Dear friends and followers of Frugaldom,
Thank you once again for all your support - we really couldn't do this without you. Our Spring fundraiser reached its £1,000 target with a couple of weeks to spare so I'm confident that we can achieve our next goal this summer. It's a little more modest, but just a few hundred pounds would allow us to buy essential fencing materials and corrugated iron roofing to build a very basic shelter for the goats. Only by asking for your help can we raise the extra needed to improve the welfare facilities for the animals here - I hate asking so I hope the blogging, daily updates and regular photos go some way towards showing my gratitude. Of course, you also have the option of visiting the project anytime. We don't charge entry fees.
The goats need some extra drainage work done in their enclosure so the plan is to lay pipes along the existing ditch as soon as the ground dries enough to carry out the work. It will take a bit of digging but it's the only way we can resolve mud problems during wet weather. We do have a length of drainage pipe so no expense there, just need the help of fit volunteers to do some digging.
The ponies all live on what's known as paddock paradise track system, so named after the book of similar title written by Jaime Jackson, after his study of horses living wild. Equines aren't just grazing animals, they are browsers and foragers in nature. They cross many terrains and are on the move around the clock. We try to mimic this varying terrain by having a variety of materials underfoot, plus pond areas. The ponies are never stabled, they are outdoors throughout the year, free to roam around the tracks skirting our tree planting, herb and orchard areas and free to use their shelters whenever they want. We only plant tree and herb species that are safe and beneficial to horse health. With sparse grass at Frugaldom, all the ponies and goats have ad lib hay or haylage, as well as their supplements, Himalayan salt and mineral blocks. We are often donated a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, which we feed sparingly. The ponies are currently enjoying a mix of apples, carrots, celery, parsnips, radishes and bananas.
As we near Summer 2023, we are already planning ahead. Essential materials will be ordered very soon and work carried as and when we raise the funds. Feel free to help if you can. While drainage work is being carried out in the goat enclosure, we may also construct a windbreak fence from the recently cut spruce.
Pippin and Dobbin need repairs done to their accommodation, including ground levelling, resurfacing part of their track, fixing some fencing and planting more willow, dogwood and hazel hedging that will grow tasty snacks for future browsing. Dobbin needs his fly sheet replaced, Pippin already has a new one with full face mask, as he suffers from what's called Sweet Itch. The lotions, potions and herbal supplements for his condition are fairly expensive but a steady supply of Sudocrem helps a bit. Dobbin needs his very own grooming kit, as he's such a hairy wee mud monster. We hope to find each of these ponies their own little people who will come along and help look after them.
Willowby, Blue, Lemony and BB Dobbin have had several vet visits, including being gelded, microchipped, vaccinated and new passports organised for their future foster carers, so the vet fee fund was hugely depleted and needs building back up in case of any emergencies. There is also repair work needing done on their shelter and fencing. All the ponies and goats are getting extra large brushes attached to their shelters or fences so they can have a good scratch without damaging themselves on posts.
Out in the front field, which has just been re-opened to the ponies this week, a new band of hedging was planted over winter, along with a patch of native woodland that should bring in more wildlife, while also growing into a shelter belt. We have already seen barn owls hunting along the corridors created by the ponies grazing down the strips of land between the trees. Recently, for the first time, one of our visitors spotted what she thinks was a little-eared owl, hunting nearby in the afternoon sunshine.
Painting has begun again at Frugaldom and there's plenty of it this year, what with all the shelters, hay store, feed store, fencing and barn to be done. More volunteers are needed for this job, too.
£150 is all we need to hit the newest target for our GoFundMe page. It's been a great fundraiser so far, with great supporters and, in addition, brought us several new friends and helpers to Frugaldom. I truly hope you all know how much this means to us and the difference it makes to the lponies and goats who live at Frugaldom. Goatis Redding and Vincent Van Goat love their new scratching posts and they have lovely new head collars. Our visitors love walking out with the goats and with summer fast approaching, it will soon be time for the ponies to go on adventures, too. I hope my next update will be to announce that our latest target has been met.
If anyone would like to help support Frugaldom and the work we do here, you can find out more or join us join us via our coffee break updates on www.ko-fi.com/Frugaldom (Thank you and welcome to our newest members.)
Best wishes to you all and my sincerest thanks for your continued support,
Susan at Frugaldom