by Steve Byrne | Oct 10, 2017 | animals
Poor old Paddy. He woke up on Monday morning with what can at best be classed as terrible constipation. Horses are trickle feeders, and their gut relies on a small steady intake of food to keep everything moving. Colic, usually down to impactions or eating something that has decided to disagree with them, is never a good thing in horses and ponies, and down the years we’ve lost one or two to such things. Hence when it appeared that Paddy had spent a whole night rolling around his stable in discomfort, we called up Sean the vet immediately.
by Steve Byrne | Apr 11, 2017 | animals
This is Paddy, who is what you’d call a happy accident. When I saw him advertised on facebook, I really did not intend to end up giving him a home. Really. But I casually asked a couple of questions and heard no more. Then I get a message back a fortnight later, and the guy sounds desperate to rehome him, and next thing I’m bringing home a tiny three year old cob stallion, who turns out to be not quite two. Makes a change as they are usually older than people say, not younger.
by Steve Byrne | Feb 19, 2017 | animals
This week we went off to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, to their annual Horse Ploughing and country skills day. Apart from anything else it was a good chance to go and have a look at everyone’s harness, as it turns out that literally every single set seems to be different in some way, and we fancied seeing how ours compared.
by Steve Byrne | Aug 23, 2016 | off grid, permaculture
Well this weekend was the All Ireland Permaculture Gathering, held at Cloughjordan Eco Village in Tipperary. The whole thing was really interesting, and despite almost continuous rain for the entire weekend, I had a great time and now that I’m back am itching to get on with all sorts of projects.
by Steve Byrne | Dec 29, 2014 | animals, the farm
The year is coming to an end with mercifully dry and cold weather, the horses are sporting their thick winter coats, and we are enjoying some amazing views across to the mountains. Last night we were officially the coldest spot in the UK, with the thermometer...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 1, 2013 | animals, permaculture
I’ve been fortunate enough to be around horses for 30 years now, and very early on, decided that horses would be my career. I’m ashamed to say that it is only now that I am getting to grips with pasture management. From a permaculture point of view,...
by Steve Byrne | May 7, 2013 | animals
This is Rain. He’s a two year old cob, who came to live with us this weekend, having been a resident at Holly’s Horse Haven, a horse rehabilitation and rescue centre in County Louth. He seems to have been more neglected than mistreated, and so apart...
by Steve Byrne | Mar 30, 2013 | animals
Horses are the most benign, friendly non agressive creatures, right? Well – never annoy one, or you might just end up like Mel. He must have upset Sherafey yesterday, because he came in from the field with a huge hole in his neck. She must have been very...
by Steve Byrne | Mar 24, 2013 | animals, smallholding, the farm
At last the rain and snow have stopped, and there is a hint of blue sky above us now. The wind is still bitterly cold though, and the snow shows no sign of leaving us any time soon. This winter has been an especially difficult one for anyone with livestock, and we...
by Steve Byrne | Nov 20, 2012 | permaculture
One of the principles of permaculture is ‘Obtain a yield’. On seeing the horses the other day, a visitor asked ‘How do you make money from them?’, and seemed surprised when I simply answered ‘We don’t’. It’s an unusual...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 21, 2012 | woodlands
Since autumn appears to have arrived (and because it’ll take me weeks), I’ve made a start on coppicing over in the woods. Although it is mainly birch, I’ve started with an area that has some ash in it, to give the ash a fighting chance, and because...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 14, 2012 | buildings
Ever since the horses arrived here, and through all the terrible weather, the lack of stables has really bothered me, and Sherafey, who dashed into hers as soon as it was finished. It also means poor Mel here can eat his dinner in peace without being monstered by the...
by Steve Byrne | Jul 13, 2012 | animals, smallholding
Poor little Sherafey, she has had a hard few weeks. Having finally found her a friend she got on with in the form of Mabel, she was bereaved after just a week here on the farm when we sadly lost Mabel to colic. The following day she ran through a wire fence and and...
by Steve Byrne | Jul 6, 2012 | animals
Sherafeys accident has sparked a furious burst of horse facility improving, and the stables are taking shape (above) – not a terribly eco friendly design but there are a lot of blocks around and we need to get the stables built asap. I’m trying to use as...
