Holiday Treat

It's been unseasonably warm lately, but this week we're back to some more winter appropriate weather. I was actually looking forward to it, since for Christmas I bought some warm mash for Gobie--and it's far more appropriate to serve warm mash when it's cold out!

Lucky for us, it was freezing out this evening.

As usual, Gobie was at the gate waiting for me to let him in to the work area and give him some lovin'. But first we had some business to attend to: another dose of regular deworming. I think Bonnie did the other horses earlier but I always do Gobie myself--I think because she's not comfortable managing him on her own. Each time it's time to take his medicine, he gets a bit better with it. This time was a breeze and we were done in no time!

So it was back to pleasantries! Gobie got a quick once-over to get some dried mud and dust off. And so I could admire the state of his excellent winter coat.

So. Fuzzy.

But on to the main event! The mash I got from Dovery Saddlery. They had different measures available: one for horses and one for ponies. I got Gobie the smaller size. There were also lots of different flavors, but I opted for peppermint because he's so fond of his peppermint treats.

 Deco's Mini Monster Mash - Peppermint Piaffe! Fancy, ya'll.

The mix included: wheat mash, alfalfa, oats, un-sweetened beet pulp, cracked corn, ground flax seed and peppermint candies.

 Dry, in the bucket.

All you had to do was add water. I brought 6 cups hot water in a thermos from home. You can also use cold water, but it takes longer to soak and it kind of defeats the purpose of having warm mash!

With hot water. Let soak for 15 minutes.

The reason why hot mash is great: in the winter horses don't like to drink cold water which can lead to dehydration and digestion issues. Bonnie has at least one of her troughs heated, so it's not a big deal for these horses. But if you don't have a heated trough, offering warm mash can help your horse get some much needed water, and keep their guts in order. This brand of mash says it's can be fed as a treat or as a nutritionally balanced meal that "helps to improve digestion and gut flow."

But the best reason to feed mash is, of course, horses seem to really like it!

 Get that over here!

As soon as I put the bucket down, Gobie was ready to eat.

He practically DOVE into it.

omnomnomnom.

It actually took him a little while to get through it all, even though we had the "mini" size there was a lot of it. It was a little messy--he got some on his face (which was easy to wipe off) and on the ground (which was easy for him to nibble up).

 ...and the bucket, licked clean!

 Gobie definitely enjoyed his mash, and it was a well deserved treat. Some of the other horses gathered at the fence line to watch, longingly.

 Other horses, u jelly?

Definitely recommend the warm mash! We'll probably get some more when it decides to stay cold. The holidays have been great in the treat department--Bonnie really thoughtfully got Gobie some apple and oat biscuits, too. At this rate I'll have to start training him to be a riding pony to keep his cute figure. Ha!