The omens were good.  The Frilly was looking perky!

So, after Jo had shod Iacs for Daisy (who is home for the summer on Friday, yay!), we set off for the beach for a good cob-web blasting.

Iacs was not sure about the waves (more like ripples) touching his feet and did his best not to get even slightly wet.  So much for galloping through the surf.

Sadly, we had to put up with just enjoying the scenery and tölting along the beach having the best time.

I have been working hard with Iacs these past few days and somehow, somewhere he has dug deep and found a secret trotty tölt that has been lying buried in the dark recesses of his pea-like brain for the last 19 years.

He is also much more forward-going now.

Poor Daisy – no more slobbing along at the back for her.

As we passed the boys (Hammy, Indy, Andy and Charlie), I said “oh dear, we seem to have black silage wrap in the fence.”

Jo assured me that the black silage wrap was actually my multi prize-winning Shetland stallion, Millhouse Independant.

So around the village we tölted admiring the view and enjoying the sun.

The kids at the local primary school were having playtime and begged us to bring the horses up to stroke.  We stopped for a chat and they admired our noble steeds.

Once home, the boys were untacked and plonked in the stable while we had a cup of tea and then I took them back home.

Definitely more beach rides, methinks, once Daisy is back.  I’m still sitting here with a silly grin about Iacs’ tölt!

I was told that horses cannot live in a garden – oh yes they can!  This is my OH’s sacred vegetable garden that he has given up on due to the vagaries of the Shetland growing season as well as the non-appearance of everything he planted one year.

Therefore, there is grass and I have some hungry horses.

I think equines suit the garden.  Much better than vegetables or flowers, if you ask me.

Having eaten down the veg plot, the horses all arrived, en masse, looking for something or someone.

To keep Her Maj out of any low-flying hooves or noseys, I plonked her on the back of Iacs.  She likes Iacs best.  He is used to being her chauffeur.

Captions needed for this photo, I think!

If  anyone takes the piss, she “has at them” fiercely.  BeAnne takes her riding very seriously, and rightly so.  Not everyone can ride, you know.

Haakon was officially told where to go and he didn’t care.  Been there, done that.

BeAnne settled herself down to a nice snooze on her favourite horse.  Daisy (who owns and rides Iacs) is now redundant.  He has a better jockey now.

Into the indoor school I go with a horse to work with.  I have followers who are not here to help but to mock.

BeAnne has jumped off Iacs, so I plonk her on Fakur who just looks, as usual, very, very embarrassed.

And off they go.  BeAnne has sat on Fakur since she was a puppy but he still is not sure of what he is supposed to do.

But BeAnne is not deterred by movement.  She rides better than most people I know.

(and, yes, she can even do a passable sitting trot)

I love foals.  I do.  I miss the fact that we are not having any (Velvereta and her foal died a few weeks’ back and Verona shows absolutely no sign of looking pregnant).

I was asked to take photos for a Bergli Shetland Pony Stud and there were such nice little bebbies about – both standards and miniatures.

This was the home of the one that we spent hours trying to get to suck a few days’ ago – he is now doing very well.

(I see him as “my little boy”.  So proud – sniff!  He is still lovely).

Look, look drinking!.  He’s got the plot.  At last.   Phew.

The others were enchanting.  All being fairly new, none of the foals were particularly friendly or curious to meet us.  In a few more weeks, I expect we will be climbed over.

Darling, darling little peoples.  Some were more inquisitive than others.  This gorgeous colt had the most beautiful head and eyes.

His movement also took my breath away.  I liked him very much.

I am lucky.  At least these foals are next door and I can spend time with them if I need a quick foal-fix.  Imagine living somewhere where there are no Shetland pony foals?  No, I don’t want to.  That would be my idea of hell.

And, of course, I have my own roly-poly thugs to keep me entertained.

I can live with many things.  Some might even say I was a very tolerant and laid-back person, (I can hear my family snorting with disbelief from here). If I thought for one minute that the boys were going to just live happily side by side then I would be content to let them stay in next door fields.

But sadly not.

Ok, I thought, get to know each other and then get back to eating, please.

But they didn’t, did they?

My poor, poor fence and Taktur was obsessed with the little ones.

I went up there to catch either Taktur or Haakon to ride only to find Taktur galloping up and down the fence trying to now jump it.  That really was the last straw.  The colts ran into their little paddock to hide.  They hadn’t actually anticipated the potential arrival of an Icelandic stallion.  Scary stuff.

I can’t let them in together yet.  The colts need to be gelded first or this could happen.

So, I moved the bebbies to a new-to-them field opposite the school.  It has a very effective electric fence and is large enough for them to run around.

The stallion poo-piles might also encourage the appearance of the necessary parts I want to get whipped off!  Two down, one to go.  Just Storm’s to arrive.

So I left the boys exploring.  If it rains and is suddenly cold, I will let them have Duvet Days in their little paddock with the shed.

And as for Taktur.  There are now two fields between him and his disciples so he can bloody well get on with the task of eating.

(Bloody horses.)

I bottled out yesterday (lost my nerve) and kept the bebbies in their small paddock as I didn’t want everyone to meet over the fence in the rain and hear screams in the night…… (yes, my imagination did run riot).

So, this morning, I wanted to ride and the horses couldn’t have been further away if they tried but were settled and stuffing their faces (all the more reason to ride as I don’t want some to get much fatter!)

I brought the bebbies out to be brushed, have feet picked out and do some nice leading.  I thought it would also tempt the big ones down to investigate and save me the long walk.

It didn’t.

So I gave up and let the boys eat the grass down around the house for a few hours, ever hopeful the big guys would come over.

Err, nope.

So, I let the little boys get used to having the dogs around.  I am fed up with the unnecessary chasing.

The babies investigated all they could.

Shall we place bets as to how long it is before someone comes inside? (perhaps when my OH is in Lerwick!)

Meanwhile, the Icelandic horses started to resemble cow creamers.

And the bebbies went one way….

And the Icelandics, the other.

***** sigh ***** I bet they meet tonight and all hell will break loose over the fence.

Maybe, I should bring the bebbies into my house tonight ………..