doing really well on my diet. I have now been put in a new shelter and woodchip area with a pony called Peggy. She is also on a strict diet. It really helps living with a pony that has to have the same amount of food I do. It means we can eat the right amount of food together. I think it is quite hard work to look after ponies like us. The grooms have to be so careful what they feed us or we will end up putting on weight and feeling as uncomfortable as we did when we arrived. I really don’t want that. We also have our hay in haynets, which tie up on the fencing. This is because it takes us longer to eat the hay, as the holes are very small. This is actually quite fun and keeps us busy.

To help me loose some more weight and get fit, I have started to go on what is called a 'horse walker'. This is a machine that horses and ponies are put on and then can walk round in a circle one way and then the other. I haven’t been doing this for long as I am not used to the exercise - so I go on for five minutes each way. It feels really nice to have a walk and I feel better from it already. I think this is going to prepare me for when I get back into being ridden again. What fun! I loved being ridden, but when I was so overweight, it would have been a lot of pressure on my joints and heart, so the grooms have to wait till I have lost some weight. I don’t think there would have been a saddle that fitted me properly either!

mouse_jan09

January 2009

Hi my name is Mouse. I am only 11.2 hands so quite small; this means I am a pony. My breed is Highland. I am very hardy and have grown such a thick coat to keep me warm over the winter - I don’t even need to wear a rug!

When I came back to The Blue Cross last year I was overweight. I’ve been told that this can be a problem with some horses and ponies. I was finding it hard carrying all that extra weight around so was so glad when I was put on a special diet.

Being on a diet isn’t that hard really. I eat little amounts often, that’s how the horse digestive system works best. In the wild we would have been roaming around eating grass. This would mean that our stomach would have little amounts at regular intervals. My diet consists of fibre, in the form of hay. Hay is great for me and helps my digestive system work as well as it should. It’s also nice and filling which means I don’t get too hungry.

I am not out at grass at the moment, as it would be hard to monitor how much grass I would be eating. I am kept in a woodchip and shelter instead. I have a couple of friends who are also on a similar diet in there with me so we can groom each other and play.

When I came into the centre I weighed 279kg. Wow, when I think about it that’s like two bags of horse food extra that I was carrying around! No wonder I found it hard.