Mud at the gate, and what I laid down to stop it
A corner worn to soup by one horse, and the stone, the rest and the daily hoof check that made it firm again.
A free letter, on the first Sunday of every month
Over the Gate
One letter on the first Sunday of every month: the horse job of the season, written as I did it that week.
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NextSun 6 DecemberFrozen ground, ice balls and the days we do not ride
- Sun 5 April
Hooves after the wet: what I look at every morning
Picking out, the frog, the white line and when I ring the farrier.
- Sun 3 May
Easing him onto the new spring grass
Twenty minutes a day for a week, then an hour, and the weight tape I keep on the nail.
- Sun 7 June
A Saturday walking the fence, post by post
Wire, posts, latches and the water trough: the check I do every June, on one sheet.
- Sun 5 July
Flies, sweat and a mane that tangles by Tuesday
A brush, a sponge and one comb: what I do before and after every summer ride.
- Sun 2 August
A hot ridge ride, and why we turned round early
Shade, water and the half hour I give him at the top before we walk home.
- Sun 6 September
Cutting back the grass and starting the hay
The weeks when the grass loses its goodness and the hay net comes back, a handful at a time.
- Sun 4 October
Cleaning a bridle after the summer, strap by strap
Strip it down, wipe it, oil it lightly and check every stitch before the wet months.
- Sun 1 November
Mud at the gate, and what I laid down to stop it
A corner worn to soup by one horse, and the stone, the rest and the daily hoof check that made it firm again.
- Sun 6 DecemberNext
Frozen ground, ice balls and the days we do not ride
- Sun 3 January
Brushing a thick winter coat without making him sweat
- Sun 7 February
Dry leather in a cold tack room
- Sun 7 March
The first trail ride back, and how short it should be
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Cleaning a bridle after the summer, strap by strap
Strip it down, wipe it, oil it lightly and check every stitch before the wet months.
Cutting back the grass and starting the hay
The weeks when the grass loses its goodness and the hay net comes back, a handful at a time.
About
Hello, I’m Duncan
I keep one horse, a dun Criollo gelding called Rio, on a few small fields in a valley with snow on the peaks above us. I came to horses late, at forty-one, and I learned the daily jobs by asking my neighbours and writing down what worked: grooming, feed, hooves, the tack, the gates and the fences.
The letters follow the year. Each month is one ordinary job done at the right time, from the spring moult to the first frost, written as I did it that week. Nothing here is clever. It is the care one horse needs, done the same way every day.
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Yearly Horse Care Calendar
A month-by-month page of the jobs I do for one horse, from the spring moult to the winter hay.