Farmer Jim’s Pony Care Manual!

Pony Care with Farmer Jim

Hello! My name is Farmer Jim and I have been working at the farm for almost 2 years now, and I absolutely love it!

I am known around the farm for being quite horse/pony mad! So, I thought I would tell you a little bit about ponies, why we love them and the best ways to care for them. I currently own 3 of my own, Gismo, Rupert and Fudge (who you may recognise as he came from the farm!). I have done all sorts of qualifications in looking after horses. Before I worked on the farm, it had been my job since I was just 17-years old. I like to say that horses are kind of like big dogs, they just have more of an opinion. Especially with Gismo, he definitely likes to make sure I do things his way! I got into riding horses when I was young, and my friend had a birthday party where we got to ride ponies. Much to my parents dismay, as from that day onwards I was constantly asking for my own pony and to have riding lessons, I was hooked!

We have three ponies at the farm which I adore, they are Holly, Charlie and Smokey-Jo (I even share a birthday with Smokey!). They are all Shetland ponies, meaning they are descended from the Shetland islands, Scotland, where they would spend a lot of time moving around and searching for food as its pretty scarce up there. Shetlands are well adapted to having very little food and being able to cover lots of ground in a day. All of our ponies are at a good age with Holly being 30, Charlie being 28 and Smokey being 19! With them being senior in age, it comes with us having to adapt in the way we care for them. Holly and Charlie both struggle with their teeth as they are very worn from eating lots of grass over the years. Therefore, we have to make sure that they still get all the food they need, so we feed them lots of soft foods throughout the day, ensuring that they get all the nutrients they need without having to chew too much. Smokey still has good teeth, so she is able to get away with eating more grass and hay! We also like to make sure the ponies are kept warm when the temperature drops so they get their rugs put on when it gets cold, this is so that the ponies can concentrate on eating lots rather than keeping themselves warm. You tend to find that older ponies struggle to keep their weight up over winter because they concentrate too much on keeping themselves warm and making sure that all their joints are ready for moving, in case they have to run away, with them being a prey animal.

You also need to make sure that you are keeping your horses happy and active throughout their days. There are lots of ways you can do this, such as giving them enrichment toys, taking them on walks, riding and more. I take Rupert out on walks on the longlines which he loves, as he gets to look at lots of new things that he wouldn’t see in his field, whilst also working his body and keeping fit. At the farm, Holly and Charlie both love having a treat ball where they have to roll the ball around using their noses, trying to get treats to fall out the hole. They also love going for a walk around the farm and checking up on all the other animals we have. You can also do other things like giving them hay balls, giving them a groom or a bath, giving them a carrot ball, or even a jolly ball they can roll around the field. You could also give them access to different browse, let them explore a different space/field, and you could even make them a scratch post from an old brush head!